What you need to know: California is providing 18 local communities with nearly $131 million to help people experiencing homelessness in dangerous encampments — with robust new accountability requirements and expectations for local governments. Governor Newsom is also creating a collaborative program between the state and targeted communities to streamline the cleanup of encampments.
October 4, 2024 - SACRAMENTO — Expanding the state’s unprecedented support for local communities to create new housing and address homelessness, Governor Newsom today announced the state is awarding $130.7 million to 18 local governments to clear homeless encampments and provide shelter, care, and support. The Governor also announced new accountability measures, requiring award recipients to adhere to all state housing and homeless laws — as well as remain in compliance with their Housing Elements — or risk losing funding and face other enforcement actions.
“We’re supporting local communities’ efforts to get people out of encampments and connected with care and housing across the state. It’s important and urgent work that requires everyone to do their part. The state has committed more than $27 billion to help local governments tackle the homelessness crisis — and we want to see $27 billion worth of results.”
$1 billion in funding to clear encampments
Governor Newsom has made unprecedented investments to address the housing and homelessness crises, with $40 billion invested to help communities create more housing and $27 billion provided to communities for homelessness. Today’s new grants are part of the state’s $1 billion Encampment Resolution Funds (ERF), which help communities address dangerous encampments and support people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. So far, the program has invested $737 million for 109 projects throughout the state, helping 20,888 people transition out of homelessness. The $130.7 million in funding awarded today will go to 18 cities and counties and is projected to help an additional 3,364 people currently living in encampments and permanently house 1,565 people.
"These grants will ensure local communities take a person-centered, trauma-informed approach as they help their most vulnerable residents transition to safe and stable housing,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “The Encampment Resolution Fund grants are infusing critical resources in communities up and down California so that unhoused Californians can access the essential housing and supportive services they need to achieve long-term stability.”
Greater accountability
As a condition of receiving the funding, the awardees must agree to increased accountability and compliance measures. These new accountability measures build on the current requirements that all grantees adhere to state and federal laws, rules, and regulations related to construction, health and safety, labor, fair employment practices, environmental protection, equal opportunity, fair housing, and all other matters applicable and/or related to the ERF program.
The Governor’s new measures expressly require local governments to maintain a compliant housing element, as well as adhere to all planning, permitting, entitlement, fair housing, and homelessness laws.
Non-compliance with these measures may result in the state revoking and clawing back awarded funds in addition to potential enforcement actions by the state’s Housing Accountability Unit. This ensures that grant recipients remain accountable and protects state funding.
Care, compassion, collaboration
Today’s announcement follows the Governor’s executive order urging local governments to adopt policies and plans consistent with the California Department of Transportation’s (CalTrans) existing encampment policy.
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.
Since July 2021, California has cleared more than 12,000 encampments and has removed 267,611 cubic yards of debris from encampments along the state right of way in preparation for Clean California projects.
Delegated Maintenance Agreements
The Governor also announced today a new collaborative program that will help streamline the cleanup of encampments by establishing agreements between the state and targeted local communities. The agreements will remove jurisdictional boundaries and allow locals to address encampments on state property and receive reimbursement for their efforts.To help provide additional guidance and direction for local governments, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness has posted webinars and resources to help communities address encampments.
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Source: Office of the Governor
