League of California Cities applauds Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed investment to house California’s homeless

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kayla Woods
Cell: (530) 844-1744, kwoods@calcities.org

Sacramento – Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of a $12 billion budget proposal to confront the homelessness crisis, League of California Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman issued the following statement:

“We applaud Governor Newsom’s proposed $12 billion investment to address one of the most pressing crises facing our cities and state. Providing resources to house and deliver supportive services to the tens of thousands of those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in our communities is of paramount importance for Cal Cities and our members.

“Securing funding and resources to support those experiencing homelessness has been a top priority for city officials for years. The pandemic only exacerbated this crisis, as efforts by many cities were crippled due to significant losses in revenues that fund core services. With the State’s massive $75 billion surplus, there is a historic opportunity to address a crisis that has been decades in the making.

“As the state works to finalize its budget over the coming weeks, Cal Cities will work with the Governor and Legislature to ensure that resources and funding are available to bolster all city efforts toward ending homelessness, and flexible enough so that individuals in every California city who need them have access to emergency shelters and navigation assistance, as well as mental health and wraparound services.

“We thank the Governor for his leadership and look forward to working with state lawmakers in the coming weeks.”