California Governor Gavin Newsom is sending millions more in state money to local governments to tackle homelessness. However, the state says this go-around will better track how cities, such as San Diego, spend the money.
The City of San Diego, San Diego County, and the area’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness are getting a fifth round of homeless assistance funding. The city is receiving about half of the nearly $59 million the state is allocating to the area. The state requires local governments and agencies that accept the money to upload progress reports online. The reports on the spending would then be posted on the state’s Housing Assistance Program website.
Data provided by the state shows this would be the city’s largest grant under the Housing Assistance Program, otherwise known as HAP. Based on a point-in-time count, the City of San Diego will receive $29.9 million. The city says it plans to spend $17.4 million, more than half of the grant, on interim housing options. In a February document, the city wrote that it would also spend about 4.5 million on homeless prevention and shelter diversion programs.