Homelessness

Silhouette of a person standing at a railing looking out into a bay with boats and the skyline of buildings in the background. The run is shining down, reflecting in the bay and creating shadows on the person and ships around the frame.

Homelessness

Why Newsom’s CARE Court has struggled to help homeless Californians most in need

CARE Court was supposed to be a new way to help homeless Californians in the grip of psychosis. But people are still falling through the cracks.

By

Marisa Kendall

• December 18, 2025

Three people work on disassembling a bright orange tent next to a wall with a mural covered in colorful graffiti. Shopping carts and other personal belongings can be seen nearby.

Homelessness

Lawsuits challenge Trump administration’s radical homeless policy changes

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Santa Clara County and San Francisco are suing the Trump administration over a huge shift in homelessness policy.

By

Marisa Kendall

• December 3, 2025

The Close to Home St. Mary's Center transitional housing in West Oakland on Jan. 12, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Homelessness

What veto drama and a Texas trip tell us about a potential shift in California’s homelessness strategy

California is under pressure to embrace more temporary homeless shelters and programs that require sobriety, at the potential expense of long-term housing.

By

Marisa Kendall

• November 7, 2025

The back of a person as they walk next to a row of tents lined up along a sidewalk underneath a freeway overpass.

Homelessness

California braces for ‘devastating’ expected cuts to federal homeless housing funds

Thousands of Californians could return to homelessness as the feds reportedly plan to disinvest from permanent housing.

By

Marisa Kendall

• October 6, 2025

A person walks by the sliding doors of a building with a sign that says "St. Vincent De Paul Village Family Health Center" on it. Two security guards can be seen standing nearby.

Homelessness

Newsom vetoes bill for sober homeless housing

The bill by a San Francisco Democrat would have allowed some state-funded homeless housing projects to require sobriety.

By

Marisa Kendall

• October 2, 2025

A person holds up a blue jacket while sorting through a pile of clothes in front of them that was left behind by other people experiencing homelessness at a park.

Homelessness

Homelessness is dropping in California counties. But funding cuts could derail that progress

Experts worry liberal California will be blacklisted from federal homelessness dollars, effectively counteracting recent progress.

By

Marisa Kendall

• September 24, 2025

California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks forward with a serious expression during a rally. People stand behind him holding blue and white signs that read “Defend Democracy” and “Election Bigotry Response Act.

Homelessness

A California city tried to ban homeless shelters. It’s giving up after Newsom’s lawsuit

Norwalk backed down from its ban on homeless shelters after Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Southern California city. A Los Angeles judge must approve the settlement.

By

Marisa Kendall

• September 5, 2025

Mental Health

6 things to know about how Gov. Newsom’s CARE Court is working so far

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court was supposed to help the sickest people living on California’s streets. We took a look at data from around the state. Here’s what we found.

By

Marisa Kendall

,

Jocelyn Wiener

and

Erica Yee

• September 3, 2025

A worker in a reflective vest loads a dusty RV, marked with an orange X, onto a AAA tow truck during the Columbus Park sweep.

Homelessness

New enforcement targets people living in cars, RVs on California streets

Some cities are ramping up efforts to ticket and tow vehicles that shelter homeless Californians.

By

Marisa Kendall

• September 2, 2025

Mental Health

Newsom promised real progress on mental health with CARE Court. Here’s what the numbers show

In the most-comprehensive look yet at whether people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE Court, we found that far fewer Californians are enrolled in the mental health program than he projected.

By

Marisa Kendall

,

Jocelyn Wiener

and

Erica Yee

• September 2, 2025