Housing And Homelessness

California’s governor called upon the state’s cities and counties to ban homeless encampments this week, even providing blueprint legislation for dismantling the tents lining streets, parks and waterways throughout much of the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made homelessness a priority of his administration when he took office in 2019. It had previously been an issue primarily for mayors and other local officials, but Newsom pumped money into converting old motels into housing and launched other initiatives to tackle the issue.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has drawn up a template local ordinance for the state's local governments to help them clear and ban the homeless encampments that have popped up in recent years.

Newsom cannot force the adoption of his ordinance, but he can use the carrot of billions of dollars in state funding for housing issues to encourage cities to take it on. He vowed to crack down on encampments last year.

Why it Matters

Gov. Gavin Newsom asked cities Monday across California to ban homeless encampments, releasing a template policy he hopes they'd adopt but stopping short of conditioning funding on their doing so.

Why it matters: Newsom, who's widely expected to run for president in 2028, is continuing to embrace a tougher approach on homelessness — reflecting increased voter acceptance and a Supreme Court ruling a year ago that cleared the way for cities to crack down on encampments.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released details about his multibillion-dollar plan to tackle the homeless crisis in the Golden State and is pushing cities and counties to take "immediate action." 

On Monday, Newsom shared a model ordinance for cities and counties to "immediately address dangerous and unhealthy encampments and connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter and services."

"There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets," Newsom said in a news release.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order over the weekend directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a center for thousands of homeless veterans on its West Los Angeles campus. 

The executive action ordered VA Secretary Doug Collins to create the National Center for Warrior Independence, which seeks to turn the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical campus into the country’s largest center for homeless veteran housing and care...

President Trump has repeatedly promised to "make America affordable again." But for those Americans most in need, his administration's latest budget plan would dramatically shrink the federal rental aid that helps keep millions of people housed.

The U.S. government has announced a new plan to build affordable housing on federal land across the country, promising to bring to life one of several ideas Donald Trump floated as a solution to the ongoing housing affordability crisis during his presidential campaign.

Housing was top of mind for many voters ahead of the 2024 race for the White House, after years of skyrocketing home prices, historically high mortgage rates and a chronic lack of inventory squeezed millions of aspiring homebuyers out of the market.

Home sales in March declined by the most since 2022 as stubbornly high mortgage rates and house prices kept buyers on the sidelines.

Higher mortgage rates and concern over the broader economy are making for a weak start to the all-important spring housing market.

The Department of Government Efficiency effectively shut down a small agency that coordinates homelessness policy, leaving all staff on administrative leave. The shutdown followed a Trump administration executive order.

The agency had a budget of just over $4 million and focused on managing high homelessness rates, especially among veterans.

Jeff Olivet, the agency’s last executive director, stated that the government created the agency to coordinate federal efforts to reduce homelessness efficiently.