{"id":2233338,"date":"2024-04-30T07:03:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T11:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-californias-narrow-homelessness-vote-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-housing-first\/"},"modified":"2024-04-30T07:07:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T11:07:08","slug":"is-californias-narrow-homelessness-vote-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-housing-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-californias-narrow-homelessness-vote-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-housing-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Could California&#8217;s Tight Homelessness Vote Signal the Decline of &#8216;Housing First&#8217;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fis-californias-narrow-homelessness-vote-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-housing-first%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2233338&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The early polls \u2064indicated strong support for Gov. Newsom&#8217;s Proposition \u2064One, aiming to allocate $6.4 billion for housing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-not-a-housing-problem\/\" title=\"It\u2019s Not a Housing Problem\">mental health beds<\/a> for the \u2063chronically homeless. However, a\u2062 substantial 49.8% of voters\u200d opposed the measure,\u2062 raising concerns about the effectiveness of the &#8220;Housing\u200c First&#8221; approach\u200b in \u2064addressing \u2064homelessness. This outcome signals potential challenges ahead for the \u2062initiative.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Early polling <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/California_Proposition_1,_Behavioral_Health_Services_Program_and_Bond_Measure_(March_2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">indicated<\/a> Gov. Newsom\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov\/2024\/primary\/pdf\/topl.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition One<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/voterguide.sos.ca.gov\/propositions\/1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adds<\/a> $6.4 billion in debt to fund housing and mental health beds for the chronically homeless, would easily pass. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/heres-how-prop-1-aims-to-address-homelessness-in-california-and-why-critics-say-it-falls-short\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">49.8 percent<\/a> of voters saw through the shenanigans, nearly delivering the governor a stunning rebuke. <\/p>\n<p>Could this be the beginning of the end of \u201cHousing First\u201d?<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-827199779\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d9a438542965dc5f7448da95b7cd72f2 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d9a438542965dc5f7448da95b7cd72f2\"><\/div>\n<p>Prop One sounded compassionate. However, the devil was buried deep into the measure\u2019s 68 pages of detail: \u201cHousing interventions must comply with the core components of Housing First.\u201d Newsom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbsun.com\/2024\/03\/18\/gov-newsom-playing-tricks-with-proposition-1-vote-count\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spent<\/a> $21 million to camouflage the measure as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2024\/03\/21\/california-prop1-passes\/72852061007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">game changer<\/a>.\u201d The opposition raised around $2,000. So why did the measure nearly fail? <\/p>\n<p>Some claim voters were rejecting additional bond debt. Others claim voters have exhausted their compassion.\u00a0However, it appears about half of California voters have had enough of failure, and the governor who continues to champion it. They no longer trust his promises to reduce homelessness \u2014 promises that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/gavin-newsoms-10-year-plan-end-san-francisco-homelessness-20-year-anniversary\">started<\/a> more than a decade ago as San Francisco\u2019s mayor. <\/p>\n<p>They didn\u2019t have to read the 68 pages to know Prop One was another empty promise.<\/p>\n<p>They were right.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c0506f53ae7a0e7bfaa33dc8972d42e8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c0506f53ae7a0e7bfaa33dc8972d42e8\"><\/div>\n<p>California followed the federal government in adopting Housing First as a one-size-fits-all approach to homelessness, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hcd.ca.gov\/grants-funding\/active-funding\/docs\/housing-first-fact-sheet.pdf\">embedding<\/a> it into state statute in 2016, despite insignificant signs of headway.\u00a0When President Obama formally adopted Housing First in 2013, he promised the seismic policy shift would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/obama-promised-to-end-homelessness-this-year-housing-first-hud-drugs-mental-health-voucher-treatment-76072ea2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">end homelessness in 10 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Housing vouchers became the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usich.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/document\/USICH-Expanding-the-Toolbox.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">primary tool<\/a> in the homelessness toolbox while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/housing\/report\/the-housing-first-approach-has-failed-time-reform-federal-policy-and-make-it-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funding<\/a> for clinical services such as mental health and addiction counseling was drastically reduced, as was funding for employment training.\u00a0The money saved was used to dole out additional vouchers for permanent housing with no strings attached. <\/p>\n<p>Requirements such as sobriety, chores, and work participation became \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usich.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/document\/USICH-Expanding-the-Toolbox.pdf\">barriers<\/a>\u201d under this approach, as they 1) might preclude a homeless individual from accepting housing and 2) were not needed because the homeless could \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1245&#038;context=etd\">self-determine<\/a>\u201d their need for services once stably housed.<\/p>\n<p>Today \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usich.gov\/news-events\/news\/2023-year-federal-action-address-nations-homelessness-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10 years later<\/a> \u2014 homelessness has not ended. It has reached its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/chronic-homelessness-is-at-an-all-time-high-heres-why-it-continues-to-climb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highest point ever<\/a>, as has <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/housing\/homelessness\/2024\/02\/homeless-mortality-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">its death rate<\/a>. California now lays claim to <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/newsletters\/whatmatters\/2022\/12\/california-homeless-count-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30 percent<\/a> of the nation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/another-wave-of-portland-police-quit-amid-massive-spike-in-shootings-and-stabbings-fire-dept-responding-to-10-homeless-tent-fires-a-day\/\" title=\"Another Wave Of Portland Police Quit Amid Massive Spike In Shootings And Stabbings; Fire Dept. Responding To 10+ Homeless Tent Fires A Day\">homeless population<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/chronic-homelessness-is-at-an-all-time-high-heres-why-it-continues-to-climb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">50 percent<\/a> of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/most-cities-responses-to-homelessness-actually-enable-even-more-homelessness\/\" title=\"Most Cities\u2019 Responses To Homelessness Actually Enable Even More Homelessness\">chronically homeless population<\/a>.   <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-99b0542b2333c3d585719ede7a79851d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-99b0542b2333c3d585719ede7a79851d\"><\/div>\n<p>Having spent 13 years on the front lines serving homeless women and children in Sacramento, California, I would have been among the \u201cno\u201d votes.<\/p>\n<p>Seventy-eight percent of the homeless <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capolicylab.org\/health-conditions-among-unsheltered-adults-in-the-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">struggle<\/a> with mental illness and 75 percent with addiction, whether a precursor to, or a result of, their homelessness.\u00a0According to the U.S. surgeon general, these diseases are <a href=\"https:\/\/addiction.surgeongeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/chapter-2-neurobiology.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complex<\/a> brain disorders that can reduce brain function and inhibit an individual\u2019s ability to make decisions and regulate action. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naco.org\/news\/dr-drew-applauds-progress-mental-health-care-still-progress-be-made\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In combination with a disease called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naco.org\/news\/dr-drew-applauds-progress-mental-health-care-still-progress-be-made\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anosognosia<\/a> \u2014 a deficit of self-awareness with which the majority of the mentally ill and addicted also struggle \u2014 it becomes extremely unlikely that the homeless will engage in services once housed.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33710091\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">14-year study<\/a> of Boston\u2019s chronically homeless population demonstrated exactly that. Housing without required services was a death sentence for nearly half of the housed. Only 36 percent remained housed after year five. <\/p>\n<p>Our clients struggled with similar illnesses: around 78 percent with addiction and close to 60 percent with mental illness. We provided them with a clean and sober environment so they could gain clarity, recover, build a supportive community, and thus begin their transformation. <\/p>\n<p>Clients were required to engage in clinical services, which proved to be especially important in the initial months, a period during which they were still emerging from the dense fog of mental illness, addiction, or both. Within 18 months, our graduates exited our program employed and capable of providing for their families. Dozens have become homeowners, a rigorous feat for a single mother in California.<\/p>\n<p>Had sobriety and services not been required, our outcomes would have likely mirrored Boston\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Prop One advocates may be happy squeaking out a nail-bitingly close victory this time, but the narrow margin for this well-funded measure in dark-blue California signals a turning tide against a failed approach to housing policy. <\/p>\n<p>While the governor continues to cleave to a \u201chousing only\u201d strategy, nearly half of his constituency recognized that the provision of more housing for the homeless, without funding for services and without conditions, should not be the final chapter in the book. <\/p>\n<p>It ignores one of life\u2019s fundamental realities: \u201cEither we grow, or we die.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a6ceb69df46d346b7654663458476e02 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a6ceb69df46d346b7654663458476e02\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Early polls suggested Gov. Newsom&#8217;s Proposition One, allocating $6.4 billion for housing and mental health beds for the chronically homeless, was likely to succeed. Yet, 49.8% of voters resisted, possibly signaling trouble for the &#8220;Housing First&#8221; approach. The vote outcome poses a question: Could this be a turning point for the initiative?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3106,"featured_media":2233339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/52152714448_ede95330fc_o.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2233338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/52152714448_ede95330fc_o.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}