05/18/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/18/2022 19:15
Governor bolstered Homekey funding by $150 million in California Blueprint May Revision, bringing total Homekey funding to $3.75 billion
Last week, Homekey surpassed the milestone of 10,000 new homeless housing units
SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced $15.5 million in awards for two new Homekey projects located in Oakland and Mammoth Lakes. When fully operational, the new Homekey projects will provide 53 housing units for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness.
Since the announcement of Governor Newsom's $2.75 billion extension of Homekey last year, the state has approved 70 projects that will create more than 4,000 housing units for unhoused Californians, for an allocation totaling more than $1.1 billion. Homekey last week surpassed 10,000 homeless housing units since its inception.
Last week, Governor Newsom bolstered Homekey with an additional $150 million in the California Blueprint May Revision, bringing total Homekey funding to $3.75 billion. Pending legislative approval, the Governor's additional funding for Homekey will provide a total of $1.5 billion in grants next year to local governments for thousands more Homekey units across the state.
"Homekey's success over the past two years has proven that homelessness is a solvable issue," said Governor Newsom. "We're proposing to double down on our efforts by bolstering Homekey with an additional $150 million to create more life-saving projects like the ones announced today in Oakland and Mammoth Lakes."
The Governor's multibillion-dollar homeless housing investments will provide more than 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots in the coming years. Building on last year's historic $12 billion investment to help get the most vulnerable people off the streets, the California Blueprint proposes an additional $2 billion investment in behavioral health housing and encampment rehousing strategies, creating a total $14 billion package to confront the state's housing crisis.
"Thanks to the leadership of the Newsom Administration, we're making strides in our efforts to tackle a housing and homelessness crisis that's been decades in the making," said California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. "We're working tirelessly through programs like Homekey to get resources out the door to areas of the state where we can make a real difference. We've reached significant milestones so far - 10,000 units of housing funded in less than two years and over a billion dollars awarded in the second round of Homekey alone. And we plan to do even more in the next fiscal year, thanks to the California Blueprint."
"The two projects approved today showcase the spirit of what Homekey is all about - state and local partners working together to do more for those who need it," said Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez. "During this second round of Homekey, we're seeing greater cohesion, projects that are unique and innovative and will be ready to come online faster, and the same sense of urgency to do what's right to combat homelessness and provide better outcomes."
Today's awards went to the following projects:
For more information, please visit the Homekey webpage. The Department of Housing and Community Development has also created the Homekey Awards Dashboard where Californians can track Homekey project awards by dollar totals, project type, progress and region. The dashboard is updated in real time as additional projects are approved. Additional Homekey awards will be announced in the coming weeks.
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