California’s governor opposes judge halting clearing of homeless camp
gov. Gavin Newsom is voicing concern for public safety after a judge halted efforts to clear a Bay Area homeless encampment. On Friday, Judge William Orrick temporarily prohibited the California Department of Transportation from clearing a homeless encampment in Oakland, encouraging the large 200-person occupied encampment to stay in place until a “comprehensive resettlement plan” is put in place. Gov. Newsom said in a statement on Friday, “It is beyond time to meet this moment and address this challenge,” remarking that the state has provided $4.7 million in funds to rehouse the camp’s 200 occupants. He said the court’s decision will “endanger the public Our roadways and highways are no place for individuals to live, and this encampment is risking public health and safety.”This comes as homelessness is peaking in parts of Northern California.This year, Sacramento County’s unhoused population increased while San Francisco’s decreased. Learn more in the video below.”In Sacramento County, an estimated 9,278 individuals experienced homelessness throughout Sacramento County on a single night in February 2022. This represents a 67% increase in nightly homelessness since the last Point-in-Time Count in 2019, when 5,570 individuals were estimated homeless” according to a city report.The county has started to approve the use of tiny homes to help tackle the crisis. So far, two of the so-called “Safe Stay Communities” have been approved to start providing a more permanent shelter to those experiencing homelessness. | ReadMore | How Sacramento is tackling the homelessness crisis with Safe Stay CommunitiesTackling homelessnessNewsom has made tackling the state’s homeless crisis a top priority for his administration. As a supporter of Caltrans clearing homeless camps, he joined crews in January to clean up an encampment along a freeway in San Diego County. “These encampments in California are unacceptable. The dirty streets in the state are unacceptable,” he said at the time. “We have to do more. We have to do better.”| Video Below | gov. Newsom on homelessness plan at San Diego cleanup siteNewsom has continually pushed turning hotel rooms into temporary shelters specifically through his statewide program, Project Homekey, which helps get the unhoused community off the streets.In the 2022-23 state budget that Newsom signed last month, $2.2 billion specifically goes towards “encampment resolutions around the state and new bridge housing to support people going through CARE Court.” There is also an additional $3.4 billion in the state’s general fund to build on the expansion of “behavioural health housing, encampment cleanup grants and support for local government efforts.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
gov. Gavin Newsom is voicing concern for public safety after a judge halted efforts to clear a Bay Area homeless encampment.
On Friday, Judge William Orrick temporarily prohibited the California Department of Transportation from clearing a homeless encampment in Oakland, encouraging the large 200-person occupied encampment to stay in place until a “comprehensive resettlement plan” is put in place.
gov. Newsom said in a statement on Friday, “It is beyond time to meet this moment and address this challenge,” remarking that the state has provided $4.7 million in funds to rehouse the camp’s 200 occupants.
He said the court’s decision will “endanger the public. Our roadways and highways are no place for individuals to live, and this encampment is risking public health and safety.”
This comes as homelessness is peaking in parts of Northern California.
This year, Sacramento County’s unhoused population increased while San Francisco’s decreased. Learn more in the video below.
“In Sacramento County, an estimated 9,278 individuals experienced homelessness throughout Sacramento County on a single night in February 2022. This represents a 67% increase in nightly homelessness since the last Point-in-Time Count in 2019, when 5,570 individuals were estimated homeless” according to a city report.
The county has started to approve the use of tiny homes to help tackle the crisis. So far, two of the so-called “Safe Stay Communities” have been approved to start providing a more permanent shelter to those experiencing homelessness.
| ReadMore | How Sacramento is tackling the homelessness crisis with Safe Stay Communities
Tackling homelessness
Newsom has made tackling the state’s homeless crisis a top priority for his administration. As a supporter of Caltrans clearing homeless camps, he joined crews in January to clean up an encampment along a freeway in San Diego County.
“These encampments in California are unacceptable. The dirty streets in the state are unacceptable,” he said at the time. “We have to do more. We have to do better.”
| Video Below | gov. Newsom on homelessness plan at San Diego cleanup site
Newsom has continually pushed turning hotel rooms into temporary shelters specifically through his statewide program, Project Homekey, which helps get the unhoused community off the streets.
In the 2022-23 state budget that Newsom signed last month, $2.2 billion specifically goes towards “encampment resolutions around the state and new bridge housing to support people going through CARE Court.” There is also an additional $3.4 billion in the state’s general fund to build on the expansion of “behavioural health housing, encampment cleanup grants and support for local government efforts.”