Following an 8% improve in homelessness in San Jose from 2019 to 2022, California is about to take an in depth take a look at how a lot town is spending on addressing the problem.
On Wednesday, the state’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted unanimously to approve an audit request made by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) final yr. The audit comes at a time when California has spent $15 billion on homelessness over the past a number of years.
Cortese says he needs to ensure that cash is being spent accurately—and he needs to do it now, whereas the state remains to be dedicated to creating an “unprecedented funding” in combatting homelessness.
“Our residents need to understand how the dollars are getting there and the way they’re being invested, what’s working and what’s not and I feel we have to know that, as nicely,” he mentioned. “Including transparency will assist each the state and native jurisdictions work collectively to greatest spend these dollars going ahead.”
Cortese’s audit request contains questions on how cash from Mission Homekey — a Gov. Gavin Newsom pandemic initiative to assist cities and counties convert accommodations into housing — has been spent, how different native funds for addressing homelessness are getting used and what town’s proposed websites are for each everlasting housing and short-term shelters.
In an announcement, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan mentioned he was “all for repeatedly auditing our work as we search to study and enhance.”
“Whereas we’re at it, I hope the senator’s audit will embody the state and counties, which have left cities like San Jose on the entrance line of this disaster with far too little help for psychological well being care, habit therapy, jail re-entry packages, inexpensive housing and plenty of different contributing elements,” Mahan added.
Cortese can also be requesting the state study the spending of 1 different jurisdiction except for San Jose, which will probably be chosen by the auditor.
The request for the audit got here following the senator’s go to to an encampment at San Jose’s Columbus Park, which he mentioned was one of many largest encampments within the state on the time. The encampment was cleared out final yr.
“We’ve all seen homeless encampments, however what I noticed was far worse than a tent metropolis,” he mentioned on the listening to. “It was a public well being catastrophe.”
Cortese recalled seeing rodents working round, piles of trash, damaged RVs and vehicles turned the other way up with folks dwelling inside. The senator referred to as it “brutal and unacceptable.”
California state auditor Grant Parks estimated the audit would take about 5,000 hours of labor and might be accomplished in six to seven months.