A $6.4 Billion Bond to Ease Homelessness Faces California Voters
- Prop 1 would fund new housing, expand treatment programs
- Initiative is set to pass amid questions on spending results
Night after night, California’s streets become a refuge for tens of thousands of people. They sleep in cars, tents, and RVs, many wrestling with mental illness, substance abuse, or both, and often with little access to care.
The grim scene underscores a deepening homelessness crisis that persists despite record spending. Five years into his time as governor, Gavin Newsom has directed more than $20 billion of state investment to combat the problem but the spending has coincided with a 20% surge in the homeless population, which now tops 180,000 people.