Housing

A person wearing a dark jacket, backward cap, and face mask pulled down crouches on a sidewalk, sorting through a stack of papers spread out on a yellow envelope. A black backpack and a cane rest nearby. The background features a city street with parked cars, buildings, and a hotel sign.

Housing

They tried to pay their overdue rent. Their landlord wouldn’t accept it

It’s legal in California to evict tenants for nonpayment even when they can pay all their overdue rent. A proposal pending in the Legislature seeks to change that.

By Felicia Mello • March 10, 2025

Two people work together to assemble or repair a bicycle, focusing on the rear wheel. One person, wearing a light gray jacket and glasses, is seated while adjusting the bike frame. The other, dressed in a gray hoodie and jeans, leans over to assist. The perspective is low to the ground, emphasizing the bike's spokes and mechanical components. The setting is indoors, with bright overhead lighting.

Homelessness

How California homeless programs are helping people get fit and off the streets: ‘It’s the bike’

From biking in San Diego to running in San Francisco, these programs host workout groups specifically for homeless Californians.

By Marisa Kendall • March 10, 2025

A tall doom-like structure made out of tarps and other materials can be seen next to an area with several personal belongings for unhoused residents including bicycles, shopping carts, boxes, an American flag and more.

Homelessness

Bay Area city backs down after proposing ban on ‘aiding and abetting’ homeless encampments

Fremont reverses course, jettisoning a move that legal experts said could have been used to punished people for "aiding and abetting" homeless encampments.

By Richard Procter • March 5, 2025

A worker wearing a white jumpsuits and bright yellow places their right hand on a rail to support themselves as they remove a zippy tie from one of the rail poles. An orange tent can be seen nearby behind the person.

Homelessness

First-of-its kind court order halts sweep of California homeless camp

This appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on homeless encampments in California and beyond.

By Marisa Kendall • March 5, 2025

Housing

‘Too damn hard to build’: A key California Democrat’s push for speedier construction

Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.

By Ben Christopher • March 4, 2025

Two uniformed officers stand on a sidewalk next to a makeshift shelter covered with a brown tarp. One officer gestures towards the tarp while the other observes. A person wearing a tan beanie and brown jacket stands behind the tarp, facing away. The background features a brick wall with patches of gray paint. Various personal belongings, including cardboard and tangled wires, are scattered on the ground.

Homelessness

‘Look, there’s nowhere else to go’: Inside California’s crackdown on homeless camps

It’s been eight months since the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed how cities in California and beyond can respond to homeless encampments, allowing them to clear camps and arrest people for sleeping outside — even when there’s nowhere else to sleep. The July ruling in the case Grants Pass v. Johnson upended six years of […]

By Marisa Kendall and Katie Anastas • February 27, 2025

A collage-style illustration in brown and beige tones. The illustration includes cut-out images of a dome-shaped shelter building; a homeless person holding a blue tent; a portrait of a person looking at the camera; rows of red shelter tents and text of complaints about the conditions at shelters. Portions of the text read: "I have black mold all over my walls. I have been exposed to it" and "program staff misusing services and resources intended for guests."

Housing

‘A volunteer jail’: Inside the scandals and abuse pushing California’s homeless out of shelters

Shelters have become California’s go-to solution for homelessness. A CalMatters investigation finds the vast majority of residents stay homeless.

By Lauren Hepler • February 25, 2025

An individual with shoulder-length wavy hair and wearing a plaid shirt sits at a wooden table in a sunlit room, reviewing papers highlighted with colorful markings. The room contains bookshelves, a calendar, and other office supplies. Posters and decorations are visible on the walls, including one that reads 'Housing is a Human Right.

Homelessness

How to file a complaint against a California homeless shelter

Navigating California’s homeless shelter system can be complicated. Here are agencies and organizations that can help.

By Byrhonda Lyons • February 25, 2025

A boarded-up storefront is seen through a rectangular opening in a metal structure. The glass doors are covered with a metal security grate, and the windows have wooden boards behind them. The surrounding area appears empty, with no visible activity. The perspective creates a framing effect, drawing attention to the entrance of the vacant building.

Homelessness

7 takeaways from our investigation into California homeless shelters

Emergency shelters are supposed to be a safe haven, but records show they’re ineffective — and rife with abuse and scandal.

By Lauren Hepler • February 25, 2025

A woman wearing a black "San Francisco" hoodie and a face mask sits on a bench inside a courthouse, attentively listening to a female attorney in a black blazer. The attorney, holding a stack of documents, gestures as she speaks, engaging in conversation with the woman. The background consists of a beige marble wall and a wooden door.

Homelessness

They were arrested for sleeping outside while homeless. Now, these Californians are headed to trial

Lea esta historia en Español Wickey Twohands woke up early on the day he was scheduled to go on trial for sleeping outside. First, he dropped off all his possessions — a bedroll, blankets, clothes and some food — at a friend’s house for safekeeping. Then the 77-year-old caught a bus to the courthouse in […]

By Marisa Kendall • February 25, 2025