Where does the homelessness fund in California go?

From Marisa KendallCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

Recently, state leaders have been talking a lot about cleaning California camps and moving people indoors. But the indicative budget they have made for the coming year has many nutrition: what money?

And governor Gavin News and the legislature have numbness The main source of financing the homelessness in the country in 2025-26 budgetBy sending a wave of panic through the cities, counties and service providers that have relying on this money for years. These critics are now warning that thousands of Californians can end up on the street by canceling the skills of progress that the state has achieved when dealing with the problem.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, whose city has received about $ 30 million a year from this court for financing homelessness – enough to pay for about 1,000 intermediate housing. “The residents of California consistently tell us that the termination of homeless homelessness is one of their main priorities … So the idea that the state cannot make a significant, consistent investment in the main priority of the residents makes me doubt if they really listen to the people of California.”

The Homeland Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program has allocated funds to cities and counties to spend on everything from temporary shelter to services to a permanent home since its establishment six years ago. It started with $ 650 million in the 2019-20 budget and has grown to $ 1 billion since then.

Since 2023, the program has provided housing for more than 57,000 Californians, according to the Bring California home coalition, composed of home suppliers at affordable prices, homeless advocates and state staff.

But with the state facing Expected deficit of $ 12 billion This year, these funds found themselves in the cutting block. The 2025-26 budget proposed by the legislature on June 9th allocates $ 0. Legislators A replacement on FridayBut the budget still has to undergo additional negotiations between Newsom and legislators before it becomes final. However, the governor already has indicated that it is good By undressing homelessness.

At the same time, California may soon be Winding of federal cutsS President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would reduce the funding of the housing and urban development department by 44%, reducing the rent and federal financing of the homelessness that flows in California.

In a sense, Newsom is preparing cities and counties for hitting state funds. For years, he has opposed calls to make money for homelessness, instead prefers to give it a year to year in a one-time gratuitous assistance, which makes it easier to reduce a difficult budget year.

Although increased costs on the subject to unprecedented levels after investment (last year A legislative analyzer service found The administration had spent $ 24 billion on homes and homelessness), Governor changed your tune In recent months. His message is now more in the order of: I have done my role, now cities must be activated and care for the crisis on their streets.

Newsom recently suggested the cities to do from Transmitting regulations prohibiting campsS

“I’m no longer interested, the full -stop period, in the failure of funding,” said Newsom last month, a refrain that repeats often.

But the cities and service providers that rely on these funds say it seems that it is no longer interested in financing success: while the homeless population in California remains the biggest in the country – with more than 187,000 people sleep on the street and in shelters – it increased by only 3% last yearCompared to a national increase of about 18%.

Critics are worried that eternating funding will erode this progress of progress.

“To put it, this choice will lead to more people moving the streets of California and fewer roads from the streets,” a message from the California home coalition said.

In San Jose, state funding for homelessness is crucial to the impetus of the city to move people from camps and to temporary positions to small homes and converted motels. Like other cities, San Jose is still waiting to get his distribution of his homelessness from the last budget. But once this money is spent, probably by next summer, San Jose will feel the blow, Mahan said. When this happens, the city may not have to close existing programs because there is enough luck that there are other sources of funding, he said. But this will not be able to build new units by effectively delaying the city’s plan to remove all of its streets.

Mahan and other mayors in California have been for months Summons to review from the original start of Newsom Budget proposal in January Reset funds for homelessness.

Instead, the legislature proposed to add $ 500 million back to the State Homeless Funding Program in the fiscal year 2026-27. This would be a 50% discount from last year’s distribution. And there is no guarantee that the money will come at all. In addition, legislators have suggested that a smaller, smaller program for homelessness be reduced – which provides money to cities specifically to clean camps and relocate indoor residents – by $ 100 million.

Not all the bad news, said Ben Metcalfe, managing director of the UC Berkeley Housing Center. The legislature budget includes $ 500 million with low -income tax loans to finance new homes at affordable prices and $ 120 million for Multifamily Housing Programwho provides low -income housing loans.

But the home program, assistance and prevention of homeless can be politically easier to tingle, Metcalfe said. This program does not take advantage of the lobbyists with deep pockets that protect it in Sacramento.

And because of the complex, insoluble nature of the crisis of homelessness, the money did not produce the type of tangible, the results of the Grand-Slam that the voters want to see on their streets. Instead, homelessness remains a constant problem and the camps still strengthen the cities of California.

But without this money, some shelters and housing programs are likely to close, Metcalfe said. Others can simply become less effective. The state program has provided funding for the types of consultations, work workers and other services that help people move from shelters to permanent housing, he said. Without this additional help, people often disappear in the shelters.

“So, what is ultimately more helpful,” Metcalfe, “or patches of systems that provide some modest amount (improvement in) quality of life, but do not actually help people constantly from homelessness.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.