Gavin Newsom on Homelessness
TL;DR
Gavin Newsom aggressively addresses homelessness through major funding, accountability measures, and aggressive encampment resolutions, focusing on mental health treatment.
Key Points
He announced new accountability measures in March 2026 to speed up the implementation of the CARE Act and awarded $291 million for housing and services.
His administration has made historic investments in the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program, appropriating nearly $5 billion through current and previous rounds.
He urged local governments to adopt model ordinances to restrict public camping, such as banning camping in one place for more than three nights in a row, following the Supreme Court decision in 2024.
Summary
Gavin Newsom positions his approach to homelessness as a comprehensive strategy combining significant state investment with strong local accountability for results. He points to a recent 9% decline in unsheltered homelessness as evidence that his strategies, which include major funding for housing, services, and mental health treatment beds via Proposition 1, are effective. He emphasizes that care and accountability must progress together, often threatening to redirect funding from local governments that fail to demonstrate progress or implement state priorities like the CARE Act.
His strategy has evolved to include more aggressive measures against visible encampments, driven partly by a Supreme Court decision affirming local authority to ban public camping. This involves urging cities to adopt model ordinances that restrict camping duration and structure building, while stressing that these actions must be coupled with available shelter and services. The governor has also initiated task forces and directed state agencies to clear encampments on state property, framing this as ending excuses and providing alternatives for the chronically mentally ill.
Key Quotes
“We want to see this model ordinance across the state of California,”
Frequently Asked Questions
Gavin Newsom views homelessness as a crisis that must be confronted with significant state funding, a focus on connecting people with mental health and addiction treatment, and strong accountability for local governments' spending and results. He advocates for a structural model that provides both shelter/housing and services, rejecting what he terms 'failure and excuses.'
Yes, the position appears to have evolved toward greater emphasis on enforcement and accountability for encampment resolution following legal shifts. While housing creation has long been a focus, he has recently pushed for local ordinances to restrict camping, while coupling these with increased funding for treatment beds via Proposition 1.
The Governor explicitly states that care and accountability go hand in hand, refusing to fund failure from local leaders. He has threatened to redirect funding from underperforming counties that lag in implementing transformational tools like CARE Court.
Sources9
Governor Newsom announces new CARE Court accountability measures to get more chronically mentally ill off our streets, awards $291 million in funding for services and housing
Newsom wants cities to force homeless Californians to move camp every 3 days - CalMatters
Gov. Newsom directs $291M to combat homelessness, touts Alameda County model success
California's homeless encampment crackdown draws criticism from health experts | PBS NewsHour
National Alliance to End Homelessness Statement on Governor Gavin Newsom's Executive Order on Homeless Encampments
Gov. Newsom to Spend Another $1 Billion on Homeless – California Globe
Tweet by GovPressOffice
* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.