California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill dedicating a record $12 billion to homelessness

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allocating a $12 billion budget to combat homelessness.
• This is a part of Newsom’s “California Comeback Plan,” which will also focus on affordable housing.
• “We can end homelessness in the state of California,” Newsom said.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday dedicating $12 billion towards combating homelessness in the state.

The new legislation is the largest investment in the state’s history in confronting the homelessness crisis, topping last year’s amount of $950 million, Newsom said during a Monday press conference.

The “California Comeback Plan,” which will also focus on affordable housing, will come with “more transparency and more accountability,” Newsom said. He added that the funds will provide crucial support for the state population that are “getting on their feet.”

Previously, solving the homelessness crisis has been left up to cities and counties – not the state. Newsom said he will also be holding cities and counties accountable. Project Roomkey, a homelessness relief initiative, provided shelter for 42,000 homeless Californians during the pandemic.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that there were 161,548 people experiencing homelessness in California as of January 2020.

“We can end homelessness in the state of California,” Newsom said. “We don’t think that, we know that.”