Homeless and Housing Strategies for California
Homeless and Housing Strategies for California is a companion website created by the Hub for Urban Initaives.
The primary purpose of the Homeless and Housing Strategies for California website is to closely examine the issues that are contributing to an unprecedented increase in the number of persons who are homeless and at risk of becoming homeless in California; help counties, cities, and communities shape local policies for solving homelessness and increasing affordable housing including permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless; and assist you in helping other local stakeholders and decision-makers shape local policies by promoting the practices published there.
The 2017 Legislative Housing Package in California has injected a wide-range of new regulatory and financial resources to increase affordable housing, permanent supportive housing for homeless persons with disabling conditions, and supportive services including health, mental health, and substance abuse care. The Homeless and Housing Strategies for California website will help local governments and non-profit organizations maximize the impact of the resources available to them.
"Thank you for this. In Santa Cruz we're trying to establish at least two new Navigation Centers, and this guidance is valuable. Much appreciated!"
Rayne Marr
Homeless Service Coordinator at County of Santa Cruz
Our guidance focuses on three key areas for action:
- Policy, including opportunities to make the most of new legislation and funding
- Plans, especially strategic plans for CoCs
- Practices, both proven and promising, that CoCs can implement to improve outcomes
Here is our most recent guidance posted to the Homeless and Housing Strategies for California site:
- HUD is Incentivizing Continuums of Care (CoCs) to Conduct an Unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) Count in 2022 Through the Recently Released 2021 CoC Program Grant Application
Nearly half of California’s 44 CoCs do not Conduct Unsheltered Counts during even number years 16 of 23 Northern California CoCs; 3 of 8 Central California CoCs; and 2 of 13 Southern California CoCs did not Conduct an Unsheltered PIT Count in 2020 (Click here to see Map of California CoCs by Region) The U.S.…
- Family Homelessness Challenge Grants and Technical Assistance Program: $40 Million to be Awarded Through Two Rounds of Competitive Grants
As stated in AB 140, The program shall give preference to proposals that promote rapid innovation, accelerate nascent programs, expand promising practices, and meet new demands and conditions for solutions targeted towards ending family homelessness Ch 8. 50256 (2). Program funding shall be prioritized for jurisdictions that can demonstrate cross-systems collaboration, multifunder initiatives, and innovative…
- California’s Encampment Resolution Funding Program:
$50 Million to be Awarded to Resolve Homelessness In Encampments With 50 or More Dwellers Data and outcomes will be evaluated to assess efficacy of programs and identify scalable best practices that can be replicated across the state. Report will be made to the chairs of the relevant fiscal and policy committees in both houses…
- California’s $50 Million Encampment Focused Funding Strategy Needs a Focused Trauma-Informed Design and Care Strategy
A First-of-Its Kind Report States that Cities Spend Millions to Clear Encampments that Largely Shuffle Residents from One Site to Another The Report also Calls for Research to Determine the Costs Associated With Residents Trauma When Shuffled from One Encampment to Another A Jurisdiction’s Encampment Strategy Should Evolve Over Time Encampment Focused Funding Strategy As…