Homelessness

The spending change would prioritize housing for homeless people, which children's mental health advocates fear will cut their funding.

California cities of every size lack shelter beds for the state’s growing homeless population. A new bill would force local governments to do more, and punish ones that don't plan housing for homeless Californians.

At the direction of a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, the state auditor will complete a detailed audit of spending on California homelessness programs. The number of unhoused has grown, even as spending has increased.

Democratic voters in California cities are pushing mayors and city councils to clear homeless camps. Leaders are responding with new ordinances, from Sacramento to San Diego.

For the first time, a new state report offers a bird-eye view of how much the state has spent to halt homelessness — nearly $10 billion over three years. Of the half-million Californians who made use of those services, more than 40% ended up housed. Which also means the majority did not, or the state lost track of their whereabouts.

The governor threw communities into disarray two weeks ago by withholding $1 billion in homelessness funding for plans he saw as unambitious. But local officials said the assignment itself discouraged ambition. Now Newsom is yielding.

Volunteers fanned out across the state for the first statewide count of California’s homeless population since 2020. The number is expected to be higher, raising more questions about the impact of the state's increased spending.

In the new episode of "Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast," CalMatters' Manuela Tobias and the Los Angeles Times' Liam Dillon interview former homeless veteran Fernando Maya and Jackie Botts, who told his story for CalMatters.

Burnout and COVID is causing California homeless service workers to leave. Low pay makes it difficult to recruit new ones. But they're essential to the state's plans to reduce homelessness.

In his budget proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted his support for cities to remove homeless encampments but conceded it's only a bridge to permanent housing.