‘Do better’: Newsom pauses $1B in homelessness spending pledge
Newsom vows to reduce homelessness statewide — and he’s making a good first step. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee. By Stephen Gossett and Kevin Fagan. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli. The Sacramento Bee.
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday he’s setting aside $1 billion to combat homelessness in California.
His proposal to address the state’s homelessness crisis would include $75 million for services at a network of community centers and $50 million in the state’s Community Block Grant, which is designed to give money to groups who help those in need.
Newsom has made homelessness a priority of his administration, and he vowed to do more.
“All of us have a responsibility to make sure that those who are homeless or housed are able to access the services they need to address the underlying problem of substance abuse, mental illness, and mental health,” he said in a statement.
Newsom also said he’s committed to reducing the number of chronically homeless — meaning people who have endured homelessness for at least a year or more — by 25 percent by 2024.
In his announcement, Newsom was joined by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom (right) and California Department of Health Spokesperson Barbara Loomis.
But, Newsom said that doesn’t mean he’s abandoning his plan to tackle the growing
