Sacramento homeless camp. (Photo: Katy Grimes for California Globe)
Gov. Newsom Announces Another $200 Million to move 7,300 Homeless Into Housing
Who is really benefitting from the $19 billion Newsom has spent on homelessness in California?
By Katy Grimes, June 15, 2023 8:08 am
Governor Gavin Newsom just announced Wednesday that he is awarding nearly $200 Million to move 7,300 people out of encampments and into housing. There have been numerous reports finding that “Housing First” is an abject failure on a colossal level.
That is an average of $27,400 per drug-addicted, mentally-ill person, currently living on streets in their own filth. $27,400 could cover a lot of treatment, which would change their lives.
Newsom said the grants will go to 23 projects in 22 communities statewide with more than half of the projects resolving encampments along state rights-of-way. The list with the breakdowns is below.
The City of Napa will receive $15 million to serve 120 people – that’s $125,000 per person; Monterey County will receive $8 million to serve 70 people – that’s $114,285 per person.
Does anyone really think a house will help this fellow camping on the jogging trail in Sacramento’s William Land Park (on the left)?
“Turning a blind eye to their conditions by instead placing them in a home without support to address their underlying needs is the antithesis of compassion,” said Michele Steeb, Senior Fellow Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) who oversees TPPF’s initiative to transform United States’ and Texas’ homelessness policy. That was in 2021 when Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) introduced legislation to reform the failed Housing First policy, which Steeb supported.
Conversely in California:
“We’re doubling down on our investment to ensure that thousands of individuals in communities up and down the state move out of encampments and into housing where they can get the services and help they need,” Gov. Newsom said. “It’s not enough to simply clean up encampments, my Administration will continue to work with local leaders and community members as they serve their unhoused neighbors and remove dangerous and unsightly encampments throughout California.”
The “Housing First” plan, was first implemented in 2013 by the Obama administration as a one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness, but there never was evidence it would work They promised it would end homelessness in a decade, Michelle Steeb and Rep. Roger Williams wrote at The Hill in 2021. “Under the Housing First rule, homelessness rose by 16 percent.”
Yet Gov. Newsom is still spending billions on housing for the homeless. Who is really benefitting from the $19 billion Newsom has spent on homelessness in California?
Here, Newsom takes credit for this brilliant solution:
The Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF), administered by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) and the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) was designed by Governor Newsom and the Legislature to provide communities of all sizes with the funding to move people living in encampments into housing. In total, the Administration has proposed providing $750 million to support 10,000 individuals living in dangerous conditions on our streets without shelter.
Today’s announcement of $199 million is the third, and largest, ERF round of grants to be distributed. Previously, 26 communities were awarded $96 million from the fund over two rounds.
How have those 26 communities done with the previous $96 million? I’m willing to bet that a lot of non-profits are doing well while the mentally-ill, drug addicted homeless living on the streets in their cities have only increased.
“California—the only state that went completely all-in on Housing First—experienced a 47.1 percent increase in street-level homelessness since its 2016 adoption at the state level, and a 33.8 percent increase in homelessness overall,” Steeb and Rep. Williams reported – in 2021. It’s worse now.
Providing renovated motel rooms and tiny homes does not address the mentally ill or their dysfunctional, destructive behaviors, or those addicted to meth, heroin, and crack. Treatment plans have to be the priority, well ahead of housing.
“California—the epicenter of the crisis—also went all-in for Housing First,” the Discovery Institute reported. “In 2016, California enacted a law that required that every state dollar spent on homelessness be spent on Housing First programs. From 2015 (the year before the new state policy) to 2019, unsheltered street-level homelessness in California rose 47.1%. … California now boasts almost half of America’s unsheltered street-level homeless population and nearly one in four of America’s overall homeless population, even though it contains only 12% of the U.S. population.”
“The solution to ending homelessness is housing,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez – a former Obama appointee to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Public and Indian Housing. “The state congratulates and proudly supports these 22 communities for pulling together strong local partnerships that will lead people living in encampments into stable housing with support.” She has a master’s degree in Urban Planning and bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies from UCLA.
The federal government has spent billions on “Housing First” programs, which provide permanent housing for the homeless without requiring sobriety or participation in treatment. While short-term housing may be a laudable goal, housing does not and cannot address drug addiction or mental illness, or victims of violence. And most importantly, over the 13+ years of housing first, homeless has only grown – exponentially.
Until the housing first plan includes wraparound services to ensure the homeless can safely and fully attain and retain permanent housing on their own, Governor Newsom will continue to spend money like a drunken sailor with disastrous results.
Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY), a senior Member of the House Financial Services Committee, reintroduced his legislation in May to reform the failed Housing First policy – the Housing Promotes Livelihood and Ultimate Success (Housing PLUS) Act of 2023.
Barr’s legislation “is intended to end the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) exclusive reliance on the so-called ‘Housing First’ methodology, which recent U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness data demonstrates is a failed experiment.”
“Specifically, this bill would prohibit the HUD Secretary from prohibiting, limiting or otherwise restricting award of Continuum of Care (CoC) funds to providers because they require wraparound services (e.g., job training, addiction treatment) or because they are faith-based organizations. The bill also directs the Secretary to allocate no less than 30% of CoC funding to recipients that provide, or facilitate access to, wraparound services outside of housing first and would require the Secretary to annually certify to Congress that HUD allocated CoC funds as directed by the bill, and report to Congress specifically how its allocation of funds met the bill’s requirements.”
California should do the same.
As the Globe reported recently in “Snake Oil’: Housing First Advocates Sneak Attack DAs & Sheriff’s Plan to End Homelessness,” three District Attorneys and the Sacramento Sheriff showed how they can end California’s homeless crisis in one year, and that way is to end the drug crisis.
The DAs and Sheriff say prosecutors need to have the discretion to charge hard drug possession as a new class of crime called a “treatment mandated felony.” The judge would have the final say on whether the defendant should be charged in this manner.
The Globe has covered the homeless crisis extensively and agree with the DAs and Sheriff, and note that focusing only on housing rather than what’s really at the root of homelessness – drug addiction and mental illness – is merely Democrats controlling the language rather than solving the homeless crisis.
List of Gov. Newsom’s awardees being funded:
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Los Angeles County will receive $59.5 million to serve 3,000 people on Skid Row ($19,833 per person).
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The City of Fresno will receive $17 million to serve 1,300 people* ($13,077 per person).
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San Diego County will receive $17 million to serve 300 people from two encampments* ($56,666 per person).
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The City of Napa will receive $15 million to serve 120 people from encampments on public property* ($125,000 per person).
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The continuum of care for the city and county of Los Angeles (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) will receive $13.9 million to serve 200 people* ($69,500 per person).
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San Luis Obispo County will receive $13.4 million to serve 200 people from an encampment in a flood and fire danger zone* ($67,000 per person).
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The City of Richmond will receive $8.6 million to serve 115 people from an encampment in a state right of way* ($74,782 per person).
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Monterey County will receive $8 million to serve 70 people from an encampment along a river and creek ($114,285 per person).
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The City and County of San Francisco will receive $6.5 million to serve 273 people from a Mission district encampment* ($23,809 per person).
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Santa Barbara County will receive $6 million to serve 250 people from encampments along state rights of way and waterways* ($24,000 per person).
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The City of Berkeley will receive $4.9 million to serve 72 people from two encampments ($68,055 per person).
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The City of Tulare will receive $4.8 million to serve 179 people* ($26,815 per person).
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Sonoma County will receive $4.6 million to serve 130 people from an encampment along a multi-use trail ($35,384 per person).
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The City of Redlands will receive $4.5 million to serve 200 people from three encampments near interstates and riverbeds* ($22,500 per person).
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The City of Oxnard will receive $4 million to serve 110 people from encampments along the coast and near wetlands ($36,363 per person).
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The City of Santa Rosa will receive $3.9 million to serve 225 people from a large encampment ($17,333 per person).
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The City of Carlsbad will receive $2.4 million to serve 150 highly vulnerable people facing behavioral health challenges ($16,000 per person).
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Marin County will receive $1.6 million to serve 92 people from an encampment in a flood zone* ($17,391 per person).
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Marin County will receive $1.1 million to serve 45 people from the “Marsh” encampment ($24,444 per person).
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Butte County will receive $1.1 million to serve 60 people from two encampments ($18,333 per person).
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The City of Banning will receive $1 million to serve 150 people from an encampment in a flood plain* ($6,666 per person).
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Mariposa County will receive $600,000 to serve 20 people* ($30,000 per person).
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The City of San Rafael will receive $250,000 to serve 23 people ($10,869 per person).
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As Katy Grimes pointed out in the article, focusing only on housing rather than what’s really at the root of homelessness such as drug addiction and mental illness will not solve the homeless crisis. As Katy questioned, how much of those taxpayer dollars will end up being spent on nonprofit administrative costs and consultants connected with the Democrat party rather than helping the homeless? Probably the majority?
Thanks Katy for the update.
Looks like my city was denied for the 3rd time, fingers crossed.
What I have experienced in the last 4 years in my SF bay area city is an increase in drug addicted encampments, drugged out zombies at most strip malls, which was very rare before, broken down r.v.s on most industrial area streets and now they even park on the sidewalks. What changed in the last 4 years? City resources going to Housing First, Project Room Key, Navigation center.
Warning if a Navigation Center or Project Home Key is proposed, fight back and fight back hard!
This is not a solution, it never was! Developers and non profit care services are the winners here, especially those who are connected to Newsom and the Santa Monica Getty relatives!
Exactly, CG.
And your first-hand witness of what this nonsense has done to your town is compelling.
So sick of this crap!
So sick of it as well!
The true crime is it does not help the sad souls who need care for their ills. It takes away affordable housing for the working poor who are trying to make a living in this state!!
Newsom is not qualified to be President of this country unless the intent is to demolish what is left of it!
Oh, for crying out loud. Gov Gruesome knows darn well (duh) that so-called Housing First DOES NOT WORK. But he has to keep the slush fund faucet gushing full-blast for the useless, enabling non-profits and the rest of ’em, doesn’t he! The Dem/Marxist politicians, bureaucrats, non-profits and all other beneficiaries of the Homeless Industrial Complex continue to spew lies, which they KNOW are lies, but they never adjust their fake patter one inch. Not ONE inch. Meanwhile, the public has become increasingly aware of what a non-solution this is and what’s going on here. Just exactly how long can con artists like Gruesome & Co. continue their endlessly-enriching crime spree under such circumstances?
By the way, the Rev Andy Bales of L.A.’s Union Rescue Mission pointed out in recent a radio interview that not only is Housing First a complete and total FAILURE, it makes the drug addiction and mental illness situation dramatically worse. When such people are stashed out of sight in those stupid tiny houses or in Project Roomkey (oh, brother!) motel rooms, their conditions worsen drastically. It would be better if they were on the streets in tents.
AND, believe it or not, in one downtown L.A. Housing First project (that has all but gone broke, by the way) Rev Bales witnessed with his own eyes that cartel-backed GANGS had taken over the buildings to deal drugs and had kicked some of the homeless residents out of their apartments to do it! I know, it’s unbelievable.. But if Rev Andy Bales said it, you can believe it.
Never mind that all of this continuing misery courtesy of our screwball “leadership” doesn’t even acknowledge the Money Pit aspect of the “Housing First” non-solution. When the money has been spent, when homeless have been further enabled in their addictions and craziness instead of helped, when cartels have been bolstered and awarded, when the homeless end up back on the street anyway, even more $$millions$$ have to be spent in efforts to sterilize and rehab the tiny homes and motel rooms that the homeless drug addicts have TRASHED. Keep in mind that visiting tourists have NO IDEA when they stay at one of these Project Roomkey motels and hotels that they are sleeping next door to an assemblage of meth addicts and lunatics. Although they find out quick when the howling wakes them up in the middle of the night!
This pretending-to-help disaster MUST end as soon as possible. It is enriching and rewarding the scummiest, lowest, most dishonest political bottom-feeders – our sociopathic criminal elites who call themselves “leaders.”
What Showandtell said. Absolutely.
Yes, Joey! I whole heartedly agree.
“Housing First” has NOT been a colossal failure. Its been a HUGE success. The Democrats have been able to line their pockets with millions of dollars while creating a problem that will never go away! And brain dead Democrat voters will blindly support them all the while blaming Trump, the Republicans, equity, white supremacy, the environment, etc, etc. A rousing Success!!
Unfortunately true, Belkabeast. But I would add plenty of election cheat into the mix, which I will go to my grave believing has occurred — I don’t care WHAT the deniers say to the contrary
Katy’s photos of the homeless that can be seen throughout Sacramento document how the billions of dollars that the Newsom administration has supposedly spent on housing the homeless has been a failure for the homeless. Residents of Sacramento have seen no improvement for the homeless and it appears to be getting worse? It’s heartbreaking to see the decline of Sacramento after years of Democrat control. While homelessness in Sacramento continues to get worse, Sacramento Democrat Mayor Darrell Steinberg was last seen sashaying in Sacramento’s Pride parade wearing a colorful outfit while holding a sign promoting the alphabet agenda.
Seriously about Steinberg, Samantha? But it’s not at all hard to imagine, is it. Beyond disgusting.
Lock ’em ALL up! The sooner the better, we’ve had more than enough, haven’t we? Haven’t we?
Yes, many of us are fed up with this nonsense. Here are some photos from the Sacramento Bee Democrat propaganda outlet of our ridiculous Democrat Mayor on a Sacramento City Fire Department engine at the Pride parade: (https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article276336306.html)
Gee, what a charming slice of humanity. NOT
Narcissism and exhibitionism celebrated
Check out his very rational discussion of PRIDE and the “alphabet” phenom. Douglas Murray and Julie Bindle (both gay) are thoughtful and willing to buck the trend of rolling over and accepting the current BS re: gender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YysgbnBohhc&t=1101s
Thanks for posting, Bminks. Interesting and entertaining too. Douglas Murray especially.
For me it’s been fascinating to see the extremely sensible and intelligent commentary of so-called radical feminists in response to “Pride” as they are now being attacked and sidelined by the alphabet people and pejoratively called “TERFS” (trans-exclusionary radical feminists). Check out Jennifer Bilek – also fascinating and informative. A bit of a silver lining from this identity politics nonsense is we are seeing more and more people who emphasize individuality and refuse to be categorized.
Not only will it get worse in Sacramento it will spread to all the neighboring suburbs with a vengeance!
At this point I can only look at the proponents as enemies of the state. They want o destabilize all that makes America great and California is leading the way and at rocket speed!
“600 trillion dollars move through the economy daily” “The future is offline”…”Think, Stand up, and Fight!”…Dr.SHIVA Ayyadurai
Worth watching this 1 hour (free) video presentation. It explains why the homeless situation is maintained vs resolved.
Its because it works, its an advantage to the parasite class to see people they deem as useless eaters to be hurting, homelessness , suffering, being restricted/ confined, diseased, addicted….
Video: HOW the Few Control the Many. What WE Do to Break Free.
https://rumble.com/v2smoqe-dr.shiva-live-the-swarm-how-the-few-control-the-many.-what-we-do-to-break-f.html
Newsom is delusional. He was pushing this housing first nonsense as early as 2008 when he was mayor of SF. He fails to come to grips with the reality that providing housing for the homeless is NOT a panacea. The moderate to severe mentally ill and/or drug addled folks (along with a sizable population of lawless “unhoused” who have no intention of living indoors and following any rules that might come with it) will not benefit from housing.
I’m sick of this incompetent governor and his willingness to spend vast amounts of tax payer money on these failed ideas.
Housing First will never work. By law, the homeless individuals will have to voluntarily go into shelters where they won’t be able to do drugs and defecate where-ever they want. All this money is just lining the pockets of special interests in the homeless industry in California.
Thanks Katy for this article. You are right Newsom, Obama can throw all the money they want at housing and this will only make the situation worse. We need to get to the root of the problem which is we keep electing leaders who have no intention of solving the problem, but infact are the problem. To solve homelessness we need to create a productive state of California, which employs our people in productive growth of industry, building nuclear plants, growing food. Once California was a great agricultural state. If we get back to real production of growth, and we clean out the drug cartels ( this includes the political and financial networks that protect them), we can set up the insitutions for mental health and drug rehabiliation. This is why I am running for California State Assembly 18 against the Bonta Dynasty. I am calling on my fellow Californians to stand with me. It is time to change our ways and be the new leadership. Mindy Pechenuk, Republican Candidate for State Assembly 18
I believe there is still years waiting for basic rental assistance housing vouchers for the low income that are not problem people. Those who are disabled, or the low income young family who got married instead of mom going on assistance when pregnant and will make it on their own in a few years as income rises. A $500-1,000 housing voucher could keep them together.
Programs also need to allow for renting a room, often the cheapest option. without counting all the income of the unrelated homeowner to consider them over income. $125,000 per person is outrageous and a lot more than most people make.
Good job Katy! Stay in his grill.
This issue could be Gavin’s Achilles heel.
Does anyone know how to get this article the national attention that it needs?
the only thing this is good for is laundering money into his pockets
A problem that the corrupt have created to begin with wasting tax dollars. We had a 100 billion dollar surplus . But greasy hair new scum passed it away & how have a 25 billion dollar debt. That what corrupt parasites to. And his wife is another scumbag.Just move them to S.F.Businesses are abandoning hotels their because of no business. Another dem-rat run cess pool.
I moved out of CA, as a former Social Worker in both county and non profit agencies I was done and disgusted. Believe me the money isn’t getting to the workers actually struggling with too high caseloads and few resources! When I heard about this whole housing first approach I knew it would fail or the housing would just become a drug den. Homeless with drug, mental heat issues will not voluntarily go into programs, if they do without a way to monitor or keep a thumb on them they will fail. Most get SSI, free medical, free food, clothing and transportation so why change? They don’t want to spend their SSI on a bed at rehab why would they spend it on housing with rules? What works is incarceration which gets them off the streets involuntarily and into a secure environment where they can detox and then make better choices about where their lives are heading. I would like to see that money go to our jails so they have money to provide programs like NA/AA, mental health treatment and services, employment skills, child development/parenting programs, transitional programs after their time is up etc… we need more drug courts with wrap around services that all talk and coordinate and report back to the judge. The payout for these towns are all to boost votes, non profits are filled with Democrat voters and Newsome/Biden etc… know that, they don’t care about the homeless, just handing out billions for votes. I have no idea why Social Workers in all capacities ie county, non profit, state etc… don’t get this, the clients they are suppose to serve are still dying, using drugs and I bet resources are still scare. These homeless are also affecting CA’s hospitals as that is where they go now when they OD or for chronic health issues related to drugs, alcohol, mental illness and just living on the streets daily. I am ashamed and disappointed in my colleagues that support these people pushing these horrible policies. Do they even have a conscience? They are as culpable as those handing out the money.
Thank you for posting this first-hand account, Kristin. So helpful and informative.
The inexplicable “de-carceration” policy push is fueling a lot of this. As you know. Prop 47, 57, prison-emptying, leftist D.A.s., the insane movement to further legalize what should remain illegal. Yes, votes, power, money are more important than doing the right thing for most of our politicians, legislators, govt workers, bad-guy “non-profits,” lobbyists, union organizers, and others who have a stake. Unfortunately, those who partake appear to not be bothered at all by their conscience. They seem not to have one.
Glad you didn’t succumb to the mess. You deserve a lot of credit for maintaining your integrity throughout.
Best wishes in your new home.
I have currently been in-between homes for several months now and from what I’ve seen the government homelessness programs just treat the symptoms while lining the pockets of their friends and families. Very little of that $200million will make it to the homeless. I know a lot of homeless people; some of them are incapable of living on their own but most of them are homeless because the cost of living it just to high. Subsidizing housing just makes the problem worse by driving up prices. I’ve tried get housing assistance, even though I think it’s bad for society, a few times and was told that the wait list is over a year long and closed to new applicants. To many government employees justify their existence by making everyone else’s life worse. Property owners fight tooth and nail to keep their property values up by restricting supply. California is almost a syndicalist state where the ruling party extracts more value then they generate forcing everyone else to subsidize their lifestyle.
The U.S. needs a basic housing system for all people. and those who wish to live lavishly can go to extremities if they wish to such as taking loan for Lambo and mansion. and they idea of homeless people which is also many homeless people actually have homes but look homeless in regards to that maybe the city should develope cities to accommodate human beings and not build a world that makes vehicles a dominate life fo on earth. this is ridiculous you people are so dumb and sick just really really dumb. and also while I’m at it when you shop for a portable a/c and their is ten thousand different company’s trying to sell you one. here is a cure have an official approve which a/c actually work and then can either allow to be sold I bet you o ly a few company’s would still sell them.