California governor touts funding for unhoused services
Alan Riquelmy
HAYWARD, Calif. (CN) — The problems stemming from substance abuse and mental health issues aren’t far from the office of Judge Sandra Bean.
The Alameda County Superior Court judge sees the unhoused people near the courthouse. As the judge overseeing her county’s Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court program, she knows it can take 20 or 30 visits before some of them will accept assistance.
“They don’t trust when you come and offer them things,” she said. “They’re understandably suspicious.”
Bean’s oversight of the CARE Court plays a key role in the newly opened REGIS Village, a one-stop shop in the Bay Area city of Hayward that draws together housing, support programs and health care. The judge joined Governor Gavin Newsom and others on Monday to tout the facility.
Newsom used the event to announce $291 million in funding for housing and behavioral health services, as well as to throw some verbal punches at President Donald Trump over federal dollars drying up.
“The federal government doesn’t give a damn about this,” Newsom said, referring to the Big Beautiful Bill that cut safety-net program dollars. “The Trump administration could care less about this.”
Almost $132 million is slated for Homekey+ projects in eight affordable housing communities. It’s expected to fund 443 homes with on-site managers.
“Homekey+ and Proposition 1 programs continue to expand the availability of affordable homes and vital supportive services for veterans and Californians who are experiencing homelessness and living with behavioral health challenges,” said Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, in a statement.
Another $159 million will fund the latest round of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention, called HHAP, program.
Communities vying for a future round of HHAP funding, some $500 million for the upcoming fiscal year, will need to meet accountability and performance benchmarks.
The state funding is expected to support initiatives like CARE Court and hasten housing and treatment targeted by Proposition 1, a ballot measure that overhauled the state’s mental health system.
Newsom called Alameda County — one of 20 regions receiving Round 6 HHAP funding — a success story. County Supervisor Elisa Márquez said state support is essential for programs like REGIS Village.
Márquez said her county has seen its homelessness levels drop for the first time in a decade. Statewide, Newsom’s office said a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness occurred in areas that reported 2025 data — the biggest drop in over 15 years.
“And we’re not done,” Márquez added, noting the county has served 200 people through its CARE Court.
Newsom’s office said the governor has highlighted 10 areas as champions of CARE courts. He also named 10 counties that need to improve their implementation of the system, which all counties are required to have.
“Care and accountability go hand in hand — full stop,” Newsom said in a statement. “Through CARE Court, we have seen inspirational stories of recovery and resilience, but many counties continue to lag behind their peers. Local leaders have a moral and legal obligation to deliver this transformational tool for those who need it most. We will not accept failure and excuses when lives are on the line.”
Newsom’s administration took a hit in 2024 on housing accountability. The Legislative Analyst’s Office that year stated that California approved $24 billion for housing and homelessness from 2018 to 2023, though the unhoused population grew by 180,000 people from 2013 to 2023.
Newsom became governor in January 2019.
On Monday, Newsom lauded the state’s accountability efforts. He pointed to accountability.ca.gov, where people can view county data about the number of housing units built and whether their unsheltered population has grown or dropped.