New State Website Lets Californians Track Homeless Funding

A homeless encampment in Los Angeles on Aug. 7, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Californians are now able to track how much the state has spent on funding homelessness programs through a new accountability website, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Feb. 24.

The new website—accountability.ca.gov—may be expanded in the future to include other state programs, Newsom said.

“It’s the first time the state has populated a site like this that will allow people at the local level … to hold all of us to a higher level of accountability and a higher level of expectation,” Newsom said during a press conference Monday.

The site is meant to show which counties and cities are receiving funds, and whether each jurisdiction is meeting its goals to house or treat unsheltered people and clean up encampments. The results are color-coded into three categories: housing, homelessness, and behavioral health. Improvements are shown in green, while deficiencies are marked in red.

The site allows the public to see how much each county has received in state homeless funds, and whether the local homeless population has increased or decreased, along with the number of services.

“It’s a new platform for us,” Newsom said. “We’ve got to let people know … and do it in a user-friendly way.”

For instance, Los Angeles County shows 49,509 unsheltered homeless people, a 5.3 percent decrease since 2023.

The county has seen a slight decrease of 0.2 percent in the total number of homeless, which includes sheltered and unsheltered people, reaching 71,201 in 2024. The number of year-round beds increased by 7.6 percent to 63,591.

A homeless individual in Santa Ana, Calif., on July 15, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

In San Diego, the county has received $220.6 million in state homeless housing, assistance, and prevention (HHAP) funding meant to support local efforts. However, the number of homeless people has increased by more than 18 percent since 2023, according to the site.

The website unveiling was made in conjunction with an announcement that the governor had released another $920 million in HHAP funding. The money was part of funds allocated last year but will come with increased accountability, transparency, and compliance measures, according to Newsom.

As part of the new accountability, the governor may look at clawing back some funds from counties if they fail to meet certain goals, he said.

“We’re going to tighten up the accountability money,” Newsom said.

The new round of funding will focus on resolving encampments, and will require that recipients have a compliant housing element to get future funds, and that grantees obligate and expend all past funding before receiving new money.

A homeless encampment in Los Angeles on Aug. 7, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Of the $920 million, the state will award $118 million to support 14 projects to move people out of encampments and into shelters and housing. Los Angeles is receiving nearly half of that money to clean up encampments near Interstate 10, Hollywood Boulevard, and the Los Angeles River.

The state also released nearly $42 million in HHAP money not related to clearing encampments.

The remaining $760 million will be available for the next round of grants.

Key priorities would be to support permanent housing solutions, ensure funding for interim housing and outreach services, align funding with strong regional partnerships, and ensure engagement with tribal governments and people.

“We all know we must act quickly to reduce homelessness,” said Secretary Tomiquia Moss, who oversees the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency in California.

California has the highest number of homeless people in the United States, according to the latest assessment.

In 2024, the state had about 187,100 unsheltered homeless people living on its streets and in open spaces. This was an increase of nearly 5,700 from 2023, according to a point-in-time count.

Central California recorded the biggest jump, increasing more than 23 percent since 2023. A total of more than 16,700 people were living unsheltered in Central California in 2024.

Southern California reported a 2.5 percent rise with more than 111,500 homeless, while Northern California decreased its homeless population by 0.3 percent, reaching 58,755 people, the report found.

California has spent $24 billion since 2018 to solve the homelessness crisis, but an audit published in April 2024 found the state should do more to monitor the cost-effectiveness of the spending.

The audit found California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) had not tracked and reported the state’s funding for homelessness programs since a 2023 assessment covering fiscal years 2019 through 2021, leaving state lawmakers struggling to understand the ongoing costs and outcomes.

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters at the Davis Ranches in Colusa, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

Only two of the five state-funded homeless programs reviewed—Homekey and Encampment Resolution Funding—were cost-effective, the state auditor found. The state had not collected enough data on the other programs for them to be audited, according to the report.

Since 2018, the state has funded at least 30 programs dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness, according to the auditor. In the past, the auditor found a lack of coordination among the state’s homelessness programs that hampered the state’s efforts.

The state discontinued tracking and reporting on homelessness spending since 2021, according to the state auditor.

On Sunday, the governor also unveiled another website—engaged.ca.gov—for the Los Angeles County fire victims that will allow the public to weigh in on the rebuilding efforts.