State officials on Monday announced ramped up efforts and more funding to help the most populous counties implement legislation that expands supportive housing and behavioral health services for mentally ill Californians experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Touting the first statewide drop in unsheltered homelessness in more than 15 years — a 9% decline — Gov. Gavin Newsom also noted new accountability measures to speed up the adoption of CARE Court and awarded $291 million to expand supportive housing and behavioral health services.
The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act is intended to accelerate housing and treatment expansion under voter-approved Proposition 1. Supporters of the legislation say it aims to move mentally ill people out of the criminal justice system, off the streets and into treatment and supportive housing…