Bakersfield, CA…Governor Gavin Newsom earlier in December announced that California will begin launching 100-day challenges for California cities and counties, replicating a successful national model to jumpstart action to fight homelessness. The Governor also sent a letter to President Trump detailing how the federal government can take immediate action to help California cities and counties fight homelessness.

“With a single stroke of your pen, you can make a major, positive impact on homelessness right away. You can immediately order your Department of Housing and Urban Development to house 50,000 homeless Californians with federal housing vouchers – this, combined with critically important increases in fair market rents, can stably house a significant portion of our street homeless population faster than almost any other action you could possibly take,” said Governor Newsom.

Following yesterday’s announcement that California cities and counties can start applying for hundreds of millions of dollars in Emergency Homelessness Aid provided through the 2019-2020 state budget, Governor Newsom is calling on cities and counties to take immediate action to address homelessness by accepting 100-day challenges to end homelessness for specific targeted populations such as veterans or youth, utilizing the $650 million in homeless emergency aid.

Participating entities would receive additional technical assistance through the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council to assist with these efforts and develop sustainable models moving forward. The state will also assist local communities in seeking philanthropic support for these 100-day efforts.

100-day challenges are part of a growing national movement to prevent and end homelessness, developed through the Rapid Results Institute in coordination with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Through these efforts, communities have undertaken the challenge of working together across systems to collaborate, innovate, and execute to create a coordinated community response to end homelessness.

###