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State Sens. Catherine Blakespear and Josh Becker spoke in Sacramento on April 7 in support of bills they introduced aimed at boosting interim housing production to reach “functional zero” in unsheltered homelessness.
SB 16, introduced by Blakespear, D-Encinitas, and SB 606, introduced by Becker, D-Menlo Park, both would codify more collaboration between cities and counties in operating interim housing. Both bills are awaiting their first committee hearings.
The idea is that more interim housing, which can be constructed faster and cheaper compared to a permanent housing unit, would provide a crucial stepping stone to Californians living in tents or sleeping on sidewalks. Blakespear’s bill would require county governments to cover at least 50% of the costs of interim housing or shelters that are opened by cities.
“We are simply not building permanent housing at anywhere near a pace that is close enough to make a real difference for the people living in our parks and canyons and riverbeds,” Blakespear said. “We have to recognize that the status quo of how we are approaching homelessness is not working.”
The cost of building a single affordable housing unit has been trending toward $1 million and can take multiple years. Some affordable housing projects, such as the Pearl in Solana Beach, are left in limbo because developers haven’t been able to make it pencil out.
She added that more interim housing will provide “a roof and a bathroom and some personal dignity.”
Citing a study that found 78% of California’s homeless population was unsheltered, Becker said it’s a “California problem, and we need a California solution.”
Statewide, the homeless population has continued trending upward over the years and is currently at about 187,000.
“We can’t just sit back and wait to build enough permanent housing, although we’re trying as fast as we can to do so,” he said. “We need to treat this like a crisis. And interim housing, we’ve shown over the last few years, is that missing rung between unsheltered homelessness and permanent homes.”
Both senators said they were encouraged by the city of San Jose, which built 700 interim housing units in about a year and a half.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said that 500 units of new interim housing have been built in his city over the last five years, which have been used by about 2,000 people. Mahan said about half of them now have permanent housing. This year San Jose plans to open another 1,000 interim housing and shelter options.
“But here’s the hard truth,” he said. “Even if we built enough shelter for every single person currently living outdoors in San Jose, we still would not end the era of encampments. Because homelessness doesn’t stop at city limits, and neither can our solutions.”
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