By Mackenzie Mays | LA Times
SACRAMENTO — Democrats and Republicans expressed frustration Monday as they grilled Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top housing officials in a tense legislative hearing about how billions of state dollars have been spent on the worsening homelessness crisis.
The hearing by the Assembly budget subcommittee on accountability and oversight came after a state audit released last month found that California has failed to adequately track the outcomes of its vast spending on homelessness programs, raising questions about efficacy and transparency.
California has spent more than $20 billion over the past five years to help people get off the streets, but homelessness has continued to rise — jumping by 6% in 2023 to more than 180,000 people. California has been the state with the largest homeless population for more than a decade, according to the latest federal data.
The audit raised concerns in the Legislature about whether the spending has worked and could hamper requests by cities and counties for more money to address the crisis as the state faces a massive budget deficit.
Read more at: LA Times
