During a heated legislative session on Monday, Democrats and Republicans voiced their frustration by questioning Governor Gavin Newsom’s top housing officials. Their investigation was centered on how billions of public funds have been used to combat the growing homelessness issue.
After the release of a state audit last month, the Assembly budget subcommittee on accountability and oversight scheduled a hearing. Concerns over the efficacy and openness of California’s considerable spending on homelessness programs have been raised by the audit, which found that the state has not been adequately tracking the results of such expenditures.
California has allotted an unprecedented $20 billion to address homelessness over the last five years. The number of people experiencing homelessness has increased despite these measures, rising by 6% in 2023 alone. According to the most recent federal data, California has the regrettable distinction of having the most number of homeless people in the country.
Amidst the state’s substantial budget deficit, the Legislature voiced worries regarding the efficacy of the expenditure and its possible influence on subsequent funding requests from counties and cities.
San Francisco assemblymember Phil Ting chastised Governor Newsom’s administration on Monday for not releasing data regarding the success of initiatives to house the homeless. The officials said that the necessary information is not available at this time, despite their repeated requests.
Assemblyman Ting voiced his displeasure with the budget committee’s lack of information. He underlined how crucial it is to ascertain the quantity of persons who have received assistance and the number of people who are no longer homeless. Ting claims that the general public is curious about the use of the money that were allotted.
The California Interagency Council on Homelessness’s executive officer, Meghan Marshall, stated that there is a major change occurring in the homelessness system at the moment. A statute enacted by Governor Newsom in 2021 established reporting requirements, which officials are aggressively attempting to meet.
Marshall states that fresh data regarding the distribution of financing for homelessness should be available by July. To ensure that the data is accurate and trustworthy, he said the state is currently addressing data quality issues.
Ting became irate and said, “That sounds more like an excuse.”
It was found during a recent state audit that the Marshall Council has not been regularly tracking its expenditures or assessing the effectiveness of its initiatives. The audit made clear that California has to do more to evaluate the affordability of its programs for the homeless.
Deputy director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development Megan Kirkeby noted that prior to this, grant-winning towns and counties were not required to show the state how they used their funds for initiatives aimed at ending homelessness.
Kirkeby conveyed his dismay and anxiety over the state of affairs, saying that there is nothing to be happy or proud of. He made it clear that this is not something that ought to be tolerated. Nevertheless, he also recognized that the state has advanced significantly and is presently experiencing a cultural shift.
The audit’s conclusions have sparked new debates concerning state and municipal government roles in crisis management.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom stated last month that more oversight of counties and localities was necessary. He also threatened California withdraw funding for addressing homelessness from those that failed to produce noticeable outcomes. He made it clear, “I no longer want to contribute money to projects that don’t work out.”
Mayors Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Todd Gloria of San Diego, and Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento were among the Democratic leaders who traveled to the state Capitol last month to lobby for more cash to address the problem of homelessness in California’s largest cities.
In an effort to combat homelessness, Governor Newsom has proposed ending grants that have been given to specific counties and localities since 2019. He does, however, want to maintain other initiatives that are especially focused on addressing this situation. He made this choice while collaborating with legislators to identify methods to lower the budget deficit.
Gloria is urging lawmakers to increase funding by $1 billion since, according to current data, at least 150,000 people have already benefited from programs in Fresno, Riverside, and other areas.
Gloria stated, “We welcome the idea of being held accountable.”
Republicans contend that the Democrats’ firm hold on power in Sacramento is the reason behind the lack of statistics. Some Republicans even go so far as to say that the one-party system is to blame for the excessive expenditure.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), one of the proponents of the state audit, stated that we must change our perspective from gauging success by the quantity of money we spend. He made clear how frustrated he was by the present lack of urgency and inadequate information.
Democrats also vented their annoyance at county and local officials for their demands for more cash. When they asked for clarification, they were similarly let down by the paucity of information that Newsom administration representatives could supply.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates) asserts that it is critical to make sure that funds are allocated prudently and economically before attempting to solve problems with them. He thinks that even if we should keep working to resolve the current situation, we also need to start spending money more wisely.
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