The good news is that the City of Richmond has been awarded a $4.8 million grant to “rehouse 100 individuals.”

That’s $48,000 per person.

The bad news is that most of it will be frittered away simply perpetuating existing encampments, leaving only $1.8 million to actually place persons in real housing. See the budget at the end of this email.

The average cost of an apartment in West County is about $20,000 a year. For $4.8 million, we could actually rehouse at least 240 persons (assuming only one person per apartment) and probably more.

This is another misguided initiative by the RPA-dominated City Council to waste money on homeless camps instead of housing people. The RPA City Council members seem to have a great affection for homeless camps, encouraging the occupants to become self-governing communities and continue to expand, that’s why over 64% of the grant is dedicated to homeless camps and only 38% to actually transitioning people into homes.

Neither can we trust the RPA City Council members to oversee the grant expenditures. They have already wasted $1.5 million in City funds on contractors they chose using contracts they wrote with no accountability of how the funds were spent or what services were delivered.

$50 million in grants to communities across the state will rehouse 1,401 individuals living in encampments 

Part of Governor’s $14 billion homelessness package that will create 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots in the coming years

 SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the award of $50 million in grants to 19 communities throughout California to provide shelter or housing for 1,401 individuals currently experiencing homelessness in encampments. In September 2021, Governor Newsom set a goal of cleaning 100 encampments – since then, the state has cleaned 431 encampments, working with local governments to offer housing and services to former residents. The state is on course to clear 1,000 encampments by the end of 2022.

“Tackling the homelessness crisis is a matter of life and death,” said Governor Newsom. “California is taking on the unacceptable status quo with a historic response to house thousands of our most vulnerable community members at an unprecedented rate, and swiftly addressing the encampments that pose the greatest threat to health and safety.”

Yesterday, the Governor visited an encampment in Redwood City, which is receiving a $1.8 million grant to rehouse 70 individuals. Video and soundbites from the visit can be found here. 

 “We appreciate Governor Newsom’s leadership and support to help end homelessness,” said Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale. “Redwood City will continue to collaborate with all levels of government in urgently providing services and finding long term solutions.”

Last year, Governor Newsom took unprecedented action to address the state’s homelessness crisis, investing a historic $12 billion to help get our most vulnerable Californians off the streets and get them the mental and behavioral health services they need. The California Blueprint builds on this bold investment with a proposed $2 billion to advance behavioral health housing and encampment rehousing strategies, creating a total $14 billion package. The proposed $2 billion investment includes a $500 million expansion to the Encampment Resolution Grant program, building upon the initial $50 million investment for the program last year. The program is intended to fund local projects to rehouse unsheltered homeless individuals in encampments, position people living in encampments on paths to safe and stable housing, and to restore public spaces to their intended uses.

“The 19 communities selected to receive this funding are committed to human centered, scalable and replicable projects, and represent urban, rural and suburban communities across California,” said Lourdes Castro Ramírez, Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and co-chair of Cal ICH. “We look forward to supporting these community-led efforts that connect housing, services and human supports, and to scale successful strategies and approaches with future funding as proposed in the Governor’s CA Blueprint budget.”

The Governor’s multi-year homeless housing plan will provide 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots, once fully implemented.

The following cities and counties were awarded grants today:

• Santa Barbara County - $2.5 million to rehouse 200 individuals
• San Bernardino County -  $1.7 million to rehouse 150 individuals
• City of Richmond - $4.8 million to rehouse 102 individuals
• City of Fresno - $5 million to rehouse 100 individuals
• City of Oakland - $4.7 million to rehouse 100 individuals
• City of San Jose - $2 million to rehouse 100 individuals
• Redwood City - $1.8 million to rehouse 70 individuals
• Santa Cruz County - $2.3 million to rehouse 65 individuals
• Orange County - $3.6 million to rehouse 60 individuals
• City of Los Angeles - $1.7 million to rehouse 60 individuals
• City of Petaluma - $1.3 million to rehouse 60 individuals
• City of Tulare - $1.5 million to rehouse 57 individuals
• City of Salinas - $4 million to rehouse 55 individuals
• City of Eureka - $1.6 million to rehouse 50 individuals
• City of Berkeley - $4.7 million to rehouse 45 individuals
• City of Long Beach - $1.3 million to rehouse 40 individuals
• City of Vista - $1.8 million to rehouse 35 individuals
• City of San Rafael - $522 thousand to rehouse 34 individuals
• Marin County - $317 thousand to rehouse 18 individuals

“We recognize that housing is health and that investing and scaling local programs that look to address the wholistic needs of our unhoused neighbors is vital to our success in getting more Californians off the streets,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “Our vision of a Healthy California for All is rooted in the idea that every individual belongs to a strong and thriving community, and where necessities like housing are complimented by access to physical and behavioral health.”

“With this important grant from the State of California, Long Beach will be able to rehouse 40 of our residents experiencing homelessness – with the dignity, compassion, and urgency that this work requires,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. “I am thankful for Governor Newsom’s leadership on the state’s comprehensive response to the homelessness crisis.”