The California Department of Housing and Community Development announced the availability of $736 million in funds to build or purchase housing for the homeless. This money comes from public funds that are part of the third round of the Homekey project, a housing construction program for homeless people.
California Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a press release:
At a time when more housing is desperately needed, Homekey is proving that we can build faster, and at a fraction of conventional construction costs.
Homekey Round 3 Notice of F... by Verónica Silveri
Homekey: a $3.4 billion project
The Homekey project consists of the creation of permanent or temporary housing through the renovation of buildings and the purchase of properties. Homes can be built from existing hotels, motels, commercial properties and other facilities. These are then granted to the homeless.
The total aid package consists of $3.4 billion. Local entities must subscribe to the program in order to gain access to the funds and be able to provide housing for their communities.
Newsom encouraged eligible applicants to submit applications as soon as possible to be considered for new funding until July 28, 2023:
My Administration has made available an unprecedented $3.4 billion to date for Homekey to use at the local level to address housing and homelessness. I look forward to seeing more communities use this latest round of funding to boost housing around the state.
Statewide, the program has created 12,774 permanent and transitional housing units through 210 projects.
The "urgency to accelerate housing production"
Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez said the new investment supports "Californians who lack a decent, safe and dignified place to call home."
Homekey continues to demonstrate California’s commitment to work with local partners to expand the housing supply and build new homes for our most vulnerable neighbors.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez commented that the government must continue to "act with urgency to accelerate housing production at all income levels."
Adding more interim and permanent homes faster than ever before is crucial to ending and preventing homelessness. State and local collaboration have been key to the success of Homekey, and we must continue to act with urgency to accelerate housing production at all income levels and affirmatively further fair housing.
Homelessness in California
Homelessness continues to grow in California. Nationally, The Golden State has topped the list with the largest homeless population for more than a decade. Since 2020, California's homeless population has increased by 6%, compared to only 0.4% in the rest of the country.
In 2022, 30% of the nation’s homeless population resided in California, including half of all unsheltered people (115,491 in California out of 233,832 in the U.S.), according to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California.
