California Announces $827.5 Million in Grants to Combat Homelessness

California Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a significant expansion of the state’s efforts to address homelessness, announcing $827.5 million in new grants aimed at creating sustainable solutions for more than 100 local communities and organizations.

The funding package includes robust accountability measures to ensure effective implementation of local homelessness strategies. This latest initiative builds upon recent state actions, including a $131 million allocation from the state’s $1 billion Encampment Resolution Fund to help local governments address homeless encampments and provide essential services.

Among the recipients, the Northern California region encompassing Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, and Siskiyou counties will receive $7.1 million to support local homelessness initiatives.

The state is also advancing its behavioral health care transformation through programs like the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court, a pioneering approach to connect individuals experiencing untreated psychosis with necessary treatment and housing. Additionally, Proposition 1 is expanding behavioral health services, particularly focusing on those most vulnerable to or experiencing homelessness.

These new grants are part of California’s broader commitment to addressing housing and homelessness challenges, which includes $40 billion for housing development and $27 billion for homelessness prevention and resolution programs.

The initiative includes coordination with Caltrans, which manages encampment clearance while ensuring proper notice and storage of personal property for at least 60 days. The agency works with local service providers to support affected individuals and prioritizes addressing encampments that pose immediate health and safety risks to communities.