California's homelessness crisis has been marred by controversy as billions of state dollars allocated to address the problem remain untracked, prompting backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has come under fire for the state's failure to track the effectiveness of its homelessness programs over the past five years, despite spending over $20 billion on such initiatives. The revelation has sparked outrage among lawmakers, who have demanded accountability and transparency in the distribution and use of these funds.
During a recent budget committee hearing, Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting expressed his frustration over the lack of data on how the billions of dollars allocated for homelessness reduction have been spent. "How many people have we helped? How many people are off the street?" Ting questioned, highlighting the need for concrete metrics to assess the effectiveness of the programs.
In response, executives from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (CICH) cited "data quality issues" as the reason for the lack of available data. Executive officer Meghan Marshall stated that they are "working expeditiously" to address the problem.
However, lawmakers remain unconvinced. "What does that mean though?" Assemblymember Ting retorted. "We spent billions of dollars, and you can't tell us at all how many people we've helped."
Megan Kirkeby, deputy director for the California Department of Housing and Community Development, admitted that the state previously did not require tracking of progress on spending or program viability, acknowledging that "it's not something to be proud of."
CICH, tasked with coordinating statewide homeless programs, shifted blame to local cities in an emailed response to Fox News Digital's inquiry, stating that municipalities "are primarily responsible for implementing these programs and collecting data on outcomes."
The audit's findings have raised concerns among both Republican and Democrat lawmakers, particularly in light of the state's impending budget deficit. They fear that the lack of accountability and transparency could hinder future funding requests from cities grappling with the homelessness crisis.
California continues to grapple with the nation's largest homeless population, with over 181,000 people living on its streets. A recent report by the state auditor found that nine state agencies collectively spent $24 billion over the past five years on homelessness programs, with CICH failing to consistently track the effectiveness of these expenditures.
Despite the billions poured into homeless and housing programs, the problem has persisted in many cities, with homelessness rates increasing by over 53% since 2013. Governor Newsom has responded by calling for cities to step up enforcement of state housing laws and expand affordable housing options.
CICH has also announced steps to improve accountability and data integration for homeless programs. However, the failure to track the effectiveness of past spending has left a cloud of uncertainty over the state's efforts to address the crisis, sparking frustration and demands for transparency from lawmakers.
