California Approves $570 Million to House the Homeless

The state of California is spending $570 million in an effort to house homeless seniors and adults living with disabilities, officials announced this week.
The money is courtesy of eight Community Care Expansion (CCE) grants from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). In their entirety, the grants are injecting $112.8 billion into new housing projects in California, but many of the projects will create permanent housing options for seniors and disabled adults facing homelessness.
“The CCE program is doing amazing things to fund local housing with care for those most in need, and with each new round of grant funding, California is able to launch new projects,” CDSS Director Kim Johnson said in a statement. “We’re grateful to Governor Newsom, the Legislature, and all our partners for making this happen. Together, we’re strengthening our communities so every person can thrive.”
In total, the homeless housing projects will create 3,000 beds for those in need across the state. That includes housing in the Bay area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, San Diego County and Mendocino County.
In Bakersfield, the government used $14 million to create 300 beds for older adults along with people experiencing mental illness and substance abuse and are at risk of homelessness.
The state also approved support for tribal communities so that elders can have secure housing within their communities. The Pala Band of Mission Indians was awarded $8.3 million for a 32-bed residential care facility for the elderly.
“We are grateful for this monumental opportunity to build a facility to support our elders’ needs and those in our surrounding tribal communities,” Robert Smith, chairman of Pala Band of Mission Indians, said in a statement. “Our project is the first of its kind on Tribal lands. Through this grant, we are able to see our vision come to life.”
Other grants support the Nevada Ranch House, which offers housing for people experiencing homelessness with severe and persistent mental illness.
Seniors across the state are at an increased risk of homelessness, with nearly half of single homeless adults being 50 years or older, the state said.
“This is a good start towards helping the senior/low-income population that continues to grow,” Nationwide title and escrow expert Alan Chang told Newsweek.
“Low-income seniors may need to wait for years for subsidized housing to become available. Funds will be used to acquire, rehab and build new housing units for this population. Seniors that do not have a strong family support system will be able to take advantage of the new program. I’m not sure how long this will take, but hopefully it will be in time for this vulnerable group.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, said many states are dealing with significant homelessness problems, but California has received more attention because of the high-profile encampments in some of the most populous areas.
“Criminal activity happening in and around these locations are causing increasing concern, not just to those who have to travel through these locations for work or school each day, but out of genuine empathy for the elderly and disabled among these homeless populations that are following the rules but end up enduring the wrath of any proposals taking aim at these areas,” Beene told Newsweek.
Because of the scope of the problem, Beene said the housing funding could be a solid step forward for many of the seniors and disabled adults fighting for a better life.
“Finding some type of affordable housing for these populations could end up being a significant step not just morally to ensure they receive better care, but economically long term, as the hope would be finding these individuals reliable housing would provide them the infrastructure they need to find work and create better lives for themselves,” Beene said.