California has poured $24 billion over the past five years to solve its homeless crisis. But the question everyone is asking is: Why is it not solved, but instead getting worse?
“$24 billion should have been enough to give counties with large homeless populations the resources to wipe it out ... But that hasn’t happened ... It certainly hasn’t happened here in San Jose, where there are still somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 people on the streets,” said California state Sen. Dave Cortese, who ordered the first audit of its kind to find out where the money goes.
In this episode, Cortese discusses the results of the audit that was released recently, focusing on how California spends its homeless dollars. He explains why he believes the issues stem not only from the approaches the state is taking on homelessness, but also from how the money is being spent.
“I think the frustration level with the legislature is extremely high right now,” said Cortese. “We need to be more surgical in our approach, but we also need to be way more surgical with the money that’s coming in from the state, and I think that’s part of the issue.”
Cortese also discusses other issues and initiatives, as well as his journey into politics and what he has learned along the way.
