County leaders urge Gov. Newsom to pass homeless accountability plan in state budget

By KSBY Staff

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    CALIFORNIA (KSBY) — County leaders and other groups are urging Governor Newsom and state legislators to pass a bill that would allow individual counties and local organizations to have more control on how they handle their growing homeless population.

The “At Home Accountability Trailer Bill Language” is expected to appear in the upcoming state budget.

Supporters said the plan would create an “all-encompassing” local homeless accountability plan either by region or by county.

The plan would also list each party’s responsibilities, outline goals, and indicate who is accountable if those goals are not met.

Susan Funk, Atascadero Mayor Pro Tem and Chair of the Homeless Services Oversight Council described the bill as a “game changer.”

“Under our current approach to homelessness, getting the job done is difficult. With no coordinated plan in place, we’re often scrambling to find funding or navigating bureaucracy that slows us down,” Funk said in a statement. “The AT HOME Accountability budget trailer bill language will remove many of those barriers.”

State legislators are set to pass the state budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year Thursday.

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