Newsom reveals $12 billion plan for State's homelessness crisis

SAN DIEGO - Gov. Gavin Newsom visited permanent supportive housing operated by Father Joe's Villages' in Kearny Mesa today to unveil a $12

billion plan to tackle the state's homelessness crisis -- part of his proposed $100 billion California Comeback Plan.

The investment is intended to provide 65,000 people with housing placements, more than 300,000 people with housing stability and create 46,000

new housing units.

Newsom's plan includes an expansion of Homekey -- a program that provided shelter from COVID-19 to 36,000 Californians and created 6,000

affordable housing units -- and other similar strategies to get housing up and running quickly.

"Within a year, Homekey did more to address the homelessness and affordable housing crisis than anything that's been done in decades and became

a national model,'' Newsom said. ``Now is the time to double down on these successful efforts.''

The plan focuses on those with the most acute needs, with at least 28,000 new beds and housing placements for clients with behavioral health needs

and seniors at the highest risk of homelessness.

It also comes with ``greater accountability and transparency measures,'' Newsom said, to make sure investments are put toward effective solutions and money is well spent.

The state will seek to functionally end family homelessness within five years through $1.85 billion in new housing for homeless families and $1.6

billion in rental support and homelessness prevention for families. Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe's Villages -- one of the region's largest homelessness service providers -- applauded the announcement.

"There has never been a more critical time to move people off the streets and into safe permanent housing,'' Vargas said. ``The inability to

afford housing is one of the key drivers of homelessness and results in tens of thousands of our neighbors being forced to live on the streets to survive.

"At Father Joe's Villages, we have long championed the rehabilitation of underutilized buildings as a means of addressing California's dual

crises of housing and homelessness,'' Vargas continued.

The plan made headlines Monday when Newsom revealed the first portion of the $100 billion proposal -- $600 stimulus checks to Californians earning under $75,000 annually and another $500 for families. He said it would impact around two-thirds of all Californians.

He also proposed an additional $1.5 billion investment to clean public spaces near highways and transform public spaces through arts and cultural

projects. Newsom said the initiative is expected to create an estimated 15,000 jobs, including for people experiencing or exiting homelessness, at-risk youth, veterans and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Newsom, facing a recall election later this year, received criticism from two local gubernatorial candidates Tuesday.

"Homelessness has skyrocketed by 10,000 people since Gavin Newsom took office,'' former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. ``No amount of

money will solve this crisis without a leader who has the political will to buck the status quo and take bold actions to get people off the streets and

indoors to receive the help they need.''

Faulconer touted his own record in San Diego, where homelessness declined during his tenure, and said he could do the same for the state writ

large.

John Cox, a Rancho Santa Fe businessman and Newsom's Republican challenger in the 2018 gubernatorial race, also spoke in San Diego on Tuesday.

In tow was Tag, a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear in a revival of a stunt that stoked controversy from animal rights activists when he was trotted out for Cox's

campaign last week in Sacramento.

"California is losing population for the first time in our history," Cox said. "The pretty boy politicians like Gavin Newsom are failing our state. It's time to make beastly changes to shake up Sacramento and save California.''

Newsom bested Cox in 2018 by nearly three million votes. The field of Republican challengers also includes reality TV star and Olympic decathlete Caitlyn Jenner and former Rep. Doug Ose.

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