Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and eight other mayors from some of the state’s most populous cities went to Sacramento on Tuesday to request that the state continue its $1 billion investment in addressing the homelessness crisis.
In meetings with leaders that included Gov. Gavin Newsom and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, the mayors advocated for no cuts and consistent, permanent funding to the state’s Homeless, Housing Assistance, and Prevention program.
“California’s Big City Mayors are in Sacramento to collectively advocate for the protection of direct funding to cities to address homelessness,” Lock Dawson said in a statement to the Riverside Independent. “In Riverside, we’ve seen a high return on this investment with a 12% reduction of chronic homelessness and a 73% reduction in youth homelessness. Amidst a challenging budget year, protecting these investments means protecting our progress, maintaining our services, and preventing more people and families from falling into homelessness.”