California Governor Newsom Allocates $299M Toward Homeless Encampments

California Gavin Newsom announced on Nov. 27 that an additional $299 million in grant money will help local governments clear homeless encampments.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Nov. 27 that an additional $299 million in grant money will help local governments clear homeless encampments, with a particular focus on areas near state highways and interstate highways, according to NBC News.

The funding aims to provide housing options for individuals impacted by homelessness.

This latest grant, labeled “encampment resolution” money, adds to the existing $414 million allocated from the state’s Encampment Resolution Fund. Established through Assembly Bill 140 in 2021, this fund is designed to assist local jurisdictions in offering more re-housing options for people living in encampments near highways.

“Since day one, combating homelessness has been a top priority. Encampments are not safe for the people living in them or for community members around them,” Newsom said in a statement.

Approximately half of the newly announced funds will be dedicated to clearing encampments on what the state terms “rights-of-way”: public roads, highways, and interstate highways owned and maintained by Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation.

“The state is giving locals hundreds of millions of dollars to move people into housing and clean up these persistent and dangerous encampments,” Newsom said, according to KRON4. And we are doing the same on state land, having removed 5,679 encampments since 2021.”

Cities, counties, and continuums of care are eligible to apply for the grant money through the California Interagency Council on Homelessness until next June. The funds will support street outreach teams and foster collaborations between local governments and Caltrans to clear encampments.

“Through the Encampment Resolution Grants, Caltrans is working to connect people experiencing homelessness on its right-of-way to more secure and stable housing situations offered by local partners,” Caltrans Deputy Division Chief Alisa Becerra said.

Becerra emphasized the importance of collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to creating genuine solutions to aid those who need it most.