As frustration continues to mount over sprawling homeless camps in nearly every corner of the Bay Area, the state is stepping in with millions of dollars to move people from city sidewalks, parks and floodplains across the region and into shelter and housing.
Seven local cities and counties are set to receive a share of roughly $48 million to move potentially a thousand people out of encampments and into shelter or housing. The awards are part of a $131 million statewide effort Gov. Gavin Newsom launched in 2022 to get more homeless people indoors.
“We’re supporting local communities’ efforts to get people out of encampments and connected with care and housing across the state,” Newsom said in a statement. “It’s important and urgent work that requires everyone to do their part.”
These Bay Area cities and counties will receive funding:
– Antioch: $6.8 million
-Berkeley: $5.4 million
-Petaluma: $8.1 million
-Richmond: $9.3 million
-San Jose: $4.8 million
-San Francisco: $7.9 million
-Contra Costa: $5.7 million
So far, the $1 billion “encampment resolution” program has granted more than $730 million to clear encampments across at least 21 counties and 41 cities, and helped fund 109 shelter projects. The goal is to help homeless people find permanent housing, though the initial results have been mixed.
At last count, the Bay Area had an estimated homeless population of around 38,000, a roughly 35% spike since 2019.
The funding announcement comes two months after Newsom ordered state agencies to ramp up encampment sweeps and then threatened to withhold state funding from local governments that fail to get more people off the street. The executive order followed a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gave state and local governments broad new authority to clear homeless camps even when shelter beds aren’t available.