SAN DIEGO — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria visited Sacramento on Tuesday to advocate for permanent homelessness funding.
He led a bipartisan coalition of 13 mayors from California's biggest cities in urging Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature to commit at least $1 billion a year to the state's primary homelessness program on an ongoing basis.
Money from the Homelessness Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program has served close to 150,000 people and created more than 15,700 emergency shelter beds and interim homes, according to a report by the Big City Mayors.
“The shelters and service programs that big cities up and down California have created with local and state dollars are getting people off the street and connected to care. We need to protect the progress we’ve made through continued state investment,” Gloria said in a press release.
The latest proposed budget does not include another round of funding for this program as the state faces a $68 billion budget deficit.
"We all identify this as number one, so even in a difficult budget year, our belief is that the governor and legislature will continue to prioritize solutions to this challenge, and we can find a way to make this work," Gloria said.
The mayors said ongoing funding would allow local and state governments to more effectively plan long-term approaches to homelessness and provide accountability on progress. It's needed to maintain temporary and permanent housing programs, the coalition said, as well as complement state behavioral health reforms that are aimed at reducing the homelessness crisis.
San Diego has received more than $83 million in grants from HHAP since 2018. City officials anticipate another $30 million this year to fund more shelter beds, safe parking programs and street outreach.
Gloria said HHAP funding has been getting results.
"In April of 2021, my city had roughly 1,000 shelter beds. Fast forward to today, we have over 2,000 shelter beds serving thousands of San Diegans," he said.
The group of mayors also called on state officials to take action on retail theft and continue to invest in the California Youth Job Corps program.
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