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A new homelessness strategy is sweeping California Homelessness prevention shows promising results in California, as advocates push to spread it statewide and nationally.

Why fight homelessness when you can prevent it instead? Turns out that by giving certain people a few thousand dollars, you can pretty effectively keep them from ending up on the streets. New efforts are underway to take that strategy statewide, and nationwide. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/2pfrhxxp

10 projects from Newsom's mental health bond were supposed to open in 2025. That didn't happen Projects supposed to offer mental health and substance use care to foster youth, new mothers, unhoused people and others have been delayed or cancelled.

10 projects funded by Gov. Newsom's mental health ballot measure were expected to open last year. So far, none of them have.

The delays show just how hard it is to scale up badly needed mental health services, and how hard it is to build anything in California. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/64jvcba8

Newsom threatens California counties for failing to use his new mental health court Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to pull funding from counties that aren’t taking advantage of a new program intended to help people with severe mental illness.

Gov. Newsom today called counties out for what he says is a lackluster performance on CARE Court:

“I’m happy to redirect every damn penny in these programs to the counties that are getting things done, period, full stop...Don’t make any more excuses.” @calmatters.org

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Can AI help make homeless Californians healthier? A California company is using AI to help diagnose homeless Californians. The tool promises better health care, but raises questions.

A California company is using AI to help diagnose and treat homeless Californians. They say the technology will help more people get the medical care they desperately need. But critics say this unproven tech shouldn't be tested on vulnerable unhoused communities. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/bdd3kk2t

How does Newsom's new mental health court work? Here's what real people involved had to say Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE Court changed the way California treats people with severe mental illness. We spoke with dozens of participants to learn how it's working.

Together with Jocelyn Wiener, I also interviewed CARE Court participants and their families. Here are their stories, which give an inside look into how the program is really working. tinyurl.com/yc6spjjc

CARE Court was created to help California's toughest homeless cases. Why that's been so hard CARE Court was supposed to be a new way to help homeless Californians in the grip of psychosis. But people are still falling through the cracks.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom launched his signature mental health court, it was supposed to help get some of the most vulnerable homeless Californians off the street. But two years into the program, people are still falling through the cracks. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/376ycf5w

Honored to go to D.C. last month to accept the @homelesslaw.bsky.social Stewart B. McKinney award on behalf of @calmatters.org for our reporting on homelessness!

Donate to CalMatters' 2025 Year-End Drive Back independent journalism for all Californians. Gifts tripled in CalMatters’ Year-End Drive. https://cal.news/yearend2025-share

Our year-end drive starts this week! I love working for @calmatters.org to bring you deep, thoughtful reporting about how California's policies affect the people living on our streets. And I think this work matters. If you think so too, please give: cal.news/3XPXn7f

Newsom signs law expanding one of his marquee mental health programs. Will it help more people? Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE Court has helped fewer mentally ill people than he projected. He just signed a new law that will make more people eligible for it.

Gov. Newsom signed legislation today that will expand CARE Court, his signature mental health program. So far, the program is helping far fewer people than expected. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/2sb7vwph

Newsom vetoes bill for sober homeless housing The bill by a San Francisco Democrat would have allowed some state-funded homeless housing projects to require sobriety.

Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed California cities and counties to spend up to 10% of their state funding on homeless housing programs that require participants to be sober. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/2w7kytvk

Supreme Court allows immigration agents to resume indiscriminate sweeps in LA, siding with Trump The Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, overturning a ruling that forbade agents from stopping people based on their appearance.

"The ruling...means officers can rely on little more than a person being in the parking lot of a Home Depot and speaking Spanish to question someone about their immigration status."

calmatters.org/justice/2025...

New enforcement efforts target people living in cars, RVs on California streets Cities are ramping up efforts to ticket and tow vehicles that shelter homeless Californians.

All over California, cities are ramping up efforts to ticket and tow cars and RVs that double as people's homes -- the latest effort to crack down on street homelessness.

Now, some people parked on the streets are wondering where they can go. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/5fwws9mm

Newsom promised real progress on mental health with CARE Court. Here's what the numbers show Far fewer people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE Court than he projected when he launched the mental health program to help homeless Californians.

CARE Court made big promises to get the sickest Californians off the street. But nearly two years after it rolled out in the first counties, it's helping far fewer people than anticipated

We asked for data from every county in California. Here's what we found @calmatters.org

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New homeless point in time count numbers are out today. They show a decrease in the number of people living on the street, without shelter, in LA and San Jose. Both cities have launched aggressive campaigns to clear encampments and put people in shelter. tinyurl.com/45czm83r

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This project was a collaboration with the talented @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social of @voiceofsandiego.org and Aaron Schrank of @laist.com

Homeless-related arrests, citations soared in these California cities after Supreme Court case Across California, arrests and citations rose following the Grants Pass decision. Officials insist the events are unrelated.

I also filed more than 100 public records requests to get data on encampment sweeps and enforcement throughout the state. I found huge increases in camping-related arrests and citations in several cities, including SF, LA, San Diego, Sacramento and Stockton. @calmatters.org

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Deadra Walicki has been cited for illegal camping in LA at least 34 times between Aug. 2023 and Dec. 2024. Today, she's still living outside, on the exact same patch of cracked asphalt by the train tracks.

They were repeatedly ticketed because of their homelessness. What did it change? In Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego, homeless Californians describe their experiences as camping ban enforcement has increased.

On the 1 year anniversary of the Grants Pass Supreme Court ruling, we wanted to see how increased policing has changed life for homeless Californians. So we tracked down a few people who have been punished for camping over and over. @calmatters.org

Here are their stories tinyurl.com/2bwhwzkj

Homelessness is top of mind for many Californians. Why does the proposed budget eliminate funding for it? California’s main source of homelessness funding would drop from $1 billion last year to $0 this year in the proposed state budget.

California's homelessness crisis is often listed as a top priority for everyone from Gov. Newsom to lawmakers to voters. But the budget currently on the table eliminates the main funding source for programs that help get people off the street and into housing. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/4cz7pz6j

When homelessness rises, so do the stakes of getting the story right - Poynter This new guide helps journalists navigate the ethical and human challenges of reporting on homelessness

I and several other reporters on the beat have spent the past few months putting together a resource guide for journalists covering homelessness. It touches on everything from the ethical dilemmas to the logistical challenges that come up when doing this work

Hope it's helpful! tinyurl.com/mr3y9t54

Meta promised $1 billion for affordable housing. Then it quietly walked away The pledge has been whittled down significantly as the Silicon Valley tech company has faced layoffs and shifting priorities.

Interesting look by Kate Talerico at how Meta turned away from its promise to fund Bay Area housing. tinyurl.com/4jjwz3ex

San Diego's homeless count numbers are out today...the city saw a nearly 14% drop, according to the January Point in Time Count. (As a reminder -- those numbers are always an estimate, not an exact science)

LA is blowing up its homelessness agency and starting over. Here's why After scathing audits criticizing Los Angeles’ county-city homeless authority, the county is blowing up that joint agency and starting over.

When LA County voted to blow up its homelessness strategy, LA's mayor was not happy. That type of tension between cities and counties is all too common in California these days. And it has a real impact on real unhoused people. @calmatters.org

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Money promised to “save” local news vanishes as California proposes deep cuts Lawmakers struck a handshake deal with Google last year to pay local news outlets in exchange for less regulation. Now, the budget deficit could prompt the tech giant to pull back.

A controversial $125 million deal California struck with Google last year to prop up the state’s struggling journalism industry is already on track to shrink — before any of the money has been delivered to news outlets.
via @jeannereporter.bsky.social
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Today's revised California budget proposal doesn't include the homelessness funds local leaders are clamoring for. But it does include more talk of accountability measures for existing funding. “The obstacle (to clearing encampments) remains at the local level." -- @gavinnewsom.bsky.social

Newsom wants cities to force homeless Californians to move camp every 3 days In his latest push to crackdown on encampments, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants cities to make homeless Californians move every three days.

As part of ongoing crackdown against homeless encampments, @governor.ca.gov now wants cities to make certain camps illegal -- including those that have been up more than three days. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/u2wanpm2

'Millions out on the street virtually overnight': How Trump's budget proposal could affect California President Donald Trump's budget proposal in its present form would have huge effects on housing and homelessness in California.

Here's a look at what the Trump administration's proposed cuts to housing and homelessness funds could look like in California. @calmatters.org tinyurl.com/5psade35

What to do if your loved one is homeless and lost in California If you’ve lost touch with a loved one and suspect they are living on the street, in their car or in shelters, it can be difficult to find them again. CalMatters has compiled some tips from people who ...

If you, like so many Californians, have a loved one who is homeless and aren't sure how to start looking for them, or how to help them once you've found them -- this is for you.

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