Broken Promises, Unseen Neighbors: Our State’s Ongoing Homelessness Crisis

Alright, folks. As someone who works with systems, it just plain hurts to see such a fundamental failure to help our most vulnerable. This isn’t just some abstract political fight; it’s about real people right here in our communities.

Here are the hard facts that just stick in my craw:

• Despite Governor Newsom’s promises dating back to 2004, and even declaring himself the “homeless czar,” the number of unhoused Californians continued to rise to record levels, nearing 200,000 people.
• Over $20 billion of taxpayer money has been spent during his governorship on homelessness programs, yet the State Auditor found significant failures in monitoring and coordination from the very council tasked with the job.
• While there’s a recent claim of a 9% drop in unsheltered numbers, that’s from a tragically high baseline, and the finger-pointing between state and local officials over funding and responsibility just keeps going, leaving the core problem unsolved.

This isn’t some distant problem in another country; this is happening right in our own backyards. We drive past these encampments, we see our neighbors struggling on the streets, and it’s a moral crisis we simply cannot ignore. We’re talking about men, women, and children, created in God’s image, who are suffering. As Christians, we’re called to care for the “least of these,” and as fellow human beings, we should all feel an urgent call to action. The endless blame games and bureaucratic tangles are unacceptable when real lives are at stake. We need practical solutions, accountability, and genuine compassion to bring our neighbors inside and help them rebuild.

This story was analyzed for Christ P2P. You can read the original reporting here: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/01/homelessness-crisis-newsom-political-liabilities/