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:
- Several Legislative Bills Concerning Homelessness Were Passed by the Legislature and Approved by the Governor in 2023 and Several Were Not
Governor Approved Several Legislative Bills Concerning Homelessness During the 2023 California Legislative Session: What’s in the Legislation? Also Several Legislative Bills Concerning Homelessness did not Make it Through the 2023 California Legislative Process: What was in the Legislation? The last day for each house to pass bills was September 14. The last day the Governor…
- California Assembly Bill 271 Authorizes Counties to Establish a Homeless Death Review Committee
National Health Care for the Homeless Council Provides Guidance to Establish a Homeless Death Review Committee AB 271, which was passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor last month, states This bill would authorize counties to establish a homeless death review committee for the purposes of gathering information to identify the root causes…
- Including Unaccompanied Women as a Subpopulation Priority will be Required to Receive State Funding to Address Homelessness Beginning Next Year
Including unaccompanied women as a subpopulation priority will be required to receive state funding to address homelessness beginning next year. Including domestic violence survivors and their children will also be required. The California Interagency Council on Homelessness will be required to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among unaccompanied women…
- 2023 Homeless Count Results Reveal a Total Increase of 11% Among Three-Fourths of Continuums of Care (CoCs) That Counted 3,000 or More Persons in 2022
One-fourth of these CoCs have not yet publicly reported their 2023 results or did not Complete a Sheltered and Unsheltered Count in 2023 In 2022, 39 CoCs counted 3,000 or more persons during their homeless counts, collectively totaling 322,869 or more than half (55.4%) of the 582,462 total number of persons counted as homeless nationwide…