California governor Gavin Gets Tough on Local Government Homeless Action
Gavin Gets Tough on Local Government Homeless Action
1. Funding Threat: On August 9, 2024, Newsom announced that cities and counties not clearing homeless encampments could lose state funding starting next year.
2. Executive Order: Newsom issued Executive Order N-1-24 on July 25, 2024, directing state agencies to address encampments on state property urgently and humanely.
3. Legal Context: A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned previous rulings that restricted governments from clearing encampments when shelter beds weren't available.
4. State Actions:
- Newsom ordered state agencies to clear encampments on state land.
- California has resolved over 11,000 encampments since July 2021.
- The state has invested about $24 billion to address homelessness under Newsom's leadership.
5. Local Government Expectations:
- Newsom is pressuring local governments to conduct more encampment sweeps.
- He's encouraging them to adopt policies similar to the state's model.
- Some local officials, particularly in Los Angeles, have pushed back against Newsom's approach.
6. Funding and Resources:
- $3.3 billion in competitive grant funding from Proposition 1 is available for behavioral health and housing services.
- The state has invested in various programs, including $4.85 billion in Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention grants and $1 billion in Encampment Resolution Funding.
7. Approach: Newsom emphasizes a balanced strategy, aiming to address the encampment issue urgently while respecting the dignity of individuals experiencing homelessness and providing paths to end homelessness.
The document highlights the tension between state and local approaches to addressing homelessness, with Newsom taking a more aggressive stance on encampment clearance while also providing significant funding and resources to tackle the issue.
California governor vows to take away funding from cities and counties for not clearing encampments | KPBS Public Media
Published August 9, 2024 at 11:17 AM PDT
Steven Senne/AP
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday had a message for local governments: clean up homeless encampments now or lose out on state funding next year.
Standing in front of a cleared homeless encampment in Los Angeles, Newsom vowed to start taking state funding away from cities and counties that are not doing enough to move people out of encampments and into shelter. The governor joined the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, on Thursday to clear several encampment sites in the area.
“I want to see results,” Newsom told reporters at a news conference. “I don’t want to read about them. I don’t want to see the data. I want to see it.”
Thursday’s announcement was part of Newsom's escalating campaign to push local governments into doing more homeless encampment sweeps. Newsom last month ordered state agencies to start clearing encampments on state land. He also pressured local government to do the same, though he cannot legally force them to act.
The executive order came after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that said governments could not force people to leave encampments if there weren’t any shelter beds available. Newsom’s administration wrote in support of cities’ arguments that previous rulings, including one that barred San Francisco from clearing encampments, have prevented the state from solving a critical problem.
California is home to roughly one-third of the nation’s population of homeless people, a problem that has dogged Newsom since he took office. There are thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, and fill parking lots and public parks.
The state has spent roughly $24 billion under Newsom's leadership to clean up streets and house people. That includes at least $3.2 billion in grants given to local government to build shelters, clear encampments and connect homeless people to services as they see fit, Newsom said.
Those have been unprecedented investments from the state, he added, but his administration will start redirecting that money in January.
“This is not about criminalization," Newsom said. "What’s criminal is neglecting people that are struggling and suffering and dying on our watch."
It's not the first time Newsom has vowed to cut funding over what he sees as the lackluster efforts from local governments to address homelessness. In 2022, he threatened to withhold $1 billion in homelessness spending from cities and counties over the lack of progress. Last month, his office clawed back a $10-million grant sent to San Diego to build tiny homes because the county didn't act fast enough.
San Francisco's mayor has taken more aggressive action in clearing encampments.
But others, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LA County officials, have pushed back, saying the governor's approach won't work. Newsom on Thursday praised Bass' work at successfully reducing the number of people sleeping outside in Los Angeles, adding his frustration is mostly directed toward counties.
California State Association of Counties, which represents 58 counties in California, said it won’t weigh in on the governor’s announcement Thursday. A spokesperson instead pointed to a statement in response to Newsom's order last month that the counties “will continue to work together with the Governor and share his sense of urgency.”
Governor Newsom orders state agencies to address encampments in their communities with urgency and dignity | Governor of California
Governor Newsom’s executive order directs state agencies and departments to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property, including by taking necessary and deliberate steps to notify and support the people inhabiting the encampment prior to removal.
Governor Newsom has made record-level investments to address the housing crisis, investing over $24 billion across multiple state agencies and departments, including billions of dollars in funding to assist local jurisdictions in providing services and wrap-around support to people living in encampments. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, these investments helped lift more than 165,000 people out of homelessness and into interim or permanent housing.
California blueprint
Governor Newsom’s order directs state agencies and departments to adopt policies and plans consistent with the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) existing encampment policy. Since July 2021, California has resolved more than 11,000 encampments, and has removed 248,275 cubic yards of debris from encampments along the state right of way in preparation for Clean California projects. Prioritizing encampments that pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of the community, Caltrans provides advance notice of clearance and works with local service providers to support those experiencing homelessness at the encampment, and stores personal property collected at the site for at least 60 days.
The order encourages local governments to emulate the state’s successful model to adopt local policies and to use all available resources, including those provided by the state’s historic investments in housing and intervention programs, to address encampments within their jurisdictions.
Proposition 1 funding available for local governments
Governor Newsom also encourages local governments to apply for the newly available $3.3 billion in competitive grant funding from Proposition 1 to expand the behavioral health continuum and provide appropriate care to individuals experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders — with a particular focus on people who are most seriously ill, vulnerable, or homeless.
Proposition 1 includes two parts: a $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Bond for treatment settings and housing with services, and historic reform of the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) to focus on people with the most serious illnesses, substance disorders, and housing needs. The state also recently released the Proposition 1 Behavioral Health Services Act: Housing Supports Primer (July 2024) for counties, which explains how to spend the projected $950 million annual BHSA revenue on housing interventions.
Unprecedented investments to support communities
Governor Newsom is tackling California’s homelessness crisis head-on. Since he took office, the state has developed a Statewide Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness and the Governor has demanded unprecedented accountability from local governments to do their part to end the homelessness crisis through regionally coordinated action plans. The Governor has also pioneered nation-leading homeless and housing reforms and invested more than $24 billion to address this crisis with state and local support, including $4.85 billion for Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention Grants for local jurisdictions to prevent and reduce homelessness, $1 billion in Encampment Resolution Funding to assist local jurisdictions in providing services and supports to people living in encampments, and $3.3 billion for Homekey to rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness.
This document is an Executive Order (N-1-24) issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 25, 2024, addressing the state's homelessness crisis and encampments. Here's a summary of its key points:
1) Context:
a) California is facing a severe homelessness crisis, with over 180,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2023.
b) The state has invested more than $24 billion to address the issue since Newsom's administration began.
2) Legal Background:
a) Previous lawsuits and injunctions had hindered efforts to remove encampments.
b) A June 2024 Supreme Court decision overturned precedents that restricted government authority in managing encampments.
3) Main Directives:
a) State agencies must adopt policies to address encampments on state property, prioritizing those that pose imminent threats to life, health, safety, or infrastructure.
b) These policies should include:
i) Site assessments before removal
ii) Advance notice to vacate (at least 48 hours when no exigent circumstances exist)
iii) Contacting service providers for outreach
iv) Proper handling and storage of personal property
4) Recommendations:
a) Non-state agencies and local governments are encouraged to adopt similar policies.
b) Local governments are urged to use available resources to humanely remove encampments, prioritizing those that pose the greatest threats.
5) Support:
a) The California Interagency Council on Homelessness is tasked with developing guidance and providing technical assistance to local governments.
6) The order emphasizes a balanced approach, aiming to address the encampment issue urgently while respecting the dignity of individuals experiencing homelessness and providing paths to end homelessness.
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