FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2024

Press Contact: Edie Irons, eirons@allhomeca.org, 415-275-2060

[San Francisco, CA] – Homelessness experts and advocates are pushing back against recent remarks by Governor Newsom and other political leaders following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass v. Johnson. Politicians’ calls to remove encampments without providing safe, stable places for people to go distract public attention from the real solutions supported by experts and evidence: more affordable homes, preventing homelessness before it happens, and quality interim (non-congregate) housing options.

“To reduce homelessness in the Bay Area, we must focus on compassionate and proven solutions that work,” said Brett Andrews, Interim Chief Executive of All Home. “Moving people along, separating them from their belongings, potentially charging them with a crime or issuing a fine, only makes it harder for them to get housed. A home is what solves homelessness—punishing people for not having a home makes the problem worse.”

All Home’s recent Regional Action Plan projections show that the Bay Area can dramatically reduce by expanding three solutions at the same time: prevent homelessness before it happens; create more non-congregate, dignified interim housing options where people can stabilize as they get connected to a permanent home; and create more permanent housing that is available and affordable to residents with low incomes.

“Talking tough on homelessness during an election year harms real efforts to solve the problem,” said Jamie Almanza, CEO of Bay Area Community Services (BACS). “The Newsom administration has actually done more than most to invest in meaningful solutions to homelessness, and many local governments and nonprofits are using those funds to deal with homelessness strategically – including BACS, adding almost 1,000 new units of housing in the Bay Area. But our leaders need to do the work to build truly effective homelessness response systems and explain those systems to their constituents. We need to work together to see visible, lasting results and not get distracted by the expensive and ineffective solutions that are now back on the table. We all want change, but removing encampments without providing housing and services will not get us there.”