California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order meant to speed up the effort to use government land close to highways, trailers, and some vacant state buildings to get homeless people off the streets. The Governor wants state agencies to make available state properties and facilities for housing and shelter options by January 31st. It allows emergency homeless shelters on any unused and vacant state land.
"Homelessness is a national crisis, one that's spreading across the West Coast and cities across the country," Newsom said in a written statement. "The state of California is treating it as a real emergency — because it is one."
Properties like fairgrounds, vacant lots near highways or state roads, former hospitals or land set aside for affordable housing could be repurposed as short-term homeless shelters. The state will also designate 100 trailers owned by the state for cities and counties to use as temporary housing.
"Californians are demanding that all levels of government — federal, state and local — do more to get people off the streets and into services," wrote Newsom.
The order is part of a push in the Governor's upcoming budget to try and do more to address homelessness in the state.