What you need to know: Governor Newsom is providing nine communities in California with $130.6 million through the Homekey program, creating 533 new permanent supportive homes for Californians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, including families.

SACRAMENTO - Continuing the state’s unprecedented support for local governments in creating new housing, Governor Gavin Newsom today provided nine communities with $130.6 million in Homekey grants to fund nine new projects in areas throughout California. The grants will create 533 permanent supportive homes for an estimated 4,886 Californians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and include developments focused on young people, individuals, and families who are experiencing homelessness.

Since Homekey’s inception in 2020, Homekey has awarded $3.6 billion to support 259 projects that will include 15,850 homes, projecting to serve more than 172,000 California households over the life of the project.

“We are proud to stand with local partners who are serving their communities by providing much-needed housing to alleviate homelessness. We’ll continue to support local governments who are doing the work to ensure everyone has a place to call home.” - Governor Gavin Newsom

Today’s $130.6 million in Homekey grants through California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will create new affordable housing in partnership with the cities of Merced, Richmond, San Francisco, and Sebastopol; the counties of Orange, Riverside, and San Mateo; and the housing authorities of the counties of Kern and Sacramento. 

“Originally an emergency measure to help curb the spread of COVID-19 among unhoused Californians, Homekey has grown and evolved into a model for supporting our families and individuals in need of housing such as deserving veterans and others experiencing behavioral health challenges,” said Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). “Thanks to forward-thinking voters, HCD will get to play an even larger role in housing Californians who are struggling, and connecting them to the services they need to exit homelessness and maintain housing stability.”

Homekey continues to be one of California’s most successful strategies to help people experiencing homelessness gain permanent access to housing. Through the state program’s funding,  state, regional, and local public entities can create permanent supportive housing for those most in need by acquiring, developing, and rehabilitating a broad range of existing housing types - including but not limited to hotels, motels, hostels, single-family homes, multifamily apartments, and  commercial properties. 

Creating affordable housing for all Californians 

Since taking office, Governor Newsom has invested over $40 billion to boost affordable housing, and additionally, more than $27 billion to address homelessness. Today’s funding announcement follows Governor Newsom’s recent executive order that, among other things, urges local governments to use the unprecedented state funding to address unsanitary and dangerous encampments within their communities and provide people experiencing homelessness in the encampments with the care and supportive services they need.

He has also enacted dozens of CEQA reforms into law. In addition, Governor Newsom championed the creation of the Housing Accountability Unit at the California Department of Housing and Community Development to make sure cities and counties fulfill their legal responsibilities to plan and permit their fair share of housing. This focus on accountability has in part led to a 15-year high in housing starts in California. 

For additional information on the Homekey program, please visit: Homekey | California Department of Housing and Community Development.