Newsom Under Fire for New Plan to Tackle Homeless Crisis

Most recently, Newsom’s plan to tackle the state’s homeless crisis is under fire, especially among mental health care professionals who worry that the policy could be extremely detrimental to those in the state living with mental wellness issues as well as those experiencing homelessness.

However, Gov. Newsom’s new proposition states that 60% of these funds will now be used for individuals experiencing homelessness who are in need of mental health services.

According to CalMatters, a nonprofit that focuses on homelessness in the Golden State, there are currently 181,399 unhoused Californians, 82% of whom have experienced symptoms of mental illness.

Governor Newsom’s Proposition 1 states that at least $10 million will be allocated to establishing supportive housing for unhoused Californians with mental wellness concerns; however, those fighting against the bill argue that doing so would actually be detrimental for several reasons.

Clare Cortright, the policy director at Cal Voices, which provides mental health services to California, explained, “Prop. 1 wipes out what this community has fought for and accomplished over the last 20 years… [it] will force counties to cut basic mental health services, including outpatient treatment, crisis services and peer support services that maintain stability for high-risk clients and save lives.”

Professionals in the field, specifically those who work at the state’s nonprofits, worry that they will need to stop offering useful and often free services such as group therapy, one-on-one care, emergency centers, and much more without the funding to pay their staff.

Director of the Hospitality House in San Francisco, Joe Wilson, explained, “Everyone agrees that we need more resources for housing…Is this the best way to do it? We don’t believe so.”

Because the proposition ensures that more shelters will be built specifically for those experiencing mental wellness issues, individuals living without homes may be subject to involuntary treatment if they need to move into one of these shelters.

As Shaya French, an organizer with the San Francisco Senior & Disability Action project, explained, “My concern is that it means locking people up or coercing them into staying. Treatment doesn’t work if people are not ready for it. If people don’t want to get sober, they are not going to get sober. It’s a really bad experience being having your freedom taken away.”

The Hoover Institution noted that this plan could be seriously detrimental to California’s annual budget, especially because the state debt already sits at an almost unbelievable $145.03 billion. Which could negatively affect the state’s already struggling economy in the coming years.

It’s going ahead as planned, so residents and professionals of California will find out soon enough whether or not it will actually lead to necessary services being cut, people experiencing homelessness being treated against their will, and an increase in the state’s growing debt.

President Biden has supported most of the governor’s policies, but if Trump wins the Oval Office in November, he may pull rank and force Gov. Newsom to retract or at least adjust several of his recent pieces of legislation. Residents of the Golden State will just have to wait and see what happens next.