Newsom Gives Palm Springs $5.1M To Clear Homeless Encampments

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state awarded $130.7 million to 18 local governments to clear homeless encampments and provide shelter, care and support for displaced people.

Of those 18 local governments approved for the latest round of state funding, Riverside County is receiving the second-largest share of the pie, with $12,612,779 coming to the area. Only the city of Sacramento is receiving more money: $18,199,66.

Palm Springs is the only Riverside County city to receive funding in the latest round, with $5,106,731 earmarked for the renowned Coachella Valley destination.

The newly announced grants are part of the state’s $1 billion "Encampment Resolution Funds," money doled out on a rolling basis to help communities address encampments and support unsheltered people.

Through the Encampment Resolution Funds program, the state has invested $737 million for 109 projects throughout the state, "helping 20,888 people transition out of homelessness," according to the governor's office.

The new funding awarded Oct. 4 "is projected to help an additional 3,364 people currently living in encampments and permanently house 1,565 people," the governor's office reported.

"We’re supporting local communities’ efforts to get people out of encampments and connected with care and housing across the state," Newsom said.

Local governments that receive the state funding are required to adhere to state and federal laws, rules and regulations and matters applicable to the ERF program. Non-compliance could result in the state revoking and clawing back awarded funds.

The Oct. 4 announcement follows the governor’s July 25 executive order urging local governments to adopt policies and plans consistent with Caltrans' encampment policy. Caltrans provides advance notice of clearance to residents of encampments "that pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of the community," according to the governor.

Caltrans works with local service providers to support homeless people who are cleared out, according to officials.

In a Sept. 18 news Riverside County Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez said the county is "committed to addressing homelessness with compassion and collaboration."

According to the governor's office, the following local governments are the latest Encampment Resolution Fund recipients:

• City of Antioch – $6,812,686
• City of Berkeley – $5,395,637
• City of Carlsbad – $2,994,225
• City of Los Angeles – $11,351,281
• City of Palm Springs – $5,106,731
• City of Petaluma – $8,098,978
• City of Redlands — $5,341,800
• City of Richmond — $9,336,746
• City of Sacramento — $18,199,661
• City of San Jose — $4,821,083
• City of Victorville — $6,365,070
• City of Visalia — $3,000,000
• County of Contra Costa — $5,708,516
• County of Riverside — $12,612,779
• County of San Bernardino — $11,000,000
• City and County of San Francisco – $7,975,486
• Humboldt County — Continuum of Care – $3,784,294
• Pasadena – Continuum of Care – $2,772,801