January 30, 2024 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler (both D-Calif.) announced $601.4 million in federal funding to help address homelessness in California. The funding comes as part of the nearly $3.16 billion investment from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care program, and will support hundreds of California housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, agencies, and local governments working to end homelessness.

According to HUD’s 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress, approximately 181,399 individuals experienced homelessness in California on a single night last year, including 123,423 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. This amounts to 28 percent of the total number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States and 49 percent of the population experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

“As we continue our statewide count of people experiencing homelessness, one thing remains clear: we need significantly more federal investment to address this humanitarian crisis,” said Senator Padilla. “This funding will support service providers at the forefront of developing community-driven solutions to reduce homelessness. We know we have more work to do, and I will not stop fighting to bring home more resources and pass comprehensive legislation that ensures every person has a place to call home.”

“Thanks to the tireless work of President Biden and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, California will receive $600 million to help alleviate homelessness,” said Senator Butler. “This investment in our state is especially important to our youth experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied and pregnant or parenting youth, who will now have more access to programs aimed at preventing homelessness.”

“Now, more than ever, we are doing all we can to get people off the street and into permanent homes with access to services. That is why we are making sure the service providers on the frontlines of this crisis have the resources they need,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “At HUD, we have served or permanently housed 1.2 million people experiencing homelessness in the last three years alone, building on President Biden’s efforts to keep Americans housed. The historic awards we are announcing today will expand community capacity to assist more people in obtaining the safety and stability of a home, along with the supports they need to achieve their life goals.”

Recipients of this funding in California include:

• The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA): $72.97 million
• Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority: $65.71 million
• City and County of San Francisco: $53.19 million
• Los Angeles County Development Authority: $39.96 million
• Alameda County: $29.89 million
• County of Santa Clara by and through Office of Supportive Housing: $29.31 million
• County of Riverside: $15.78 million
• Sacramento Steps Forward: $14.24 million
• Orange County Housing Authority: $13.24 million
• Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo: $11.52 million

A full list of grants is available here.

Since joining the Senate, Padilla has remained a steadfast supporter of efforts to address the homelessness and affordable housing crises in California and across the country, including through the introduction of his comprehensive Housing For All Act. Last year, Padilla and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a pair of bills, the Homelessness and Behavioral Health Care Coordination Act and the Housing Alignment and Coordination of Critical and Effective Supportive Health Services (ACCESS) Act, focused on addressing the intersecting crises of homelessness, mental health, and substance use disorder. Padilla and the late Senator Dianne Feinstein also introduced the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act, a bill to authorize $1 billion annually to help local governments address homelessness by bolstering affordable housing supply alongside comprehensive mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, and job training.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla