Gov. Gavin Newsom came to Oakland on Tuesday to announce the creation of a task force to help address California’s homelessness crisis. The Homeless and Supportive Housing Advisory Task Force, co-chaired by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, will meet at various locations around the state to learn best practices and get input from local governments and community members.
The task force will help guide local governments as they come up with joint regional plans to address homelessness, and will deliver at least one report annually to the governor. Newsom made the announcement at the new Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center transitional housing facility, which was previously the site of a hotel. “No Californian can say homelessness is someone else’s problem — it affects us all,” he said. “Homelessness is a matter of statewide concern, but solutions will come from the local level.”