California’s homeless crisis keeps growing - These are the 8 regions getting Newsom’s new funding push

Nearly one in four people that are homeless in the US are in California. The Golden State has seen a surge in homelessness over the past decade hitting a record high of 187,000 in 2024. More than 2 out of three of those people were unsheltered.

Not surprisingly it is one of the top issue for Californians, one which lawmakers in the capital and local administrations around the state are attempting to tackle. As part of that effort, in 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the Homelessness Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program.

This initiative provides flexible block grant funding for local jurisdictions to address and prevent homelessness through targeted housing solutions. Not only do the awards undergo a rigorous review process but there are also mechanisms in place to claw back funding from grantees if they fail to show progress in reducing homelessness.

6 Rounds of funding totaling almost $5 billion

On Wednesday, Newsom announced that an additional $145.4 million in Round 6 funding, on top of over $578 million in two previous allotments, will go to eight counties. This brings the total spent on the program to nearly $5 billion over the past seven years.

HHAP is beginning to show results. For the first time in 15 years, California saw a drop in homelessness. The unsheltered population in 2025 was down 9% from the previous year.

The counties that will receive funding in this latest allotment include Lake, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Solano, Yolo and Yuba. The funding will be used to move people off the streets and place them in either permanent or interim housing as well as connect them with support services.

“We’re making critical investments through programs to help local communities expand housing, strengthen services, and better support people experiencing homelessness,” said Newsom. “But just investing money is not enough — we have to invest in programs and local governments that are producing real results.”

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