Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) plans to combat a recent spike in homelessness in California by buying swathes of "tiny houses."
On the first of a planned four-day State of the State speaking tour, the governor announced on Thursday that California will buy 1,200 small homes in Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Los Angeles to house the homeless. The ambitious effort is aimed at alleviating a homelessness crisis that has worsened over the past few years, with an estimated 10,000 more homeless people appearing in the state since 2020.
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“I’m deeply mindful … of how angry we are as Californians about what’s going on in the streets and sidewalks in our state,” Newsom said Thursday in Sacramento.
“I get it — you want to see progress, and you want to see it now,” he added.
The project will cost $30 million in total. The homes are unique in their small size, with some as small as 120 square feet, and their ability to be constructed much more quickly than most homes, as fast as just 90 minutes.
State leaders weren't all thrilled with the plan.
State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, a Republican, called the remedy a "Band-Aid on a crisis that is out of control in California."
"We know that throwing money at this problem doesn't work," Jones said in a statement. "California has already spent $20 billion over the last five years on homelessness and the crisis has only gotten worse with more than 172,000 people living on the streets in this state."
GOP Assemblyman Josh Hoover slammed the plan as a "splashy announcement that I'm skeptical will get results."
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As for where exactly the homes will be located, Newsom suggested using surplus state land and escorting the homeless to them from city encampments. Each house will give a resident a room, which can be locked, with a bed and heater, and some will contain bathrooms and a small kitchen.
California has the largest homeless population in the United States.