San Diego could soon get millions to help fight homelessness.
On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a third round of money from California's Encampment Resolution Funding is now available. All cities are eligible to apply, with the money going towards moving people into housing and getting encampments cleaned up.
This past June, the county announced it received nearly $17 million in Encampment Resolution Funding "to help an estimated 300 homeless people living along the San Diego riverbed get permanent housing and connect them with services.
And in January, the San Diego city council voted to approve spending nearly $2.4 million in ERF to help 50 people living in tents near the old library downtown.
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Now cities and counties across the state are eligible to get their hands on the nearly $300 million being made available in this third round of ERF grants. The state is prioritizing proposals focused on clearing encampments on state right of ways — areas along the freeways, park-and-rides and bike paths.
The goal is to help get people off the streets into supportive housing.
"With these grants, we hope people on state right of way are moved to housing and are given keys to a new future, to a new life, to hope. Keys to humanity and a place to call home," explained Alisa Becerra, Caltrans Deputy Division Chief over Homelessness and Encampments.
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Governor Newsom said so far more than 13,000 people across the state have been helped by previous ERF program efforts.
Leading state leaders to believe another $10,000 should be helped with this next round of money.
