and the Problem Has Only Gotten Worse An audit in California found that the state spent $24 billion on homelessness over the past five years, but the state did not accurately track if the funds actually improved the problem.
The state has spent roughly $24 billion on initiatives to address homelessness, and the audit analyzed a combined $13.7 billion that went to five programs across the state from 2018-23. Despite the money being spent on 30 homelessness and housing programs, the audit found that California does not have reliable data to see why the situation did not improve in cities across the state.
“This report concludes that the state must do more to assess the cost-effectiveness of its homelessness programs,” State Auditor Grant Parks wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and lawmakers.
Democratic state Sen. Dave Cortese requested the audit in 2022 after he toured a homeless encampment that had been cleared. He said results from the audit found a “data desert,” which found a continuous cycle with many experiencing homelessness placed in interim housing. Of those people, only 13% found a permanent home and 44% became homeless again.
KCAL News @kcalnews
In it, state auditors found that homeless numbers jumped 53% in the last decade with an estimated 180,000 people unhoused in California, despite the spending of more than $20 billion to stop it.
Marc Joffe @joffemd
Some quick math on California homelessness. In 2015, 1 out of 336 people in California were homeless; in 2023, it was 1 in 215. This despite tens of billions of government spending at all levels.