In Gov. Gavin Newsom's just-released state budget for 2020, there’s a large chunk of new money to try to address homelessness and the attendant issues affecting those who are unsheltered. On Monday, the Governor’s state task force on homlessness, chaired by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, made a bold recommendation: to get an initiative on the ballot - statewide - in November that would require municipalities and the state to house the homeless. Further, it would allow the state’s Attorney General to prosecute entities which don’t meet the stated goals, by January 1, 2022. If the measure passed, California would be the first state in the nation to have such a requirement.
This approach is a change. Rather than placing the onus on those who are homeless, it places that onus on the state, municipalities and counties to house people. The intent is to get people into permanent, rather than temporary, housing.
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