California Democrats Slam Newsom Over Untracked $20 Billion in Homelessness Spending

Governor Gavin Newsom faces backlash and criticism from within his own party over the failure to track billions of dollars spent on homelessness programs, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the state's efforts to combat the crisis.

Some Democratic legislators in California are taking aim at Governor Gavin Newsom over the lack of accountability and data tracking surrounding the state's massive spending on homelessness programs. In a recent budget committee hearing, Assemblymember Phil Ting expressed frustration over the inability to ascertain how the $20 billion allocated to these initiatives have been utilized and their impact.

"How many people have we helped? How many people are off the streets?" Ting questioned, highlighting the need for concrete metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programs. The executive officer of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (CICH), Meghan Marshall, attributed the lack of data to "data quality issues," promising expeditious efforts to address the problem.

Newsom's homelessness council, CICH, has been tasked with coordinating state efforts to address the crisis. However, the council has faced criticism for its failure to track progress and evaluate the effectiveness of its programs. The state auditor's report, released last month, revealed that over the past five years, nine state agencies have collectively spent $24 billion in state funding on 30 programs dedicated to tackling homelessness. Yet, CICH has not consistently tracked the outcomes of these programs or evaluated their cost-effectiveness.

The audit also noted that CICH stopped reporting its finances related to state-funded homelessness programs in 2021. The council has attributed the lack of data to challenges with collecting outcomes data and the absence of a consistent method.

The revelation of untracked funds has sparked concerns among lawmakers, who worry that the audit's findings could impact future funding requests from cities seeking assistance in addressing the homelessness crisis. California has the highest number of homeless people in the nation, with over 181,000 individuals living on the streets. Despite the billions of dollars spent on homelessness programs, the problem has worsened in many cities, with homelessness increasing by over 53% since 2013.

In response to the criticism, Newsom has called on cities to take more rigorous steps to enforce progressive housing laws. He announced the expansion of a state agency to ensure compliance with laws requiring cities to increase housing construction. CICH has also vowed to improve its data collection and evaluation methods.

The lack of accountability and data tracking surrounding homelessness spending has raised questions about the effectiveness of the state's efforts to combat the crisis. With Democrats within Newsom's own party expressing concern, the issue is likely to continue to be a source of tension and scrutiny in the coming months.