'Urgent': Riverside County Gets $12M To Address Homeless Encampments

RIVERSIDE, CA — On the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order for local governments to "urgently" address homeless encampments, the Inland Empire was collectively awarded about $34 million to help achieve that.

Statewide, Newsom awarded $131 million for two dozen cities and counties to address encampments with stricter measures.

"We’re supporting local communities’ efforts to get people out of encampments and connected with care and housing across the state," Newsom said earlier this month. "The state has committed more than $27 billion to help local governments tackle the homelessness crisis — and we want to see $27 billion worth of results."

A move to crack down on encampments in California came after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Martin v. Boise, which previously banned the criminalization of public camping if a homeless person had no access to shelter. When the high court overturned the ruling on June 28, it meant that local governments could arrest people camping or sleeping on public property — even if there weren't enough shelter beds available for them.

Here's how the state funding was distributed across the Inland Empire:

• County of Riverside — $12,612,779
• County of San Bernardino — $11,000,000
• City of Victorville — $6,365,070
• City of Palm Springs – $5,106,731
• City of Redlands — $5,341,800

In the cities of Murrieta, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore, Riverside County's funding will be used to address encampments along the Murrieta Creek Trail.

"We are honored to receive this award from the state," a spokesperson from the County of Riverside Housing Workforce Solutions told Patch.

The funding will provide direct housing assistance for 100 people and cover the cost of interim shelter, security deposits, move-in expenses and rents, the county said.

To ensure that those displaced from encampments get wraparound care such as case management, housing navigation, behavioral health, workforce and more, the funding will also go toward building a new multidisciplinary team of various county departments.

Two other encampment resolution funding awards went toward addressing the Santa Ana and San Jacinto Riverbeds, according to the county.

The county says more than 80% of people served in the past have remained housed for more than three years.

For cities and counties to keep the funding awarded by the state this month, Newsom expects cities and counties to enact stricter accountability measures. Many communities across California have begun tightening restrictions on public camping, with some enacting all-out bans.

In July, Palm Springs voted to pass an ordinance banning people from sitting, lying or sleeping in public areas at any time, KESQ reported. This week, Palm Springs police began a "surge" enforcing that ordinance, The Desert Sun reported.

Meanwhile, the city of Riverside passed a local ordinance on Tuesday, outlawing encampments in most public spaces. Local officials cited public safety and health issues.

During the Riverside's City Council meeting on Tuesday night, the city's acting city attorney said that last year, a 3-year-old had suffered fentanyl exposure and stopped breathing. The child's 2 and 5-year-old siblings were living in a vehicle with their parents when the mother and father died of suspected drug use. All of the children were exposed, he said.

But not all agreed with the ordinance.

"We have enough research to know that we cannot criminalize our way out of the crisis," said Dr. Chris Obert, CEO of Path of Life Ministries. "We have enough experience to know what happens when we sweep encampments and tag tents in our city."