PRESS RELEASE: Bring California Home Coalition Issues Statement on Homelessness Funding in 2021-22 State Budget Agreement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2021
Contact: Nick Day | (612) 396-2908 | [email protected]

Bring California Home Coalition Issues Statement on Homelessness Funding in 2021-22 State Budget Agreement

Today, the Bring California Home coalition, a diverse group of over 300 elected officials, leaders, and advocates from across California released the following statement regarding this year’s agreed-upon 2021-22 State Budget:

“As a coalition, we were formed around the tentpole principles of the urgent need for a statewide approach to solving homelessness, along with a permanent source of funding, rather than California’s current approach of short-term funding.

To that end, we are thrilled to see a commitment for homelessness funding over two years, and an ongoing commitment to provide funding to local governments with additional years upon appropriation, included in the agreed-upon budget between the Legislature and the Governor released today.

This year, we supported AB 71 in the 2021 legislative session, Assemblywoman Luz Rivas’ bill to generate $2.4 billion annually to combat homelessness, by enforcing a tax on only large multinational corporations who need to pay their fair share.

We strongly support the inclusion of many provisions of AB 71 in the funding structure included in the budget. This includes joint application by counties and homeless continuums of care, a statewide gaps and needs analysis, an emphasis on systems improvements in the first year of funding, and accountability measures that include a bonus fund, a 10% set aside for youth, caps in shelter spending, and audits and monitoring of spending.

While AB 71 got further than many originally thought it would, it ultimately became a two-year bill in early June. However, due to the hard work of Assemblywoman Rivas, and the power of our coalition, we created momentum behind a vision for a long-term solution for homelessness, bringing us to this important milestone today.

This is an historic first step, but we believe California leaders must do even more in the coming years. The homelessness crisis has worsened severely in the last year, and a crisis of this scale demands even bolder action than this budget agreement contains.

Going forward, our coalition will continue to pursue alternative options for achieving our fundamental goals of a statewide approach and dedicated, permanent funding to combat homelessness. This could include future legislation, a possible ballot measure campaign, and more. We stand ready to work with leaders who are ready to act boldly in the name of combating homelessness, the defining issue of our time in California.”

Bring California Home is a coalition of over 300 elected officials and advocates from across California. For more information about the coalition and the plan to reverse the cycle of homelessness, visit www.bringcahome.org. 

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