Gov. Gavin Newsom sends $380 million of homeless funding to Los Angeles County

Standing alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LA County Supervisors, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state's latest round of funding and preached that urgency is the sole option in tackling California's homeless crisis.

"No one is naive about the challenges of the issue," Newsom said on Tuesday. "No one is naive about the public's perception of our progress in this state. no one is denying how angry people are."

Newsom said the latest round of funding is from a program created during former Gov. Jerry Brown's term. The money will be divided between the city and the county. The head of the LA Services Authorities addressed the concerns surrounding accountability. 

"Accountability is setting goals for street homelessness," Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum said. "Making sure we have what we call 'throughput.' We're talking about the people we are moving in from the street and all the way to permanent housing."

A state audit released over the summer reported California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over five years but did not consistently track funding or its effectiveness. State Republicans said that the audit makes them question whether the governor's promise for accountability can be trusted. 

"If past is prologue, those are just words," State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Roseville) said. "I'll remain optimistic through and hope that it turns around and the state does enforce accountability."

In the last official homeless count, LA County's homeless population remained essentially the same from 2023, staying at just over 75,000. LA City reported a drop of just over 2%, with 45,000 people living on the streets.

"A lot of it is mental illness and substance abuse," Niello said. "And we have to somehow compel people to treatment and get them to self-sufficiency.

Newsom said change is happening even if it is incremental and slow. 

"The mayor said it, and I applaud her and the county," Newsom said. "You saw a reduction in unsheltered homeless — and that's got to be the priority, to address the conditions on the sidewalks with laser focus and prioritization. 

The state says more money from this funding program will be rolled out but it's unclear when.