California Governor Gavin Newsom has urged cities and counties to tackle homelessness aggressively, threatening to withdraw state funding if they do not make noticeable progress. While announcing $920 million to combat the crisis, he emphasized the need for clear results in managing encampments, citing California's severe homeless situation, which includes over 180,000 individuals. The state's grim challenges stem largely from a lack of affordable housing. Increased anti-camping measures are being enforced amid concerns from advocates that these steps could further complicate access to essential services for the unhoused community.
We want to see results. We have to address unsheltered homelessness, encampments and tents. We’ve been too permissive; we need them cleaned up. We're providing unprecedented support, now we need to see unprecedented results.
California’s homelessness crisis is the worst in the US, with roughly one-third of the country's population of unhoused people due to a lack of affordable housing in the state.
Cities across the US have begun cracking down on homelessness with harsher anti-camping policies after the Supreme Court ruling that cities can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside.
Advocates for unhoused people warn that policies criminalizing encampments only worsen the crisis and make it harder for people to access services.
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