Tag: homelessness

Homelessness Reaches Record High in Bay Area County

Santa Clara County’s total homeless population rose by 8.2 percent to a record high of 10,711 people, according to early results from the county’s latest point-in-time count.

The count used data taken in one night in January 2025, and it serves as the main data source to determine federal funding and homelessness estimates within the county.

The total number of people experiencing homelessness rose from 9,903 in 2023 to more than 10,000 now, consistent with expert observations that “more people are entering homelessness than exiting homelessness in the region,” the report states.

Among the homeless population, the number of sheltered individuals increased by 30 percent, which the county attributes to better use of available shelter beds and more shelter capacity overall.

“Even as we face extraordinary challenges and threats to critical federal and state funding for safety-net services, the County continues to make significant investments in both shelter capacity and permanent housing to combat homelessness in our community,” County Executive James R. Williams stated in a statement.

The investments include approximately $446 million in funding to address homelessness in the 2024–2025 fiscal year. With this funding, the county was able to move more than 8,000 homeless individuals into housing from 2023 to 2025.

Keep reading

California City Makes Homeless Eligible For Arrest If They Refuse 3 Offers Of Shelter

The San Jose City Council in Northern California voted June 10 to render homeless individuals, who refuse three offers of shelter, in violation of trespassing laws and able to be arrested.

The council members voted 9–2 in favor of amending the city’s encampment code of conduct with a “responsibility to shelter” provision.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat, introduced the proposal, which is among the stricter anti-encampment laws introduced since the Supreme Court in 2023 made it simpler for cities to ban homeless people from camping on public property. Mahan said that, if the city has enough shelter and interim housing, homeless people should be required to move into them.

Vice Mayor Pam Foley said getting people housed is the first step to getting them the help they need.

“We cannot expect to adequately treat mental illness, addiction, or unemployment effectively if someone is living outdoors,” Foley said during the City Council meeting. “Stable shelter, whether through interim housing, safe parking, or safe sleeping sites, not only connects people with critical services and job training, but ultimately paves the way toward permanent housing.”

Foley said the updated Code of Conduct demonstrates that San Jose is dedicated to reducing homelessness and restoring access to public spaces.

“When shelter becomes available, choosing not to fill those spaces only sets us back,” she said. “We must ensure that every opportunity to move people indoors is used to its fullest potential for both their sake and for the broader San Jose community’s well being.”

The city will not make arrests merely for refusing shelter, but, rather, for trespassing. The goal of the code of conduct revision is to enhance engagement with the homeless community.

Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who voted “no” on the proposal, fears the code of conduct revision could lead to a situation where the city has de facto criminalized homelessness, pointing out that the policy says somebody who simply declines shelter could be arrested. He noted that there are many reasons one may deny shelter, including unsafe shelter conditions or incompatibility.

“I think that by including arrest language in this policy, there could be unintended consequences,” he said at the city council meeting.

Keep reading

LA City Council OKs $14B budget, allowing for $7K per homeless person each month

The Los Angeles City Council passed a $14 billion budget that reduced citywide layoffs by cutting police hiring and fire department spending.

The approved budget uses emergency funds, such as $29 million from the budget stabilization fund, to pay for ongoing regular services, which is typically only done in a recession. That suggests the city has a structural deficit created by spending more than revenue will allow.

Notably, the budget cuts $36.63 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s proposed budget and reduces new police hiring in half from 480 new recruits to 230. At the same time, it restores funding for Animal Services and creates a new Bureau of Homelessness Oversight under the Los Angeles Housing Department.

Councilwoman Traci Park, whose district stretches from the Los Angeles International Airport to the fire-demolished Pacific Palisades, questioned the city’s continued funding of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which has failed all recent audits and from which Los Angeles County recently voted to terminate its funding and relationship.

“Spending a million and a half dollars per door to build micro-units of housing to give away to homeless drug addicts when the vast majority of our own city employees could never afford a condo at that price … I don’t think we should agree to spend another penny on homelessness … until we cast a vote on whether we’re finally getting a divorce from LAHSA and what the future of homeless services delivery looks like in LA,” said Park at Thursday’s meeting.

Park also attacked the cuts to the proposed LAFD budget and the halving of the new LAPD officer expansion.

Keep reading

California Gov. Newsom calls on cities to ban homeless encampments on public property

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday pushed cities to ban homeless encampments or sleeping rough on the streets — and is using state funds to force the issue.

Escalating his push to eradicate scores of encampments across the Golden State, the Democrat called on cities and towns to effectively prohibit tents from being erected on sidewalks, parks, bike paths and other public properties.

People will also be prohibited from sleeping on the streets with a sleeping bag, blankets or any other materials for more than three days in a row, according to the state-issued guidance.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered,” Newsom said in a statement.

“Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”

Keep reading

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish National Center for Homeless Veterans, Redirects Funds Previously Spent on Housing Illegals

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) signalling his administration’s prioritization of the nation’s veterans rather than illegals.

The EO will redirect funds from housing for illegals to establish the National Center for Warrior Independence.  The Center will be located on the Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles.

A Trump administration official told Fox News, “The new National Center for Warrior Independence will help them and other veterans like them rebuild their lives.”

The initiative will focus and providing shelter, healthcare, and job training to veterans in need and will partner with private organizations to expand support and resources.

Per Fox News:

The center will allow veterans from around the nation to seek and receive care, benefits and services “to which they are entitled,” the White House said.

The order redirects funds previously spent on housing or other services for illegal aliens to constructing, establishing and maintaining the new center.

“The Center will promote self-sufficiency through housing, substance abuse treatment, and support for productive work for the veterans housed there,” the White House explained.

According to the White House, the goal is to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans at the center by 2028.

In addition, the order directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to use vouchers to support homeless veterans.

Keep reading

REALITY CHECK: Adam Schiff Says Party Has a “Major Problem” After San Francisco Cashier Tells Him “Democrats are As*holes”

Democrat Senator Adam Schiff (CA) is apparently just now realizing that Democrats need to “change how we do business” in liberal areas that are overrun with crime, drugs, and homelessness, citing an encounter with a Target cashier who told him the hard truth about the Democratic party. 

During an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Schiff recalled an incident at a Target in San Francisco after his car was robbed in his home state of California. And it wasn’t getting robbed in the notoriously liberal city.

The Gateway Pundit readers will likely recall that Schiff got robbed in San Francisco last year while campaigning for Senate in the city. The robbers took his luggage, and he was forced to attend a dinner party in a t-shirt and hiking vest instead of the appropriate formal attire.

Following this, he went to buy toiletries at a Target store, he says, and the cashier hit him with a blunt reality check.

The party that locked everyone in their homes during COVID, bullies people into silence, and allows criminals and the dregs of society to terrorize everyday Americans are “assholes,” the woman apparently told him.

” I thought, you know, if the cashier in South San Francisco at 10 o’clock at night believes that Democrats are assholes because the shampoo is locked up, and my stuff got stolen out of the trunk, we’ve got a major problem that we have to address,” he said.

Still, it wasn’t until now, after the Democrats’ massive defeat in the 2024 election, that Schiff seemingly had an epiphany and sounded the alarm to his party.

Keep reading

California’s Broke Medicaid Program Has Been Spending on … Homeless Housing

Medi-Cal, the State of California’s version of Medicaid, has been spending on extraneous programs such as housing while running up a deficit so extreme that the state has had to borrow over $6 billion to save it.

As Breitbart News reported last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration had to seek $6 billion in loans to keep the program from collapsing, partly due to the cost of covering illegal aliens, which he did last year.

Now, CalMatters.org reveals that the federal government is cracking down on Medi-Cal and other Medicaid providers that have been using money to support “rent assistance” and “medically tailored meals”:

In 2022, California made sweeping changes to its Medi-Cal program that reimagined what health care could look like for some of the state’s poorest and sickest residents by covering services from housing to healthy food. But the future of that program, known as CalAIM, could be at risk under the Trump administration.

…

The moves align with a narrower vision of Medicaid espoused by newly confirmed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz, who said during his swearing-in ceremony that Medicaid spending was crowding out spending on education and other services in states with the federal government “paying most of the bill.”

“This one really bothers me. There are states who are using Medicaid — Medicaid dollars for people who are vulnerable — for services that are not medical,” Oz said.

President Joe Biden allowed California and other states to “experiment” with Medicaid funding — and California spent itself into near-insolvency. The Trump administration is cracking down, insisting that Medicaid spending be restricted to medical expenses — not items like housing for indigent patients.

Keep reading

Southern California mayor’s twisted plan to wipe out homeless people sparks widespread condemnation

A Southern California mayor has sparked mass condemnation after revealing he’d give homeless residents ‘all the fentanyl they want’ in an effort to wipe them out.

R. Rex Parris, the mayor of Lancaster, made the remarks in front of stunned residents and councilmembers at a city council meeting earlier in the year but footage of his speech has just emerged.

Huge swathes of California have been gripped by a fentanyl crisis as the highly addictive and deadly drug becomes more accessible and affordable on the streets.

Just a tiny, two milligrams dose of the drug is enough to kill a human.  

Most of California is also in the grips of a housing crisis, as home costs soar and new developments stagnate – made exponentially worse by the devastating bushfires which tore through Los Angeles in January.

The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count registered as many as 6,672 people experiencing homelessness in Lancaster and its surrounding areas in 2024.

Asked about his vision to tackle the crisis, the 73-year-old Republican mayor did not mince his words.

‘What I want to do is give them free fentanyl,’ Parris told the February 25 meeting, to the bewilderment of everybody else in the room.

‘I mean, that’s what I want to do. I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.’ 

Keep reading

National Guard Deployed to Albuquerque, New Mexico as Crime Crisis Skyrockets

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is turning to the National Guard for support as crime continues to surge in the state’s largest city. The move comes after local law enforcement requested help dealing with what officials describe as an unrelenting public safety crisis — including violent crime, rampant drug use and a growing homeless population.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved the deployment of between 60 and 70 National Guard troops in response to an emergency request from Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. Troops will begin arriving in May and are expected to remain in the city for six months to a year, depending on conditions on the ground.

Albuquerque, home to over a quarter of New Mexico’s population, has been overwhelmed by crime in recent years. Central Avenue — a stretch of the historic Route 66 — has become a hotspot for illegal activity, open-air drug markets and homeless encampments, the Daily Mail reports. 

Locals have dubbed the area “The War Zone,” a label that has gained national attention following a visit from YouTuber Nick Johnson, who described the neighborhood as “the most frightful in America” to his 1.1 million followers.

Although the National Guard will assist local authorities, guardsmen will not be performing active police duties, nor will they be armed or in uniform. According to reports, including from the Albuquerque Journal, the troops will wear plain polo shirts and be assigned to tasks such as courthouse and airport security. 

Keep reading

Affluent New Jersey city considers controversial ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people for sleeping outside

A tony New Jersey city is considering approving a controversial new ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people found sleeping in public spaces.

Summit Councilman Jamel Boyer, a Republican, introduced the ordinance last Tuesday, claiming it serves to “preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians and businesses.”

The ordinance in Summit would prohibit the homeless from camping in public areas, including parks, sidewalks, alleyways, and benches.

If approved, anyone found violating the ordinance would face a fine of up to $2,000 “and/or imprisonment or community service for a term not to exceed ninety days,” the order says.

A similar ordinance was presented in Morristown, NJ, in February but was struck down following massive backlash from the community and advocacy groups, NJ.com reported.

Keep reading