Another $50 million in state funding for solutions to homelessness is headed for Santa Clara County and San Jose, but cities and counties may face tougher rules when asking for more state support as Gov. Gavin Newsom cuts funds and demands\u00a0results.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Housing and Community Development, part of Newsom\u2019s administration, announced Wednesday it\u00a0was sending $150 million to cities and counties throughout the state. A third \u2014 $49.9 million \u2014 will be shared between Santa Clara County and San Jose,\u00a0the agency said in a news release. The funds come via the state\u2019s Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program and were approved in the state\u2019s 2024-2025 budget.<\/p>\n
Santa Clara County and San Jose will split the new funding, a county spokesperson said in an email. In prior years, the city and county had already received $234 million through the state\u2019s homelessness program, according to the housing agency. Past rounds have funded the county\u2019s rental assistance for 2,500 households annually and helped the county double its temporary shelter capacity since 2021, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis critical state funding is delivering results in our region,\u201d Santa Clara County Executive James Williams said in a statement.<\/p>\n
However, Williams and a chorus of homelessness advocates and state lawmakers are calling on Newsom and top Democrats in the state legislature to pump more funding into the state program, which is the main way the state supports counties and cities charged with solving homelessness.<\/p>\n
Newsom rolled out the program in 2019 and California has doled out $5 billion\u00a0through it. Since then, Newsom has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from cities that don\u2019t deliver reductions in homelessness,<\/a> spurring clashes with local officials and hand-wringing among homeless services providers nervous about their financial futures.<\/p>\n Last year, Newsom and top Democratic lawmakers opted not to allocate more funds for homelessness assistance and prevention. They plan to spend\u00a0$500 million \u2014 half the usual yearly allocation \u2014 during the next budget cycle, starting in July. Cities and counties may have more administrative hoops to jump through for that future round of funds: only counties, cities and regional homelessness providers \u201cwith clear accountability requirements\u201d and demonstrated progress will be eligible, the budget reads. <\/a><\/p>\n The program is an \u201cincredibly powerful and flexible resource,\u201d said Ray Bramson, chief operating officer of the South Bay nonprofit Destination Home. \u201cBut we definitely need more investment,\u201d he said, \u201cand we need this to be an ongoing, permanent source that our community will be able to count on year-in and year-out.\u201d<\/p>\n