A rare bipartisan bill has advanced through the state legislature and now awaits Governor
Gavin Newsom’s signature. The mercifully brief Assembly Bill 2903 calls for the state
government to disclose annually the cost of its various homelessness programs and to require each agency or department to report on program outcomes. The government would be required to compile and report the data relevant to each homelessness program it administers.
Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) has sent a formal letter to the Governor
urging him to sign the bill.
“While addressing homelessness is a critical priority for our state, we must also ensure that we are tracking the effectiveness of these programs and ensuring taxpayer funds are being used efficiently,” said Senator Ochoa Bogh, a principal coauthor of AB 2903. “This bill will provide essential oversight to ensure these programs are achieving their intended outcomes.”
A recent report by the State Auditor highlighted the lack of sufficient data to determine
the effectiveness of current programs aimed at reducing homelessness.
Some key findings from the state homeless audit include:
- Cal-ICH “has not tracked and reported on the State’s funding for homelessness programs since its 2023 assessment covering fiscal years 2018–19 through 2020–21. Currently, it has no plans to perform a similar assessment in the future. In the absence of an up-to-date assessment, the State and its policymakers are likely to struggle to understand homelessness programs’ ongoing costs and achieved outcomes.”
- Cal-ICH “has not established a consistent method for gathering information on
homelessness programs’ costs and outcomes. As a result, the State lacks information that
would allow it to make data-driven policy decisions and identify gaps in services.” - Cal-ICH “has neither ensured the accuracy of the information in the state data system,
nor has it used this information to evaluate homelessness programs’ success.”
The absence of such data makes it challenging to evaluate whether certain initiatives are
successful, need adjustments, or should be discontinued.
“Cal-ICH is responsible for coordinating and evaluating the many agencies working to
prevent and end homelessness. It is only logical that they compile and report data so the public can assess the progress being made,” added Senator Ochoa Bogh.
As is often said in business, you can’t manage it if you don’t measure it. California has
allocated over $24 billion towards homelessness initiatives in the last five years. Despite these substantial investments, the number of unhoused individuals in the state has continued to rise, now exceeding 181,000. The problem needs results-oriented management attention.
