Wall-to-wall homeless transient tents, Sacramento. (Photo: Katy Grimes for California Globe)
Futile Spending on California’s Homeless Vagrant Population Has Only Grown the Problem
Newsom admin copycats Biden Admin on ineffective deficit spending
By Katy Grimes, March 17, 2023 10:04 am
Despite spending nearly $23 billion on California’s homeless housing, homelessness continues to grow in California. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, “nationally, California has topped the list for the state with the largest homeless population for more than a decade. As of 2022, 30% of all people in the United States experiencing homelessness resided in California, including half of all unsheltered people (115,491 in California; 233,832 in the US).”‘
“This is a solvable problem made impossible by a corrupt government,” a Sacramento source told the Globe.
Since 2020, California’s overall homeless population has increased about 6%, compared to just 0.4% in the rest of the country, the PPIC found. The more California spends, the more homeless transients we get.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office has recent totals on homeless housing-related spending of the $22.3 billion breakdown:
The same Sacramento source said, “Oh my God, what a f***ing waste of money.”
“Think about what we could have used that money for… improving the public’s safety by hiring more police officers, street and road repairs, local levee repairs, public park improvements… all issues our city officials have told us for years ‘we don’t have the budget for.'”
“Overall, the state has increased its role in addressing homelessness by providing significant, albeit one-time and temporary, funding towards infrastructure and flexible aid to local governments in recent years,” the LAO reported.
The Legislative Analyst also did breakdowns by ethnicity/race, age, and gender, but did not include data on the thousands recently let out of prison, living on the streets.
Gov. Newsom’s astronomical spending isn’t done yet. With homelessness still on the rise statewide, Newsom made it the subject of his new California tour and first speech on Thursday at Sacramento’s Cal Expo event center, the Globe reported Thursday. “According to Newsom, he aims to reduce homelessness 15% across the state by 2025, spend another $1 billion for homelessness funding, and push for more tiny homes to be given to the homeless in key locations across the state.”
What an amazing goal – instead of seeking to eradicate homelessness, Gov. Newsom has aimed even lower at a 15% reduction over the next two years – and another $1 billion of taxpayer funds – at a time when the people of the state are begging for increased police presence and protection.
After four years in office, spending $23 billion on housing and homelessness, only to dramatically increase it in California, Gov. Newsom plans on spending another $1 billion.
That’s $1,000,000,000 – nine zeros, on top of $23,000,000,000.
Of the 1,200 tiny homes planned, Los Angeles will receive 500, San Diego 150, Sacramento 350, and San Jose 200. San Francisco already has a tiny home program.
Sacramento has more than 11,000 homeless living on city streets, in parks, along the rivers and bike trails, and under freeway overpasses and off-ramps. 350 tiny homes won’t make a dent in the homeless transient population.
In July, the Globe reported the number of homeless living on Sacramento streets has increased over the past three years, according to a Point-in-Time count released by Sacramento Steps Forward, the City of Sacramento reported. However, based on interviews with homeless, they were living on the streets prior to the Covid virus pandemic, so this increase can’t be blamed on the pandemic.
“Conducted over two nights in February, the PIT count found 9,278 people living without homes in Sacramento County — a 67 percent increase from the last PIT count, conducted in 2019.” Yet in April we also reported, Sacramento County has more than 11,200 homeless living on the streets and in the parks, and all shelter beds and spaces are full on any given night. And those were numbers provided by Sacramento Steps Forward.
Sacramento’s homeless even surpassed San Francisco’s.
In 2019-2020, Sacramento Steps Forward received $25,990,012 from the State, and $23,349,292 from the Federal government (above). Most of the nearly $50 million was earmarked for housing. They spent nearly $802,000 on “administration.”
Nearly $50 million earmarked for housing, and we still have 11,000 homeless drug addicts living on the streets? How is this possible unless they are incentivized to come to Sacramento? And some non-profits are finding homeless programs quite profitable.
In February, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg sent out an official email announcing the city was providing brand new travel trailers (RV quality) for Sacramento’s Homeless drug-addicted transients to live in, located in Sacramento’s former public park, Miller Park.
The Mayor and city gave over the public park and boat ramp on the Sacramento River to the homeless transients, who have rendered it unsafe, noxious, toxic and unusable for the city residents who pay taxes to sustain it. There were 60 tents provided, but with the January storms, the city removed the tents promising fancy new RV trailers.
And Mayor Steinberg is just one of many incompetent Mayors of big cities in California.
As the Globe reported in February on Sacramento’s 11,000+ homeless, more are arriving each day. Local residents report to the Globe, “the Homeless Vagrants are settling any place they want, to include on the I-5 side of the Levee. From Old Sacramento, going South, Homeless Vagrants are taking over. The Homeless Vagrants have cut the Cyclone Fences between the Levee and I-5 and have settled in a number of locations. Miller Park hosts a Homeless Camp (below) on the East side of the Levee, from which a dirt road from the Gully Camp travels approx. 1/4 mile to I-5 South. Further South of the Gully Camp, to the Sutterville Overpass there are Homeless Camps, fences cut and tents erected, facing I-5 South.”
There is no law enforcement eradicating these illegal homeless camps. Caltrans seems to be the only agency taking down illegal camps on state property. Illegal homeless camps on city and county property remain, as if they are sanctioned.
Any resident who chronicles Sacramento’s homeless on or near the Sacramento Levee knows the homeless are creating erosion problems along the Levee. There are fires set by the homeless. The homeless accumulate piles of garbage. There are mounds of stolen shopping carts and stolen bicycles. In addition, the homeless along the American River have created a serious E-coli issue, via urine and deification in and around the American River.
Gov. Newsom and big city mayors have destroyed residents’ way of life. Newsom has spent billions of taxpayer funds on homeless transients and vagrants, and all we have is more of it.
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Gov. Newsom and Democrat city mayors have destroyed California residents’ way of life along with Democrats on City Councils and County Board of Supervisors. For example, Democrat Phil Serna who represents District 1 on the Sacramento County Board Supervisors is more concerned about “climate change” rather than the many homeless encampments that are located throughout his district. As Katy mentioned, Newsom and Democrats have spent billions of taxpayer funds on homeless transients and vagrants, and all we have is more of it. Where’s the taxpayer money going?
they need to start tracking the number of employees and contractors employed by this spending. There needs to be metrics of headcount vs program spending published.
Does this spending include the county/city level homeless spending?
I have heard the Motel 6 Gavin purchased locally for homeless people is only 50% full each night as the potential occupants are not eligible due to their drug use.
“Nine zeros,” that’s a good one, as in “That’s $1,000,000,000 – nine zeros, on top of $23,000,000,000” further dumped into the homeless/vagrant bottomless pit. Way to make even the numbers-comatose like me sit up and take notice!
Ever since the quaint old-fashioned days in my own town known for its so-called “affordable housing” efforts, now nearly two decades old, this has been nothing but a token, virtue-signaling theatrical presentation. Whether govt-provided or subsidized, the “affordable housing” push has only been something for politicians to crow about. Amidst “workforce housing,” “inclusionary housing,” and showcase govt-built low-income complexes (for which actual affordable housing was demolished), waiting lists for the “deserving” remained miles long, condos-apts were typically made available only to the politically-connected (so an insider once told me), and the “problem” only worsened. Meanwhile this same town sage pointed out that lack of so-called affordable housing couldn’t really be an issue if ill-paid illegal aliens always found a way to afford living in town; they and their families always had a roof over their heads.
If those on the “waiting lists” became angrier and angrier from the unfairness of the system the politicians would merely harness that anger to usher in more bad programs and policy.
The result of this endless nonsense, as we now see, is ruined neighborhoods, untreated addiction and mental health fallout on our streets, public health threats from scattered filth and drugs and needles, armed tent-dwellers, skyrocketing crime, hopelessness of both homeless/vagrants AND taxpaying residents, and no end in sight.
And just think, it only took $24 BILLION (plus plus plus) to achieve this wondrous spectacle.
Yet another rock star article Katy!! I admire you more than all the lame stream media reporters combined!! The Democrats are actually spending very smartly. They’re lining their pockets with money trying to “solve a problem” that not only do they never plan to fix but they’re trying to make worse. That way they can keep blaming the boogeyman (Trump, white supremacists, Republicans, etc) and increasing their loot (budget)! Sad that most California voters are so ignorant! Vote Democrat if you want MORE racism, homelessness, drug addicts, environmental ruin, crime, uneducated students and inequity!
Beware the homeless industrial complex! Lots of Noisome cronies are no doubt cashing in.
The waste is the whole point!
YES
Thank you Katy for another spot-on reporting. You’re the only one it seems who really tells it like it is. Keep up the good work.
These bureaucrats need to understand that Treatment IS Housing.
forced treatment is akin to jail or a death sentence. not every condition can be treated. 50% of schizophrenia and depression cases are immune to meds. kf yall dont stfu with your tyrranical lies, i will shut your mouthes for you, permanently
Lol. You’ve been listening to old man Raymond, haven’t you?
Lol. You have been listening to old man Raymond, haven’t you?
Actually, both extremes are wrong, have been since 1980- 1981. Before 1980, there was virtually no homelessness because of the balance between vacancy rates for apartments and townhomes vs the population amount- that same year though, building apartments and houses that low- income / working class renters could afford simply ended,as construction pivoted to commercial structures only. After this, only luxury units were built, if ever. This continued up to this day. Meanwhile, millions of people arrived and were born,even as housing stocks shrunk with the competition becoming more desperate each year for renters/ would- be homeowners. 42 years of this, and with the first year of mass homelessness,1980, a 2 bedroom apartment in Koreatown went from $200. monthly rent, to $600 for the same unit the next month. Housing wasn’t built in all four decades to keep up with the growth of the population. Of course the rents went up, as the vacancy rate shrunk. Conditions today have simply reflected this lack of supply , with it’s ever higher rents requirements. The only way to end homelessness is to increase the housing supply to realistic amounts,which would cause a steep drop in rent amounts. Paying three- fourths of one’s income in rents is too common, yet it’s considered normal, even fair ! A fast- food worker in America can’t afford a one bedroom apartment anymore. And when it comes to work, manufacturing and good jobs must be brought back to this country,like it once was. The cost of living demands this in order to maintain the American standard of living once famous the world over. In the 1960’s and 1970″s, people did drugs and swilled alcohol back THEN too- only they could do it in doors and out of sight. The homeless population is far greater than is reported. Unfortunately, these agencies in charge of building housing have stolen the funds for this purpose,while administration and executives have siphoned these same funds for their own use ! Just look at one agency,LAHSA, who’s director stepped down after it was disclosed he made 245 K annually. They ALL do this,and need forensic auditing by outside agencies BIG TIME. And it’s the homeowners and business owners that must demand that this be done, as in THIS year !! Remember, normal countries don’t have large populations of homeless citizens. Only poor,Third World nations do. Yet here we are. Four decades of this ! You can’t arrest your way out of homelessness, or stash people in concentration camps, like some politicians advocate, and call yourself a democratic republic. Dictatorships do this. Oligarchies do this. Theocracies do this. Rents must come down, and won’t without construction of dwellings on a large enough scale. Manufacturing must return from overseas. Rehabilitation is needed, but people will need housing and decent jobs once rehabilitate periods are used up- then what comes after ? Barracks and barbed wire ?? Work brigades where no one is actually paid ? I see that being proposed by certain politicians, like one man, Carl De Mayo of Dan Diego. Such things are a recipe for widespread unrest and eventually Martial Law. You want THAT ? Or do you want things economically to go back to the time when we had prosperity,after World War Two,when most boats were lifted during that era ? Which one do you prefer, because it comes down to one, or the other. The good old days, or this Soylent Green dystopian hell that gets worse each year ! Go after people like Eric Garcetti, everyone at City Hall and the Board of Supervisors, who diverted the billions of funding that was earmarked for housing, and no it does NOT cost $500K for each unit ! The University of Maine printed out housing, using a 3- D printer, for a prototype that costs 60, 000. This versus $500+ K and up ! It’s about corruption, connections, and political will with these leaders, the real estate industry, developers, and these homeless agencies- who all have a stake in looting California and other states. They NEED things to stay exactly as it is now,and has been, for 42 effen’ years !! The status quo equals DEATH. Death,filth, screaming people who are a danger to themselves and everyone else. Change begins with US, who hold these politicians and organizations to effen’ ACCOUNT ! Complaint alone won’t cut cut it ! Force will. Go to these City Council meetings, and file for actual dollar amounts and how it’s being us d to house HARMLESS homeless people, while placing mental patients in residential facilities that are well run and humane, while putting those who are predators that won’t reform back in prison ! Is it really that hard to do ?! To demand common sense solutions for this national disgrace that makes America a laughing stock globally ? Only this year, has a bipartisan pair of politicians begun to demand an audit of these famed corrupt agencies. This one current year ! Nothing before that– what does THAT tell you ?? Each of us can at least demand answers from these officials. And do our OWN research on this subject,instead of passive observation and enduring the unendurable ! How has passive endurance worked for YOU these last 42 years ?! Like I’d need to answer that question. Asthat saying goes: be the change you want to see !
You have to spend ten minutes checking boxes, before you can comment. Nice!!
Anyway Kathy, what is “deification”??