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:
- Local Public Entities in Approximately Half of California’s Counties Were Awarded Project Homekey Funds
—More than $800 million grantedthrough seven rounds of awards– –See state-wide map noting awards below– California awarded funds to local public entities to purchase and rehabilitate housing, which included hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other buildings and convert them into either interim or permanent housing including supportive housing. Local public entities, as defined by…
- Homelessness Continues to Significantly Increase in California According to January 2020 Homeless Counts
—Count results are pre-pandemic— —HUD likely to release official count results by end of year— In 2020, 22 of the 44 California Continuums of Care (CoCs) conducted an unsheltered and sheltered homeless count in January and publicly reported and/or shared their results with Urban Initiatives to be included in this report. The U.S. Department…
- Recent Homelessness Data Reveals California’s Significant Shift Concerning Types of Temporary and Permanent Housing Beds
What HappenedEmergency Shelter Beds Increased by Nearly 100%Transitional Housing Beds Decreased by Nearly 50%Permanent Supportive Housing Beds Increased by More than 50%Rapid Re-housing Beds More Than Doubled What Is HappeningAn unprecedented amount of state funding isencouraging more shelter, rapid re-housing,and permanent supportive housing beds What Needs to Happen NextAdvance the use of available…
- Current California Legislation Concerning Homelessness: What Is Going to the Governor for Approval and What Is Not
What is going to the Governor is needed.What is not going to the Governor is also needed. The Legislature concluded the 2019-20 legislative session at midnight on August 31, 2020. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic upon the Legislature was evident. After taking an unprecedented two-month pause during the early spring, lawmakers returned to the…