Last Updated on May 20, 2025 by BVN
Aryana Noroozi
In a renewed push to combat the homelessness crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently unveiled a model ordinance that offers California cities and counties a formal framework to address dangerous encampments—backed by $3.3 billion of new Proposition 1 funding and a legal green light from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ordinance is intended to help local governments clear encampments more swiftly while connecting unhoused residents with shelter, services, and behavioral health care.
“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,” Newsom said in a statement. “Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity — the courts delivered. Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”
The model policy outlines procedures for local jurisdictions to manage encampments while ensuring outreach, notice, and shelter options are part of the response. Key provisions include: prohibiting persistent camping in a single location, banning encampments that block sidewalks or public access, mandating at least 48 hours’ notice before clearing an encampment, and requiring outreach to service providers and storage of personal belongings.
The approach builds on strategies the state has already implemented. Since July 2021, California has cleared over 16,000 encampments and removed more than 311,000 cubic yards of debris—much of it from along state highways and rights of way.
The announcement coincides with the first major allocation of funds from Proposition 1, the voter-approved initiative passed earlier this year to expand housing and treatment facilities for Californians facing serious mental health challenges. The $3.3 billion will support communities working to provide more behavioral health housing and care for those experiencing chronic homelessness.
This is in addition to over $27 billion the governor’s office says it has funneled to local governments since 2019 to tackle homelessness.
The public can track the state’s progress through the state’s accountability tool, a transparency portal that shows how cities and counties are using state funds, reducing encampments, and creating housing and mental health services.
Newsom’s office said the ordinance reflects his 2024 executive order urging jurisdictions to act quickly and compassionately, balancing legal authority with humanitarian principles.
While homelessness remains a growing crisis nationally, California’s rate of increase has slowed significantly compared to other large states, according to the administration. The state’s unsheltered homelessness rose by just 0.45% in 2024 — well below the national average of nearly seven percent. California also led the nation in reducing veteran homelessness last year, the Governor’s office noted.
While the model ordinance is voluntary, Newsom has made it clear he expects local governments to act swiftly. Each city or county can tailor the model to suit its needs, but the message from Sacramento is direct: the legal authority is in place, the money is on the table, and the state expects visible progress on encampments.
As homelessness remains a top concern for Californians ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election, Newsom is likely to continue pressing for visible, measurable action across the state.
