San Diego County is one of four cities to receive small homes as a part of a $30 million plan to address and help house the nation’s largest homeless population, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced today.
Gov. Newsom announced mobilizing the California National Guard to assist in the preparation and delivery of the 1,200 small homes to Los Angeles, San Diego County, San Jose, and Sacramento, free of charge and ready for occupancy. The homes could be as small as 120 square feet, and take about 90 minutes to erect.
According to Newsom’s office, the small homes will be built on public land for people living in encampments along roads and rivers.
The National Guard will assist Los Angeles in preparing and delivering 500 units. Sacramento will receive 350 units, San Jose will get 200 units, and San Diego County will receive 150 units. The small homes will be free of charge and ready for occupancy.
“In California, we are using every tool in our toolbox – including the largest-ever deployment of small homes in the state – to move people off the streets and into housing. The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing – the two issues are inextricably linked. We are tackling this issue at the root of the problem by addressing the need to create more housing, faster in California,” Newsom said.
According to Newsom’s office, the placement of these small homes will be the responsibility of local jurisdictions but the state will provide surplus land to use as an option for small homes.
"Thank you to Governor Gavin Newsom for being innovative in his approach and a great partner in this effort. No one body of government will solve homelessness alone, and it will take local, state, and federal partnerships to ensure that we are collectively addressing this humanitarian crisis,” said Supervisor Nora Vargas, Chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “These small homes are one important step to solving a bigger problem and will provide shelter and access to resources for our unhoused residents in San Diego County. Our Board is committed to prioritizing transformative policies to ensure our families, children, veterans, and seniors experiencing homelessness have a roof over their heads.”
Local governments will own the units and provide all services, including recruiting residents and leveraging previously provided state funding.