How and when will California begin removing homeless encampments?

California may be home to one of the largest economies in the world, but behind Hollywood, beachfront mansions, and Silicon Valley lives a dark secret: extreme poverty. In one of the wealthiest states in the country, more than 185,000 lack access to shelter, and that number has been rising for over a decade.

When thinking about homelessness and how a person or family can lose their home, it is critical to remember that it does not usually happen in one fell swoop. In other words, someone does not go from paying their rent or mortgage each month to experiencing homelessness. In the early stages, someone could face eviction after falling behind on their bills and being forced to live in a motel or car. Over time, if they cannot receive support from their local government or shelters, they may end up erecting a more ‘permanent’ tent in the street and sometimes on public property.

According to CalMatters, an outlet focused on California politics, the state has spent billions trying to address the issue over the last five years, but its efforts have failed. The issue is increasingly important to voters as they evaluate their ballot options after years of failure, with no strategic policy proposals being put forward. Instead, CalMatters highlights the disjointed efforts that have been undertaken, highlighting that very few address the “underlying causes of homelessness, such as sky-high housing costs, family breakups, mental illness and drug addiction have not abated.”

What action has been taken by Governor Gavin Newsom?

On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order allowing the removal of encampments on public property across the state. Housing rights activists are questioning what support will be provided to those affected by the removal of these encampments. For those experiencing homelessness, this order could be devastating if the state fails to offer support to those who have their belongings torn down or destroyed. Without alternative options, they face increased insecurity as they are forced to find another place to live. The tone from the Governor does not reflect much empathy with those in his state experiencing homelessness, saying that it is “time for locals to do their job,” which, under the order, means beginning the process of removing encampments.

Governor Newsom’s order calls on “state agencies and departments to adopt humane and dignified policies to urgently address encampments on state property.” The Governor’s office says this will be done “by taking necessary and deliberate steps to notify and support the people inhabiting the encampment prior to removal.” However, much focus will be on how the state plans to assist those impacted and how other housing options will be distributed and offered to those living in encampments across the state.

The state has not detailed how long it will take to remove the encampments selected for removal. The announcement published by the Governor’s office says that the residents of an encampment that has been destroyed will have their personal property collected and stored for sixty days by a “local service provider” tasked with providing other forms of support to those affected. And while these are the rules on the books, the state has been brought to court by groups of residents experiencing homelessness whose belongings were destroyed during an encampment sweep. More than 11,000 encampments have already been removed since July 2021, and with those impacted having very little access to legal recourse in cases where their rights are violated, it is unclear how many people have had their property destroyed or permanently ceased.

The legal precedent needed for California to take this action

Last October, the Supreme Court upheld the law in Grant Pass, Oregon, that allowed ticketing those erecting encampments on public property. If the same individual was found to violate the statute multiple times, they could be arrested and imprisoned, increasing the burden on taxpayers as the incarcerated population rises. This policy has been attacked by housing rights activists, who describe it as a cruel mechanism to punish those that society has failed to support while not addressing the drivers of housing affordability.

The state is touting its record, highlighting its efforts in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, where budget increases for certain agencies, departments, and local governments helped 165,000 people find temporary or permanent accommodations. However, there is a big difference between the two, and the state has not released figures on how many of those people are still housed in 2024. The Public Policy Institute of California reported in March that between 2022 and 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness rose by 7.5 percent in the Golden State.

Housing rights experts warn that affordability must be central to addressing the issue of homelessness. That further criminalizing those without shelter does nothing to prevent those vulnerable to losing stable housing from becoming homeless. Homelessness is an economic issue, and unless the conditions for those living in poverty improve, people will be only face a greater risk of eviction.