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Newsom awards millions to help Central Coast homeless move into housing

June 18, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday plans to provide Central Coast communities with more than $27 million to help people move out of homeless encampments and into housing.

In this latest round of funding to combat homelessness, Newsom said he will provide San Luis Obispo County with $13.4 million “to serve 200 people from an encampment in a flood and fire danger zone.” The goal is to move the people out of the encampment and into housing at a cost of $67,000 per person.

For Santa Barbara County, the state is allotting $6 million to serve 250 people from encampments along state rights of way and waterways. In this case, the state is allotting $24,000 per person assisted.

Newsom is providing Monterey County with $8 million to serve 70 people from an encampment along a river and creek at a cost of $114,285 per person.

The latest $199 million for 23 projects in 22 communities is the third, and largest, round of funding to go toward encampment cleanups and homelessness.


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Money / Money , Will the State ever recoup its money on these people ?


30

The more money cities throw at the homeless, the more homeless move to those cities.


53

Classic ‘feel-good’ money throwaway.


45

This is nothing more than a sound bite, kicking the can down the road, mandatory rehab and mental institutions are what is needed, California spends $20 billion on homelessness in five years, report finds https://www.kusi.com/california-spends-20-billion-on-homelessness-in-one-year-report-finds/


46

Tax us and throw OUR money away. Total insane!


46

We all want to see these people helped, but 90% first need intense mental health and/or drug treatment. Giving them free housing just makes things worse for them.


46

can we get a followup in, say, 6 months? there’s never a story later about how the money was spent or if it did a bit of good.


54

Don’t give it to CAP-SLO or you are just throwing it away.


69

Its all being “just thrown away”


25

By the time the bureaucrats, politicians and non-profits get their hands on the money, there might be enough left over to buy the homeless some Happy Meals!!!


39

So true and that is how most Government giveaways go They will probably start a new government section to manage this which will of course take the majority of the money and they will never tell the truth on if the project worked


11

I worked around the homeless for over a dozen years, and I have cleaned up more encampments and the items, objects, and bodily substances that come along with that than I can number. So I know whereof I speak. This will not work. The amount of money being spent per individual, as noted in the article, is insane. The reality of the situation is that there won’t be a “solution” as long as the ACLU and the other advocacy groups that keep litigating against cities and counties keep facilitating homelessness. This needs to be dealt with as a public health emergency, and the real solution will be a temporary, but massive, suspension of the civil rights of the homeless. They need to be forced out of the creeks, out of the highway rights of way, off the streets, and into facilities which they are not allowed to leave until they have been triaged, placed into treatment, and then finally reintegrated into society at whatever level they can function. Quite a few of them are so far gone that they need to be wards of the state for the rest of their lives. A considerable number can come back to the point of near-total reintegration as productive and functioning members of society. A lot of them are Prop. 47 releases and frankly just need to go back behind bars. This would be ugly, and would look terrible on television. It would require armed law enforcement to round the homeless up and take them away, and that would be unprecedented in the U.S.. Some of them have weapons, and would resist, and over the whole state probably several would have to be taken down by force; some would not survive. But the costs of allowing this situation to continue as it is are worse. We are becoming a failed state, and it is obvious. The amount of crime within the homeless population is off the charts, and most goes unreported. Both men and women are sexually assaulted every single day. The strong victimize the weak in a multitude of ways and no one knows in most cases, let alone intervenes. We allow people to live in squalor and degradation, and we are all becoming inured to it; it’s no longer unusual to us, and that’s a problem. Diseases that we had previously conquered, such as leprosy, are coming back. The environmental degradation around the encampments is unbelievable, and I know from personal experience. We either face facts and embark on an unpleasant and emotionally difficult path of strict measures to address it, or we accept it as our fate. The model of limited intervention and what I call the “kid gloves” treatment has utterly failed. The evidence is all around us. Time to get real about this.


73

This is one of the most sane, and common-sense responses to the “homeless” situation I have encountered. “Laughlines” is powerfully correct in his/her/they/them/ whatever assessment of this blight. We shouldn’t have to put up with it. But voting for “feelgood failure” allows this to persist. It’s time to get tough. As uncomfortable as it may be.


6

“”temporary”, but massive, suspension of the civil rights of the homeless. “


Vagrancy laws were ruled unconstitutional for a number of reasons.


But I hear you want to get things done by suspending the 14th amendment.


What a great idea to solve our problems, lets do guns next because we know the model of limited gun control and what I call the “nra kid gloves” treatment has utterly failed as the blood continues to flow. The evidence is all around us. Time to get real about this.


“”temporary”, but massive, suspension of the gun rights of the citizens. ”


-5

I assume you’re referring to Section 1.


Section 1All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.


First of all, if you read it, you’ll see that it only says there must be due process of law before infringing on the rights of “persons born or naturalilzed in the United States…”. Which could take us down another interesting path of discussion regarding illegal immigration, but that is not our subject. Unfortunately for you and those who may share your perspective, the precedent of massive suspension of civil liberties was set during the panicked response to the COVID-19 virus. There was no due process of law when 35% of small businesses were shut down by unelected functionaries using the pretext of a health emergency. No due process of law when churches were shut down in direct contravention of the First Amendment. That’s why I said treat homelessness as a public health emergency, which it is, since we already know you can do pretty much anything under that rubric. As for the Second Amendment, well I suppose you can give it a try. I don’t know exactly whom it is you expect will go out and enforce that, since firearm sales among all political/ethnic/socioeconomic strata skyrocketed during the aforementioned draconian response to the CCP’s bio weapon, but sure. There is no Constitutional right to degrade riparian habitats. Those are covered by a plethora of both Federal and State laws. Ditto highway rights of way. No one wants to enforce it, but the due process of law is already in place. Get them out of there and into treatment. You recoil at my proposal but I noticed that you sidestepped coming up with an alternative solution. I’m willing to listen, but bear in mind that the City of SLO initiated its 10 Year Plan to end homelessness in 2006. Look around and think about that.


-4

“Unfortunately for you and those who may share your perspective”

You are confused, I never said we should not help fix the homeless situation.


My only point was you want to “suspension of the civil right” If we do it for this, others will do the same thing for other issues, slippery slope.


“but I noticed that you sidestepped” No,not your place to set requirements for comment replies.


F off with the anti vax CCP’s bio weapon bullshit, that’s more blood in the street.


3

I never said you didn’t want to help the homeless, I was pointing out that the precedent for massive suspension of civil liberties was already established. On the basis of what evidence do you label me as anti-vax? In fact I voluntarily took the vaccine very early on. If you choose to ignore the nature of the CCP, their policy de jure of civil-military fusion, that’s on you. “F off”. Always a convincing intellectual response. Good luck to you, I’m done here.


-2

So suggesting “massive, suspension of the civil rights” of American citizens is fine, but someone says something a little mean in the heat of the moment and “I’m done here.”


Fascinating.


0

As one who lives directly next to the riverbed, on the border of SLO & SB county, I agree with you! I walk here daily with two dogs, pepper spray, a pocket knife and a rape whistle, due to being verbally assaulted too many times. It is an open, public, city made walkway and still nothing is being done to keep it clean and clear of homeless. I am working with multiple agencies and hear the same thing over and over, many do not want help. The drugs, diseases, trash and filth at the encampments is astounding! I was just told last week by Dignity Health (as they headed into the riverbed to help), the numerous diseases being passed around. I too had little faith that this money will make any difference, but I will keep my fingers crossed. Until then, I will keep calling all law enforcement and groups, asking for help! We too deserve to feel safe when accessing public areas!!


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