Homelessness continues to be one of the primary challenges plaguing our state. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated 161,548 Californians were without housing as of January 2020.

As Assembly Budget Committee chair, I am proud to say this year's budget invests an unprecedented $12 billion to address this crisis over the next two years. Our approach is holistic and focuses on every step of the problem. This means not only will the money help people find shelter and housing, but it will also strengthen long term support systems and preventive measures.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, California launched Project Roomkey which provided 36,000 homeless Californians with safe shelter. $150 million is currently being spent to continue helping individuals transition from this program to permanent housing.

Other key investments include:

• $2.75 billion for Homekey, which funds building acquisitions and conversions for additional permanent housing.
• $2 billion over two years for homelessness assistance to local governments.
• $2.2 billion over three years in grants to construct, acquire, and rehabilitate real estate assets to expand both traditional, as well as intermediate and flexible behavioral health treatment resources.

Keep an eye out for another eAlert this month focusing on housing legislation and funding. I will also be hosting a town hall on August 31 at 5:00 pm with special guests to talk about what is working and what more needs to be done to prevent people from experiencing homelessness in the first place. I hope you can join us.