Newsom orders local governments to address encampments

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday ordering state agencies to adopt clear policies to address homeless encampments.

The executive order follows the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which gave local governments the authority and legal standing “to address dangerous encampments and help provide those residing in encampments with the resources they need,” according to the governor’s office.

“This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same,” Newsom said in a statement. “The state has been hard at work to address this crisis on our streets. There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part.”

This latest directive builds on the state’s ongoing efforts and “unprecedented investments” to address the decades-long homelessness crisis while “respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians,” according to the governor’s office. Newsom’s order directs state agencies to implement “humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property, including by taking necessary and deliberate steps to notify and support the people inhabiting the encampment prior to removal.”

California’s record-setting investments to address the homelessness crisis include $24 billion across multiple state agencies with billions in funding to aid cities and counties in providing services and support to people who live in encampments. In Fiscal year 2022-23, this funding helped transition more than 165,000 people from homelessness to interim or permanent housing.

The executive order calls for policies consistent with the California Department of Transportation’s existing encampment policy. Since July 2021, California has dismantled more than 11,000 encampments and removed 248,275 cubic yards of debris from encampments to prepare state roadways for Clean California beautification projects, the governor’s office reported.

“Prioritizing encampments that pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of the community, Caltrans provides advance notice of clearance and works with local service providers to support those experiencing homelessness at the encampment, and stores personal property collected at the site for at least 60 days,” officials said.

To effectively address encampments at the local level, Newsom encouraged municipal governments to replicate the state’s policy model laid out in the executive order and to use all available resources, including those provided by the sizable investments in housing and intervention programs.

Proposition 1 funding for local governments

Newsom also urged local governments to apply for the newly available $3.3 billion in grant funding from Proposition 1 that expands the effort to provide appropriate care to people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, focusing on people “who are most seriously ill, vulnerable or homeless,” according to the governor’s office.

Proposition 1 has two tiers — one is a $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Bond for treatment settings and housing with services, and the other part is reform of the Behavioral Health Services Act to concentrate on people experiencing the most serious illnesses, substance disorders and housing needs. State officials also recently released a guide for counties, the Proposition 1 Behavioral Health Services Act: Housing Supports Primer, which explains how to spend the projected $950 million annual BHSA funding for connecting homeless state residents with housing.

Since Newsom took office in 2019, the state has developed an action plan to reduce homelessness, and he “has demanded unprecedented accountability from local governments to do their part to end the homelessness crisis through regionally coordinated action plans,” officials said. The governor’s office emphasized the state’s $24 billion to address the housing crisis that includes $4.85 billion for Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention Grants for local jurisdictions, $1 billion in Encampment Resolution Funding to help municipalities provide services and support to encampment residents and $3.3 billion for Project Homekey to rapidly expand housing for the unhoused.

The entire executive order is available on the state’s website.