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:
- Governor Approved Several Legislative Bills Concerning Homelessness During the 2022 Legislative Session: What’s in the Legislation?
The last day for each house to pass bills was August 31. The last day the Governor could approve legislation was September 30. The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene in regular session on December 5 to immediately organize to further the 2023 legislative session. Regarding homelessness, some of the approved 2022 legislation requires: “cities, counties,…
- Half of California’s Continuums of Care Changed Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Software Vendors Between 2016 and 2022
Continuums of Care and HMIS Software Vendors Need to Keep Pace with Expanding HMIS Requirements to Guide Data-Driven Statewide Policy Decisions There was a significant shift in HMIS software vendors among California’s Continuums of Care (CoCs) during the six-year period of 2016 through 2022, as evident in the following chart. *In 2016, Bowman Systems was…
- California’s Continuums of Care 2022 Homeless Counts Reveal a Total Homeless Count Increase
Total Homeless Count Comparisons Table 1 compares the 2022 total unsheltered and sheltered homeless count to the 2019 and 2020 total homeless counts for each CoC and a collective total homeless count comparison for all the CoCs because most California CoCs did not conduct a 2021 unsheltered count after receiving an exception from the U.S.…
- California, Homelessness, Mortality Prevention, and the Other Homeless Count
An unknown number of adults and children including infants die while homeless throughout California each year Future state legislation and homelessness strategies should include more actions that focus on mortality prevention that help fulfill recommendations described in this report Several organizations in many California counties and cities each year produce “the other homeless count,” a…