Homelessness experts weigh in on Newsom’s executive order on encampments

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order allowing state and local officials to dismantle homeless encampments has drawn mixed reactions from homelessness experts within California as state officials continue to try and find a permanent solution for the ongoing crisis.

The executive order was issued in response to a Supreme Court decision in late June that granted officials authority to remove the encampments and ticket people for camping in public in Grants Pass, Oregon.

The executive order calls for state agencies to remove homeless encampments from state lands, such as state parks, beaches, agency buildings, highways and the areas beneath them.

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Californians were swift to react after news of the executive order was shared. Some people, like San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, applauded the governor’s executive order.

However, others, like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have called the decision “unfortunate,” expressing that she believes it “will usher in a new wave of criminalization” elsewhere, according to LAist.

So, what do homelessness experts think about Newsom’s latest executive order?

KTLA spoke with Jeff Levine, the chaplain and executive director of Long Beach Rescue Mission, a Christian-based organization that provides services to unhoused individuals, and Dr. Margot Kushel, a professor and director at Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco.

“What we know from homelessness displacement or sweeps is that it does a fair amount of harm and disconnects the people from service providers. It also removes people from their belongings, which includes sentimental things like people’s pictures of their families, medications and people’s documents, some of which can prove their identity,” Kushel told KTLA. “A lot of harm can come from sweeps, and ultimately, if you don’t offer people a real outcome, they’re just going to have to move someplace else because they can’t dematerialize; they will show up someplace else.”

Kushel also explained that on an individual level, struggles with mental health or addiction could lead that person to experience homelessness as well.

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On the other hand, Levine told KTLA that introducing accountability to those who don’t do their part to help solve the issue is a good thing, but execution could be challenging.

“We’re not going to arrest our way out of homelessness, but we do need the tools and ability to address situations where public health is compromised. I don’t think it should be OK to smoke fentanyl at 2 p.m. on the sidewalk outside of Target. I think there needs to be order and just laws that protect our communities and establish a healthy moral standard for the community. I also believe that, in many cases, this will help people consider their lives and their trajectory and engage in services,” Levine told KTLA in an emailed statement.

Kushel emphasized that experts know what drives homelessness and how to solve it.

“The cause [of homelessness] is a lack of affordable housing, and every single solution that has ever been shown to work has to focus on that,” Kushel said.

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According to a May Rental Market Report from Zillow, the “typical rent” in Los Angeles was $2,920 per month, meaning tenants will need to make almost $117,000 a year to live comfortably. Similarly, the percentage of state residents who could afford a home dropped to a 16-year low last year.

Levine believes more affordable housing is a step in the right direction but not a “silver bullet” for the homelessness crisis.

“A balanced approach of compassion and accountability will take us a long way. A multi-faceted model is needed to address a very complex situation. Housing First is a philosophy for approaching homelessness that has incredible value for some. But it is not a silver bullet. There is a difference between a family who falls into homelessness for the first time because they were priced out of an apartment and a person who has been living on the L.A. River in an encampment for 18 years,” Levine stated.

He noted that while Long Beach Rescue Mission offers temporary housing to unhoused individuals, they also focus on “equipping men and women with the life skills and soft skills needed to succeed when transitioning into permanent housing.”

“Funding for programs is essential, and if required before subsidized housing, it can reduce recidivism and provide a margin in which more housing can be developed. We have to talk about housing, but it can’t be the only thing we talk about. We have to discuss employment, but that’s only part of the conversation. We have to create more long-term treatment facilities for those suffering from severe mental illness and, when necessary, conserve those who cannot take care of themselves on the streets,” Levine said.

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Kushel applauded the Newsom administration for addressing the ongoing crisis and its root cause but noted that California would have to make strides in closing the income and housing cost gaps so people can afford housing while also working to increase capacity at shelters so more unhoused individuals could utilize that option.

The Long Beach Rescue Mission is doing its part to increase shelter capacity.

“We are growing and will break ground on a new 60-bed shelter for women and children this year. Beginning next year, we will break ground on a new shelter for men aged 18-24. We’re expanding because the need is great. We are at capacity in our shelters, but if someone is ready to come in, we’ll make a way,” Levine said in a statement.

As for Newsom’s executive order, local officials are not legally bound to follow it, though it says they are “encouraged” to adopt the same policies.

In the past, Newsom has threatened to withhold money from local governments that didn’t take action to address the issue.

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