Editor’s note: This story has been updated since its original publication to add videos.
(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday praised counties such as Alameda for their success in addressing homelessness and urged other counties, such as Santa Clara, to do better.
The state will help counties who need assistance, he said.
“Don’t make any more excuses,” Newsom said during a news conference at the Bay Area Community Services – Regis Valley in Hayward, which is in Alameda County.
That’s where Newsom announced accountability measures to speed up the creation of Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act courts to help homeless individuals. In addition, the state is awarding $291 million statewide for supportive housing and behavioral health services statewide. The actions are intended to strengthen enforcement of the CARE Act and accelerate housing and treatment expansion through Proposition 1 and Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funding.
The backdrop for the press conference were the walls being built at the new 4.13-acre campus that will provide 70 units of permanent supportive housing, along with behavioral health services, substance use support and medical respite for homeless individuals.
“This is becoming real,” Newsom told reporters as local and state officials stood behind him.
“And I want to remind people where we were a few decades ago – frankly where we were just a few six or seven years ago – no strategies, no plans, no approach,” Newsom said. “State of California was absent.”
The governor noted the HHAP funding program was started without accountability and that the realization came that had to change.
Newsom cited the state’s website, accountability.ca.gov, and encouraged people to look at it to see how their local government is doing in addressing homelessness.
“State vision is realized locally,” Newsom said.
In addition, the governor cited numbers to illustrate how much work remains ahead for the state. In 1959, there were approximately 37,000 beds in California for people with chronic mental health conditions, substance abuse issues and other elements contributing to homelessness. But that fell over the decades to 5,500 today, despite the state’s total population doubling, Newsom said.
“The original sin is not just the investment in behavioral health. It’s a lack of investment in housing, period,” Newsom said. “We all skipped seventh-grade Econ 101. Supply and demand. It’s not complicated.”
A news release from the Governor’s Office cited 10 counties for being “CARE Champions” for implementing a CARE Court to help homeless people. Besides Alameda, those counties are Santa Barbara, San Mateo, Humboldt, Tuolumne, Marin, Napa, Merced, Sutter and Imperial.
But the office also cited 10 underperforming counties, which will receive technical support and training from CARE ICU or CARE Improvement and Coordination Unit to improve. Those counties are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, Yolo, Monterey and Fresno.
Newsom said he’s not interested in doing a budget revision in May that reflects failures and that he’s happy to redirect all of the state’s money to counties that are dealing successfully with homelessness.
Also speaking at the conference was Judge Sandra Bean, who presides over the CARE Act Court in Alameda County. She cited success with the collaboration among the court, the county Public Defender’s Office, the county Behavioral Health Department and Bay Area Community Services.
Bean said she has felt a need for the CARE Act Court in Alameda County, where she has lived since 1977.
“It’s heart-breaking to drive around the community and go to the courthouse where I work and see the people who are living in just horrific conditions,” she said.
The judge noted the CARE Act Court serves the most vulnerable people, including those with mental illnesses, substance abuse issues or developmental disabilities. “So these are folks in the community who really can’t take care of themselves on their own. It’s very important for us to gather the community and do everything we can to assist these folks.”
A number of the people served by the court have done very well, Bean said.
She cited the case of a woman with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Today, “she has her own apartment,” Bean said. “She’s taking medication, and she’s doing extremely well.”
