California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked a wave of criticism and ridicule after claiming his state is the “national model” for addressing homelessness.
The 56-year-old Democrat made the remarks while announcing a $3.3 billion fund for California counties to address growing homelessness, including a mental health initiative he promoted.
“The state of California experienced a decrease in the number of homeless veterans,” he said Tuesday. “We have a national model.”
Newsom appeared to be citing California’s 30 percent drop in the number of homeless veterans over the past 12 years, despite a federal report 2023 finding that the state is home to 28 percent of the country’s total number of homeless people.
That figure marked a 40 percent increase over the rate five years ago, reports CalMatters.
At a press conference Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom drew criticism after claiming his state is the “national model” for homelessness.
Despite Newsom’s comments, California has seen a 40 percent increase in homelessness over the past five years.
At a news conference focused on Newsom’s homeless initiative, the governor touted a mental health provision he pushed earlier this year.
Citing his “national model,” Newsom said, “What Proposition 1 did is reinforce that model, provide more resources to advance that model, and we’re very excited to put those dollars to work.”
Proposition 1 was introduced to voters in March, with the goal of expanding access to mental health treatment plans for substance abuse and behavior, as well as providing housing to people at risk of homelessness, including veterans .
It will also impose strict rules on how counties can spend homeless funds, including a mandate to spend two-thirds of the money obtained from a 2004 tax on millionaires solely on mental health services.
The provision passed in a statewide vote by less than half a percentage point (50.2 to 49.8 percent), indicating the split of the bill in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 .
Newsom also raised more than $13 million to promote the proposal, while his opponents raised just $1,000, according to NPR.
The number of unsheltered homeless people (those living on the streets rather than in shelters or government housing) in California is eight times that of the second-worst state.
Newsom has made homelessness a central issue in recent years and recently secured a ballot measure to funnel billions into the crisis.
The new anti-homelessness campaign will allow California to build 4,305 new housing units and add 6,800 addiction treatment beds to its arsenal.
While critics argued that the legislation was too expensive — billions were needed to build 4,350 housing units and add 6,800 addiction treatment beds — Newsom responded that it marked a dramatic shift toward streamlining California’s response to homeless people.
“Five years ago, there was no strategy or plan for homelessness,” Newsom said. ‘The state of California was not involved in these issues.
‘To be fair, there was a 500 million allocation that went to cities and counties with no accountability, no oversight, and no measured results; that was the first time the state chipped in a few dollars.
“We had a mental health services law… but it outlived the world we live in,” he continued, saying the state’s previous mental health bill was designed for a “world that no longer exists.”
“We were apathetic and it was pretty evident,” he said. ‘Cities and counties were overwhelmed by what was happening on the streets and sidewalks.
‘We said we have to do more as a state. Cities and counties can’t do this alone… It’s about more than money, it’s about ingenuity, it’s about doing things we couldn’t do.’
While Newsom indicated he had high hopes for the success of his program, his claim that other states should follow his “model” sparked backlash from some conservatives.
California Congressman Kevin Kiley responded to a clip of the governor’s speech about X, saying his comments were “the height of deception.”
Another viewer also chimed in: “Newsom is right, we are a national model, but in a negative sense.”
“Let the nation see us as a dire warning about how not to handle homelessness.”
In Los Angeles, which has more homeless people than any other US city with a staggering 65,111 people, its homeless rate increased nine percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
And although the number of homeless veterans has dropped by 30 percent over the past 20 years in California, the total level of homeless people between 2007 and 2023 increased by 30.5 percent, with 42,000 more people becoming homeless in that time.
Newsom’s claim about the drop in veteran homelessness appeared to cite the 30 percent drop over the past 12 years, however other metrics indicated homelessness has not improved in recent years.
In Los Angeles, which has more homeless people than any other city in the United States: a staggering 65,111 people, according to a 2023 California Senate Separate Reportthe rate increased by nine percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
The federal report the same year also found that California accounted for 28 percent of all homeless people in the country.
It also found that the number of “unsheltered” people (those not in any type of government housing or shelter and instead sleeping on the streets) in California represented 49 percent of the country’s total.
With more than 123,000 homeless people in California, the state had a rate eight times higher than the second-worst state, Florida, which had just 15,000.
And although the number of homeless veterans has dropped by 30 percent over the past 20 years in California, the total level of homeless people between 2007 and 2023 increased by 30.5 percent, with 42,000 more people becoming homeless in that time.