Governor Newsom delivers $760 million in HHAP funding to support communities' efforts in reducing homelessness

Sacramento, CA

California continues advancing strategies that have led to a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness by bringing funding and accountability to vital programs in local communities. Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that 11 additional regions will receive $35.7 million in Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Funding. With these awards, every region in California has received support through HHAP Round Six funding. Thanks to multiple rounds of the HHAP program since 2023, more than 100,000 Californians have transitioned from homelessness into permanent housing.

"No one in California should be without a place to call home. We must keep moving faster to get people off the streets and into stable housing, treatment, and care. We're pairing historic investments with real accountability and demanding results at every level of government. Together, we're making progress - including a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness and hundreds of thousands of Californians now with a roof over their heads. We now have to keep pushing until every Californian has the dignity of a safe place to call home," said Governor Gavin Newsom.

HHAP is a multi-year grant program that helps local communities prevent and end homelessness through targeted regional housing solutions. Eligible recipients include California's 58 counties, 14 large cities with populations over 300,000, and 44 Continuums of Care (CoCs). In partnership with the Legislature, the Newsom Administration has made historic investments in the program, with nearly $5 billion in multi-year funds appropriated through current and prior HHAP rounds to support local jurisdictions in promoting housing stability and reducing homelessness.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) today awarded nearly $35.7 million to eleven regions through HHAP Round 6. HCD administers HHAP funding to prevent and address homelessness, delivering $760 million to all 42 eligible California regions as part of Round 6.

"The state continues to invest in local regions and partner with local governments to scale proven solutions that prevent and end homelessness," said Secretary Tomiquia Moss of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. "By expanding access to stable housing and the supportive services Californians need most, HHAP grants are driving significant, measurable progress and strengthening community-led efforts across the state."

More accountability

Governor Newsom has strengthened accountability measures through HHAP to better ensure funding has the greatest impact for people experiencing homelessness. Round 6 applicants must demonstrate state funding will make an impact on reducing unsheltered homelessness and addressing encampments.

These regions have dedicated approximately 90 percent of their HHAP 6 budgets to permanent and interim housing.

HHAP Round 6 grantees have until June 30, 2029, to fully expend these funds. All funding activities are tied to and monitored under the California System Performance Measures-standardized metrics that measure program outcomes in each region.

Californians can visit www.accountablity.ca.gov for more information about how their community is performing in addressing housing, homelessness, and mental health care.

More HHAP funding on the way

There is a seventh round of HHAP totaling $500 million planned for the coming budget year. HHAP Round 7 will expand existing accountability metrics to ensure grantees continue to make meaningful investments in housing solutions and adopt policies that will increase local housing supply.

"Through HHAP, we are empowering neighboring local governments to work together to advance proven homelessness solutions that are most effective for their region," said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. "Today every county in California is a step closer to achieving Governor Newsom's end goal of seeing every Californian housed with safety and dignity."

These final HHAP 6 awards are being made to the following regions:

• Inyo County, Mono County and the Alpine Inyo Mono Counties CoC-$250,138.19. The Alpine, Inyo, and Mono region will use its grant to support homeless prevention activities, including providing housing navigation, application fees, rental and utility assistance, landlord incentives, and deposit insurance for households and youth at imminent risk of homelessness. The region will also fund hotel/motel vouchers, setting aside a portion of those vouchers to support those exiting institutions such as hospitals and jail.
• Amador County, Calaveras County, Mariposa County, Tuolumne County and the Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Tuolumne Counties CoC-$1,696,691.91. The Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne region will continue funding interim housing operating subsidies and navigation center services, including youth programs, and will maintain motel/hotel voucher and permanent housing programs. Funds will also support ongoing rapid rehousing activities.
• Butte County and the Chico, Paradise/Butte County CoC-$3,258,875.58. The Butte region will fund a range of housing activities, including supporting operating subsidies and services for existing interim housing, operating subsidies and services for permanent housing, prevention and diversion, rapid rehousing programs, and rental subsidies, including for youth.
• Colusa County, Glenn County, Trinity County and the Colusa, Glenn, Trinity Counties CoC-$585,228.93. The Colusa, Glenn, and Trinity region will use its grant to support services for permanent and interim housing, case management, job and financial training, and connections to health services. The region will also fund prevention and diversion activities, including rental and utility assistance, mediation, and service linkages, and rapid rehousing and rental subsidies for youth.
• Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou Counties and the Redding/Shasta, Siskiyou, Lassen, Plumas, Del Norte, Modoc, Sierra Counties CoC-$5,806,452.44. The Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, and Siskiyou region will commit nearly half of funds to permanent housing solutions, including capital for new permanent housing and gap funding to house veterans and unaccompanied youth. Other funded activities include interim housing operating expenses, improvements to existing interim housing, motel/hotel vouchers, rental subsidies, security deposits, and supportive services for individuals in bridge housing.
• City of Bakersfield, Kern County and the Bakersfield/Kern County CoC-$12,802,588.48. The Kern region will use HHAP 6 funds for capital for new permanent housing, operations and expansion of existing interim housing, and operating subsidies for existing permanent housing. Other activities include street outreach, prevention and diversion, mobile shower services, case management, rapid rehousing, and rental subsidies.
• Merced County and the Merced City & County CoC-$1,975,147.61. The Merced region will use its award to support ongoing operations of a 76-bed low-barrier congregate navigation center and a 50-bed emergency shelter, rapid rehousing rental assistance, and hotel vouchers for youth.
• Nevada County and the Nevada County CoC-$1,217,653.73. The Nevada region will use its grant to fund operating expenses for existing permanent supportive housing and emergency shelters, rapid rehousing programs, homelessness prevention activities, and youth services coordination for those connected to interim housing.
• Placer County and the Roseville, Rocklin/Placer County CoC-$1,656,575.42. The Placer region will sustain operations for emergency shelters, and fund permanent supportive housing, including acquisition, maintenance, and services for new and existing affordable housing in service of people experiencing homelessness. The region will also fund rapid rehousing and rental subsidies, homeless prevention activities, and support youth agencies that coordinate mental health, substance abuse, and primary care treatment while connecting youth to education and workforce programs.
• Stanislaus County, and the Turlock, Modesto/Stanislaus County CoC-$4,842,297.39. The Stanislaus region will sustain existing interim housing operations, including a low-barrier emergency shelter, and the region's homeless access center for youth. The region will also fund operating costs for permanent supportive housing projects, rental assistance for homelessness prevention, and services for housing programs, including case management.
• Sutter County and the Yuba City & County/Sutter County CoC-$1,590,816.55. The Sutter region will use its grant to support operating expenses for existing interim housing, outreach and medical services expansion, and homelessness prevention and diversion programs.

Delivering for local communities

Today's announcement comes just one day after Governor Newsom announced the distribution of $111 million in voter-approved Proposition 1 funding to create another six affordable housing communities through the state's Homekey+ program to expand supportive housing and behavioral health services statewide. Yesterday's announcement creates 307 new permanent supportive homes to provide stability for veterans and other Californians who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and living with behavioral health challenges. Homekey+ has so far allocated $858.8 million to support 50 permanent supportive housing projects that will create 2,471 affordable homes throughout California for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness with behavioral health challenges. Of these homes, 620 are reserved for veterans.

This adds to state investments made by the administration and Legislature since 2019 to help local communities address homelessness, including the launch of the first-in-the-nation Homekey program that has funded nearly 16,000 homes across more than 250 projects that will house an estimated 172,000 Californians over the projects' lifetimes; $4.95 billion through current and previous rounds of the HHAP Program; $2.2 billion through Homekey+ to serve individuals with mental health or substance use challenges and veterans; $1 billion in Encampment Resolution Funds to provide services and housing to help 23,000 individuals across 120 encampment sites transition from homelessness.

Reversing a decades-in-the-making crisis

Governor Newsom is the first governor to have prioritized new housing, homeless, and mental health programs, and is turning around the impacts of this national crisis on California.

From the very first moments of the Newsom administration, California has approached the decades-in-the-making housing and homelessness crisis with focus and urgency. No other state has devoted as much time and attention to these twin problems - and California is a leader in producing positive results. Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, has continued to make progress in reversing decades of inaction, leading to a 9% reduction in unsheltered homelessness, a first in more than 15 years:

✅ Expanding shelter and support - Providing funding and programs for local governments, coupled with strong accountability measures to ensure that each local government is doing its share to build housing, and create shelter and support, so that people living in encampments have a safe place to go.

✅ Addressing mental health and its impact on homelessness - Ending a long-standing 7,000-bed shortfall in California's behavioral health system by rapidly expanding community treatment centers and permanent supportive housing units. In 2024, voters approved Governor Newsom's Proposition 1, which is transforming California's behavioral health systems. It is estimated that funding from Proposition 1 will create 6,800 residential treatment beds and 26,700 outpatient treatment slots for behavioral health care.

✅ Creating new pathways for those who need the most help - Updating conservatorship laws for the first time in 50 years to include people who are unable to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care, in addition to food, clothing, or shelter, due to either severe substance use disorder or serious mental health illness. Creating a new CARE court system that creates court-administered plans for up to 24 months to help people struggling with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, often with substance use challenges, get the treatment and housing they need to recover and thrive.

✅ Streamlining and prioritizing building of new housing - Governor Newsom made creating more housing a state priority for the first time in history. He has signed into law groundbreaking reforms to break down systemic barriers that have stood in the way of building the housing Californians need, including broad CEQA reforms.

✅ Removing dangerous encampments - Governor Newsom has set a strong expectation for all local governments to address encampments in their communities and help connect people with support. In 2024, Governor Newsom filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court defending communities' authority to clear encampments. After the Supreme Court affirmed local authority, Governor Newsom issued an executive order directing state entities and urging local governments to clear encampments and connect people with support, using a state-tested model that helps ensure encampments are addressed humanely and people are given adequate notice and support.