ICYMI: California Opens New Homekey Site in Sacramento, Releases Data on Services for Californians Experiencing Homelessness

CVV News l May 22, 2024

New Homekey Project
 
SACRAMENTO – Last Monday Central Sacramento Studios, which was funded by a nearly $24 million Homekey award, opened with 92 studio units serving Californians who are chronically homeless or experiencing homelessness. Of the 92 units, 25 units will be occupied by individuals experiencing chronic homelessness and 67 will be occupied by individuals currently experiencing homelessness.
 
Central Sacramento Studios is centrally located in downtown Sacramento, within a half-mile of transit, shopping, health facilities, a pharmacy, and a public library, and within one mile of a grocery store. Supportive services will be provided on-site as well.
 
“These units offer far more than just studios,” said Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez. “They offer hope, opportunity, and access to all that downtown Sacramento has to offer – a place where residents are empowered through support to change the trajectory of their lives. We are eager to expand this successful model of permanent supportive housing, thanks to voter approval of Proposition 1.”
 
So far, 15,319 Homekey units have been funded since the program was established in 2020 and are expected to house 167,164 people over the life of the projects.
 
Updated Data Released
 
Last Friday, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) issued a data snapshot from the Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) that provides a one-time, mid-stream summary of data received from grantees that were allocated funds from the first four rounds of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program.
 
“Since its inception in 2021, HDIS has provided increasingly robust data to help state and local policy makers better understand – and address – homelessness in California,” said Cal ICH Executive Officer Meghan Marshall. “This will help us better determine the outcomes of state homelessness funding, including HHAP.”
 
This is a continuation of the information Cal ICH has provided throughout this year’s state budget process. The data snapshot shows that, thus far, programs funded from the first four rounds of HHAP have already provided services to more than 100,000 Californians experiencing homelessness. Across the four funding rounds, which support local efforts that are still underway, approximately 40-50% of people accessing HHAP services exited unsheltered homelessness and entered some kind of sheltered living arrangement, with about 20-25% securing permanent housing. This rate of placement is consistent with data across the nation and is impressive for a state with a tight housing supply like California.
 
The data snapshot further highlights that, based on data collected through HDIS, which aggregates data from collective homelessness interventions, including HHAP, local jurisdictions have housed over 63,000 Californians experiencing homelessness in 2022 and more than 72,000 in 2023.
 
While homelessness remains a defining challenge for California, the Administration is taking a number of steps to tackle this top priority even in a difficult budget year, including:

• Releasing $1 billion in HHAP Round 5 funding;
• Releasing $6.38 billion worth of funding through Proposition 1 to provide housing and treatment sites to veterans and other Californians with behavioral health issues experiencing homelessness; and
• Creating a new Housing and Homelessness Accountability Results and Partnership (HHARP) Unit within the Department of Housing and Community Development to expand state oversight over homelessness efforts;

Looking Ahead
 
In the coming weeks, HCD and local partners will continue to highlight grand opening celebrations for Homekey and No Place Like Home properties that provide affordable and stable homes for people exiting homelessness.
 
In the next ten days, three grand openings of affordable housing developments for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness will happen. In Stanton (Orange County) a Homekey project that has converted three motels will open, providing 151 units of affordable housing. Bienestar Plaza, a No Place Like Home project, will open with 57 units in Santa Cruz. And another No Place Like Home project, Vista de La Sierra, will open with 80 units in Riverside.

CSAC Statement on AB/SB 129 Homelessness Trailer Bill Language

CVV News l June 27, 2023

Sacramento, CA – California is immersed in an unacceptable homelessness crisis that requires bold and urgent action. The budget trailer bills on homelessness funding (AB 129/SB 129) includes progress to bolster local collaboration and define roles and responsibilities for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program, but it falls short of meeting the moment.

Counties applaud the inclusion of a collaborative framework and language requiring local governments to define some responsibilities as outlined in the AT HOME plan. Counties also appreciate the proposed $1 billion in one-time funding for 2023-24, but the budget agreement fails to provide the multi-year funding commitment and program streamlining required to make measurable progress.

All levels of government simply cannot address this complex issue without ongoing funding to plan and support an effective system. No state, county or city model on any issue of priority to all Californians is successful without the state first developing a comprehensive system with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and funding it appropriately. 

The CSAC AT HOME plan, which rests on a foundation of sustainable multi-year funding and clear accountability, is designed to change the course of homelessness in our communities. The budget trailer bill makes important progress toward this goal but the AT HOME Coalition for Accountability continues to call for the bold action and ongoing investment required from our state partners to assist all levels of government in addressing the humanitarian crisis of our time.

New survey results show cities are making progress reducing homelessness, but the demand for housing and services is outpacing efforts

CVV News l May 31, 2023

Cities call on the state to invest $3 billion in ongoing state funding to prevent and reduce homelessness and jumpstart the construction of affordable housing

Hundreds of city officials from throughout the state gathered outside the Capitol Wednesday morning to unveil the results of a recent survey that shines a light on cities’ response to the statewide homelessness crisis. City leaders shared the barriers cities face when serving unhoused residents and called on the state to find a permanent home in the budget to prevent and reduce homelessness and boost the supply of affordable housing.

“The state’s homelessness crisis is so severe that the Governor has called in the National Guard, and several city leaders have declared emergencies in their jurisdictions. However, lasting progress will be out of reach without an ongoing source of state investment in local communities,” said Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman. “City officials are doing their part to be a strong partner to support unhoused residents and keep Californians in their homes, and dedicated state funding is critical if we’re going to reverse this decades-in-the-making crisis.”

The survey, conducted by the League of California Cities last month, shows while cities are accelerating their efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness and boost affordable housing in their communities, the demand for housing and services is outpacing their efforts, straining capacity, and draining resources.

The survey found that nearly 85% of cities reported they have implemented programs to prevent and reduce homelessness. Eight in ten cities are spending general fund money to address homelessness.

“Cities like San Luis Obispo are innovating with on-the-ground programs to address homelessness,” said San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart. “In fiscal year 22-23, our city spent over $3 million to address homelessness and invest in preserving low-income housing units in the city. Cities need long-term funding from the state to be able to grow our investment in addressing the homelessness and housing crisis.”
Nearly 90% of cities that responded to the Cal Cities survey have fiscal concerns over their ability to provide existing homelessness services long term.

“Our community is committed to addressing the urgent crisis of homelessness and affordable housing, but our efforts alone cannot meet the overwhelming demand,” said Citrus Heights Mayor Porsche Middleton. “With ongoing funding, we can provide critical services and shelter to those in need and work towards a brighter future for all residents.”
When asked about the barriers to progress, survey respondents listed limited supportive housing options and a lack of ongoing funding as two of the top challenges.

“The addition of more affordable housing continues to be a vital part of Santa Ana’s efforts to end homelessness in our community, in addition to our Homeless Navigation Center already in place,” says Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua. “The allocation of $50.9 million in grant-related funding to address homelessness and 254 new permanent supportive housing units through multiple projects currently under construction demonstrates the city’s commitment towards alleviating the ongoing crisis.”

Cities are calling on $3 billion in ongoing funding to help cities prevent and reduce homelessness and boost affordable housing. According to the survey, cities would use increased state funding to provide additional supportive services, increase shelter space, accelerate affordable housing development, invest in homeless outreach teams, and expand rent subsidy programs.