Housing

California sues homeless housing developer for $114 million

The state Department of Housing and Community Development has filed a civil lawsuit demanding that Shangri-La Industries LLC return funds it received from the Homekey program to house homeless Californians.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• January 12, 2024

Tents lined up against a fence at a homeless encampment near Highway 180 in west Fresno on Feb. 11, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Homelessness

Supreme Court will hear case about homeless encampments, with huge implications for California

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that has implications for how much power California officials have over homeless camps. It will rule on current precedent later this year.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• January 12, 2024

An "emergency sleeping cabin" by the company Pallet Shelter in front of the state Capitol on Jan. 9, 2024. The company recently won a contract by the state to address homelessness by providing temporary housing with these shelters. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Homelessness

Newsom administration makes progress on tiny home promise

The state has chosen who will build the 1,200 tiny homes Gov. Gavin Newsom promised the state’s homeless residents. But it remains to be seen when they will be built.

By

Marisa Kendall

• January 11, 2024

Housing

Supreme Court case about impact fees could have huge consequences for housing in California

The highest court in the land will soon decide how much leeway cities and counties have in offsetting new construction with fees to pay for infrastructure.

By

Ben Christopher

• January 9, 2024

A view of San Francisco on July 12, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters

Housing

New California housing laws aimed to streamline building process take effect in 2024

California lawmakers made an effort in 2023 to remove red tape around building new houses.

By

Ben Christopher

• January 1, 2024

Housing

State’s end-of-year affordable housing bonanza likely to leave dozens of near-ready projects ‘mothballed’

The state has hundreds of millions to spend. Developers say they need billions.

By

Ben Christopher

• December 22, 2023

The library and counseling room at Community's Child in Lomita on Sept. 29, 2023. Community’s Child is a shelter and resource program that provides supplies, food and housing for women and infants who are struggling with homelessness, addiction and poverty. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

Homelessness

Domestic violence shelters, a guardrail against homelessness, face steep funding cuts

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• December 20, 2023

Housing

Year in review: California homelessness worsens even as housing bills pass

Why did the homelessness crisis become more dire in 2023, even as the Legislature passed more affordable housing laws? Home prices and rents are still increasing.

By

Ben Christopher

• December 19, 2023

Physician assistant Brett Feldman and Calra Bolen sit in her housing at a motel turned into housing for homeless residents as part of Project Homekey in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Homelessness

California housing projects for homeless on hold as developer defaults

Local officials counted on the state’s Homekey program to convert hotel rooms. But now a major developer has defaulted on loans and the state housing department is investigating.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• December 15, 2023

The inside of one of several properties managed by Norris Jones and Dejon Dixon, co-founders of Housing 1BY1, in Los Angeles on Sept. 28, 2023. Dixon and Jones say a Los Angeles-based nonprofit owes them thousands of dollars in unpaid rent for housing people experiencing homelessness. Some of the tenants left properties damaged or stole items before being evicted, according to Jones and Dixon. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Homelessness

An L.A. nonprofit helped house hundreds of homeless people. Then many were forced out. What went wrong?

The L.A. nonprofit HOPICS got $140 million in public funds to house the homeless, but it failed to pay rent and some of its clients wound up back on the streets.

By

Byrhonda Lyons

and

Jeanne Kuang

• December 12, 2023