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Tahoe Truckee Region Homelessness Digest



Busing People Out of Homelessness: How California’s Relocation Programs Really Work

11/25/2024

Many California cities offer their homeless residents one-way bus tickets to other places.

It’s Hard to Vote in California When You’re Homeless. Why It Matters When Their Voices Are Silenced

10/30/2024

Homeless Californians face many barriers to casting a ballot, even in elections that affect their lives. Some counties and nonprofits are trying to boost turnout.

How Much Would It Cost to End Homelessness in California? Try More Than $100 Billion

10/17/2024

Multiple state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on housing and homeless programs in the first five years of Gavin Newsom’s governorship, but the number of people without homes continued to grow, rising by 20% to more than 180,000 in the most recent federal count in 2023.

Late Payments to Nonprofits Hamper California’s Fight Against Homelessness

09/30/2024

Homeless service providers are scaling back and taking out loans as they wait for late payments from the government.

Disorganization, City-County Feuds Impede California’s Efforts to Reduce Homelessness

09/17/2024

Over the last five years, the state government has spent some $24 billion to ameliorate homelessness, which, according to polls, is California’s most troublesome issue.

Homeless Students Can Sleep Safely in Their Cars at This California College. Other Campuses Say No

09/17/2024

Failed legislative bills have attempted to create safe parking programs for students to sleep in their cars on California campuses while awaiting housing. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight.

CA Cities Jump on Homeless Encampment Bans

09/13/2024

For five years, California officials responding to the homelessness crisis had to work around one big restriction imposed by the federal courts: Because they didn’t have enough shelter beds, cities generally couldn’t make homeless camps illegal.

No Sleeping Bags, Keep Moving: California Cities Increase Crackdown on Homeless Encampments

09/11/2024

More than two-dozen California cities passed, strengthened or are considering ordinances that penalize people for sleeping outside, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed cities to crack down.

CA Homeless Count Is Up 8% From 2022

09/10/2024

An exclusive CalMatters analysis of the latest California homeless count reveals some good news and bad news: Though the growth rate of homelessness appears to be slowing, the overall number of unhoused Californians increased from two years ago.

California Has Spent Billions on Homelessness but Lacks Hard Data on Outcomes

09/04/2024

California has allocated more than $20 billion to alleviate the state’s homelessness crisis since Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, but there’s precious little data on how the money was spent and what effect it’s had, other than the number of unhoused people has continued to climb.

Audit: California Risked Millions in Homelessness Funds Due to Poor Anti-Fraud Protections

08/06/2024

A critical new federal audit calls out California for doing too little to prevent fraudulent spending of homelessness funds. Nearly $320 million was at risk.

CA Cities and Counties Ignoring Mandate to Monitor Homeless Shelters

07/17/2024

In 2021, responding to reports that the state’s homeless shelters were dirty and dangerous, the state Legislature crafted a plan: It would require local governments to inspect their shelters after complaints and file annual reports on shelter conditions.

California Passed a Law to Fix Unsafe Homeless Shelters. Cities and Counties Are Ignoring It

07/16/2024

The Supreme Court’s decision on homelessness will test a shelter system that’s full of problems – and lacking accountability.

Can California’s Health Care Providers Help Solve the State’s Homelessness Crisis?

07/10/2024

Taking advantage of new state funds, some California healthcare providers are starting to offer what their homeless patients really need: housing.

6 Myths About Homelessness in California

07/07/2024

There’s a lot of misinformation floating around out there about homelessness in California. We use data to dispel several common myths.

Supreme Court Gives Cities in California and Beyond More Power to Crack Down on Homeless Camps

06/28/2024

The ruling by the conservative court majority means cities no longer are prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go.

SCOTUS Rules Cities Can Ban Homeless Camps

06/28/2024

The Supreme Court 6-3 ruling in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson case found that the fining and arresting of homeless people does not violate Eighth Amendment rights.

How Best to Reduce California Homelessness?

06/06/2024

A panel at the CalMatters Ideas Festival debates how to reduce homelessness without punishing poverty. There’s worry about a potential $1 billion cut in state funding.

California Homelessness Funding Is on the Chopping Block. Will It Make the Final Budget?

06/04/2024

It’s the billion-dollar question. That’s how much cities and other local governments have been receiving from the state each year to deal with California's ever-increasing population of homeless people.

Democrats Kill California Homeless Camp Ban, Again

05/29/2024

A bill to ban homeless encampments statewide near parks, schools and transit hubs failed to get out of the same legislative committee as last year.

California Fails to Track Its Homelessness Spending or Results, a New Audit Says

04/09/2024

There’s so little data available, it’s impossible to even tell if several of California’s largest homelessness programs are working, according to a statewide audit released Tuesday.

Opinion: I've Covered California's Homeless Since Before the Word Was Used. This Is What I Learned

04/06/2024

I thought my journalism and others’ could change policy, perhaps even inspire a New Deal-style response equal to the challenge. Such was my naiveté.

Border Patrol Is Dropping Off Hundreds of Migrants at San Diego Trolley Station

02/27/2024

“Street releases” have resumed after the nonprofit that operated a migrant welcome center announced its “finite resources have been stretched to the limit.”

Guide to the California Senate Candidates' Views of Housing and Homelessness

02/26/2024

No issue matters more to Californians than housing and homelessness. Catch up on where the major Senate candidates stand on the subject.

Placer County Supervisors Pass Resolution to Oppose Proposition 1

02/14/2024

Supervisors formally opposed the March 5 statewide ballot measure that seeks voter approval of state-issued general obligation bonds to provide more housing for the homeless and increase behavioral health treatment facilities.

Feds Leave California on the Hook for $300 million in COVID Homeless Spending

02/08/2024

When Gov. Gavin Newsom launched his landmark effort to shelter homeless residents in hotels during COVID, the state and local governments were relying on FEMA to foot much of the bill.

An Initiative Promised 20,000 Homes for Mentally Ill Californians. It Delivered Far Less

02/06/2024

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Homelessness Is on the California Ballot This March. Will Conditions Change?

01/17/2024

Prop. 1 would funnel more money into housing and treatment for homeless Californians struggling with mental illness and addiction. But it’s far from a one-stop solution.

Program to Clear Encampments Shows Signs of Success, But Housing Remains Elusive

01/16/2024

A multi-year, $750 million California program aimed at doing away with homeless encampments has had mixed results. Local leaders say ongoing funding is needed.

SCOTUS to Hear Case with Major Implications for Homeless

01/12/2024

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case related to whether cities and towns can ban camping on public property. The high court could overturn Martin v. Boise, a 2018 federal court decision that keeps western cities and counties from blocking public camping when sufficient shelter space is unavailable.

Truckee Emergency Warming Shelter Open

12/30/2023

The Emergency Warming Shelter for those experiencing homelessness is open in a new location under new management following a two-month closure.

They Lived in Their Home Almost 30 Years. But California’s ‘No Fault’ Eviction Law May Now Leave Them Homeless

12/25/2023

María Vela’s family has lived in East L.A. nearly 30 years, but new owners of her duplex asked her family to vacate by Christmas. Most evictions are due to nonpayment of rent, but owner move-ins also cause family displacement.

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