SCR 131: Housing: unsheltered homelessness.

WHEREAS, It is the duty of the State of California to protect the health and welfare of all its residents, including those experiencing homelessness; and

WHEREAS, More than 123,000 Californians sleep unsheltered each night on sidewalks, in public parks, under freeway overpasses, and in riverbeds with no access to privacy, safety, or sanitation; and

WHEREAS, The longer a person remains unsheltered, the more difficult it becomes for them to stabilize and enter permanent housing, and the more likely they are to suffer preventable illness, trauma, or death; and

WHEREAS, Over 50,000 people in the United States have died while living unsheltered on the streets in the past decade, a moral failing that must not be normalized or accepted; and

WHEREAS, Unsheltered homelessness is not only an individual tragedy but a public policy crisis that undermines community well-being, burdens local government, and erodes public trust in the effectiveness of state and local institutions; and

WHEREAS, It is the role of government not only to protect but to uplift—to act urgently on behalf of the most vulnerable, especially when they struggle to care for themselves; and

WHEREAS, The Interagency Council on Homelessness set a statewide goal in their Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness to increase the annual percentage of people who move into emergency shelter, interim housing, or permanent housing after experiencing unsheltered homelessness from 42 percent to 70 percent by 2027, with the ultimate goal of ensuring everyone experiencing unsheltered homelessness enters emergency shelter, interim housing, or permanent housing with a pathway to permanent housing; and

WHEREAS, The goal above cannot be reached without scaling up state investments for flexible funding, such as the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program, to pair with other state, federal, and local funding that serves people experiencing unsheltered homelessness; and

WHEREAS, State, regional, and local governments must coordinate limited resources to fund long-term and interim solutions to ensure that our streets are no longer the landing place for people experiencing housing insecurity; and

WHEREAS, Ending and preventing unsheltered homelessness is an urgent necessity that requires alignment of state, regional, and local funding, legal authority, and accountability systems; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature urges the Governor, relevant state agencies, and all local governments to adopt an urgent and coordinated approach to both end and prevent unsheltered homelessness statewide through the full activation of interim and permanent housing strategies, as well as interventions to prevent individuals and families from falling into unsheltered homelessness, and to fund all interventions and reforms that prioritize housing unsheltered Californians now; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Governor of California, to the Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, to the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, and to the executive officers of every county and incorporated city in the state.