California begins homeless camp sweeps

California begins homeless camp sweeps after Supreme Court ruling

What you probably already know: California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week issued a directive calling on cities to remove homeless encampments across the state. The decision comes almost immediately after the Supreme Court’s ruling gave cities the authority to do so-called “sweeps” of these encampments.

Why? Homelessness across the U.S. is at record highs as inflation has driven up prices and access to affordable housing is harder to come by. There was a 12% increase in people experiencing homelessness last year, with more than 653,000 on the street during a single day according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. About 28% of those were in California. Housing costs in California are among the nation’s highest, leaving many struggling to find affordable places to live.

What it means: Newsom instructed California agencies to make assessments on which camps were a threat to the health and safety of their inhabitants and to focus on those in this initial sweep. He called on municipalities to “humanely remove encampments” and to act with urgency in doing so. He has provided funding to cities to focus on this effort. The directive does not mandate agencies relocate the people removed from encampments into shelters. Now that the Supreme Court has opened up this option, expect other states to follow suit.

What happens now? Some areas of California are trying a different tactic. In Los Angeles, the city has focused on moving people into permanent housing and this year, the city’s homeless population declined for the first time in six years. Seven of the 10 cities with the highest rates of homelessness are on the West Coast, where housing costs tend to be higher. While experts suggest there is no “one size fits all” solution, higher housing prices correlate with higher rates of homelessness.

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