Press Release

Sen. Blakespear Sets Ambitious Goal to End Unsheltered Homelessness in 5 Years

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New provisions for SB 16 add mandates to push for interim housing

and moving people off the streets

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, on Tuesday set significantly higher standards for rapidly increasing interim housing and safe sleeping capacity in an effort to end unsheltered homelessness in California within five years, as part of legislation moving through the Assembly. 

With new amendments, SB 16 now sets a goal of ending unsheltered homelessness by 2032 and requires jurisdictions to enact encampment ordinances jurisdiction-wide, flexes all state homelessness funds to support interim and safe sleeping projects, establishes clear roles and responsibilities for cities and counties, and provides incentives. It does this by tying funding through a seventh round of the state’s Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant program to meeting requirements to lower unsheltered homeless.

“After 12 years in elected office, I have become extremely frustrated by our lack of progress to reduce unsheltered homelessness and stop the suffering we see every day of people living on the streets,” Sen. Blakespear said. “I am committed to making progress, and to do that, we must shift our focus to providing interim housing and setting reasonable goals for local governments to meet. Our streets shouldn’t be the waiting room for our homeless populations for years until enough permanent housing is built.”

The cities of San Jose and San Francisco have demonstrated the value of using modular, relocatable cabins as interim housing. These cabins are not the shelters of the past or the traditional permanent housing often prioritized by local governments. San Jose is on track to open 1,400 beds within 18 months, including more than 800 modular interim housing units, in stark contrast to the 4-7 years that is standard for traditional affordable housing projects.

Additionally, the City of San Diego has made demonstrable progress through safe sleeping and safe camping projects, where co-located services and facilities are available to about 900 homeless individuals.

Also, less than three years ago, Santa Barbara County announced DignityNOW, a bold initiative to end unsheltered homelessness countywide. With over $20 million of philanthropy and courageous county leadership, the county is more than half way to reaching that goal, with the northern part of the county expected to reach functional zero unsheltered within the year. 

SB 16 takes the next giant step forward in combatting homelessness across the state by requiring the following for jurisdictions to qualify for HHAP funding:

  • Create a plan to reach functional zero for unsheltered population by 2032.
  • Meet targets for increasing the number of interim housing units each year.
  • Follow clarified roles and responsibilities between cities and their county government.

The bill also:

  • Provides cities and counties Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) credit for interim housing units for the acutely low-income category.
  • Expands funding eligible uses for interim capacity through a variety of state programs, including the Multifamily Housing Program, No Place Like Home Program and Homekey+.
  • Provides nonprofit organizations a welfare tax exemption for using their own land for interim housing units.

For the first time in years, there is a growing sense that unsheltered homelessness can be tackled by expanding the concept of acceptable housing to be broader than someone’s forever home. Sen. Blakespear explains the importance of this change and taking advantage of it in this op-ed, which was published today by CalMatters. 

Interim units are quick-build, clean, safe, modest housing that provides shelter from the elements and have social workers on-site. When a municipality takes full advantage of streamlining and the crisis powers that have been given to them by the state, interim housing can be constructed for as little as $50,000 a unit, compared to an average of $650,000 for a permanent housing unit, making them much cheaper and easier to build at scale. 

The legislation is supported by the Bay Area Council, California Grocers Association, DignityMoves, Downtown San Diego Partnership, New California Coalition and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. 

“Senator Blakespear embodies the kind of leadership we need in Sacramento if we are going to end the era of encampments,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “SB 16 creates a desperately needed statewide framework for shared responsibility by defining roles and responsibilities for counties and big cities along with built-in accountability mechanisms to ensure that each does its part.”

“We’re proud to support Senator Blakespear in this bold mandate to end unsheltered homelessness,” said Elizabeth Funk, CEO and Founder of DignityMoves. “SB 16 provides a framework for aligning funding with concrete milestones that hold regions accountable for finally ending the crisis of street homelessness in our state."

“California being home to half of the nation's unsheltered homeless is a moral tragedy and makes it difficult for us to credibly claim we have working policy solutions in the state,” said Tracy Hernandez, CEO of the New California Coalition. “Senator Blakespear is one of the few leaders who sees this clearly and this legislation represents an actual solution to the issue, one that is long overdue.”

“The Downtown San Diego Partnership is proud to co-sponsor the Ending Street Homelessness Act because we believe that compassionate, human-centered, and measurable action is the way forward,” said Besty Brennan, President and CEO of the organization. “This legislation sets a bold but achievable path – backed by a funding plan, data, and clear outcomes – to ensure that every community is doing its part to expand housing and resolve encampments with urgency and dignity. We thank Senator Blakespear for her leadership on this critical issue.”

“Californians are demanding bold solutions to homelessness and SB 16 by Senator Blakespear delivers,” said Jim Wunderman, President & CEO of the Bay Area Council. “SB 16 gets cities and counties rowing in the same direction to re-prioritize bringing people indoors, saving lives, and restoring access to public spaces. The Bay Area Council thanks Senator Blakespear for her leadership in introducing SB 16.”

SB 16 is set for its next hearing on July 2 in the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development.

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38. Her constituents live in northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.