OAKLAND MAYOR BARBARA LEE JOINS BIG CITY MAYORS TO URGE STATE LEADERS TO RESTORE HOMELESSNESS FUNDING AND CALL ON GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES TO COMMIT TO SUSTAINING CRITICAL SERVICES

SACRAMENTO, CA – Yesterday, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee joined the California Big City Mayors coalition in asking state leaders to restore Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding to $1 billion and called on all gubernatorial candidates to commit to making HHAP an ongoing funding source. With Californians preparing to elect the next governor, mayors emphasized that voters deserve to know which candidates are ready to partner with cities to meet the scale of the homelessness crisis and deliver results.

Since 2018, the state has invested in local governments and Continuums of Care to address homelessness in communities across California. Through HHAP Rounds 1­5, these investments have supported emergency shelters, outreach teams, navigation centers, rapid rehousing, permanent housing placements, and locally driven solutions.

These investments have delivered measurable results:

• 9% Reduction of unsheltered homeless in the state

• 17,691 additional shelter beds

• 152,433 people served

• 2,295 Permanent Housing Units

HHAP funding has been essential for transitioning tens of thousands of Californians from the streets to stable housing. Without sustained HHAP funding, cities and communities across the state will be forced to scale back critical services, putting more than 41,000 individuals at risk of returning to homelessness.

The California Big City Mayors represent the state's 13 largest cities, collectively serving millions of Californians and leading frontline efforts to address homelessness. This call to action comes as the state finalizes its budget and Californians prepare to elect their next governor. The coalition is calling on the Legislature to restore full HHAP funding and on all gubernatorial candidates to sign the Big City Mayors' HHAP pledge committing to long-term, reliable investment in homelessness solutions. Sustained funding is critical to maintaining progress and ensuring cities can continue delivering results for the communities they serve.

"As Chair of the Big City Mayors, I've seen firsthand how our cities are using HHAP funds to reduce homelessness and move people off the streets," said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, Chair of California's Big City Mayors. "To slash funding when we're just starting to see progress would be a huge loss of momentum and result in more Californians on the streets. We need ongoing funding now."

Oakland's draft Homelessness Strategic Action Plan includes key areas for investments:

• Preventing Homelessness

• Improving access to services

• Managing homeless camps and neighborhood health

• Improving interim housing

• Building permanent housing

This draft plan will require approximately $1.4 billion in additional investment.

"Oakland has released the Homelessness Strategic Action Plan with a clear goal: reducing unsheltered homelessness by 50 percent over five years. If HHAP funding is significantly reduced, over 800 interim housing beds serving 1,600 people annually could be at risk, said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. "Prevention and outreach would shrink, and progress toward our 50 percent reduction goal could reverse."

In Oakland, people experiencing homelessness represent 58% of the countywide homelessness and 74% of countywide homelessness population. Roughly 2,500 people become newly unhoused annually and nearly 59% identify as Black/African American—a disproportioned rate compared to their 22% share of the city's overall population.

Here is a link to yesterday's news conference.

About Big City Mayors

Big City Mayors is a coalition of mayors from California's thirteen largest cities with a population over 300,000. Member cities include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Stockton, Riverside, and Irvine.