Sen. Blake Spear’s SB 16 pushes state assessment, 10-year plan to end unsheltered homelessness

Sen. Catherine Blake Spear opened the Senate Housing Committee hearing on SB 16 by saying the bill will be amended to include the word “unsheltered” and asked the committee to prioritize getting people off the streets and into interim and permanent housing.

The bill would direct the state to conduct a needs assessment and develop a long-range plan with funding tools to end unsheltered homelessness in 10 years. “Housing solves homelessness,” Sen. Blake Spear said, calling for both a finish line and the steps necessary to reach it. She urged investment in interim, non‑congregate, quickly‑scalable housing types, saying those options have higher transition rates to permanent housing than street living or congregate shelters.

Speakers for the bill described a statewide problem that is both humanitarian and civic. Micah Weinberg, policy director for the New California Coalition, said California holds roughly half the nation’s unsheltered population and that the patchwork of funding and responsibilities across government levels has produced “far too much finger pointing.” He said SB 16 would prioritize moving to functional zero for unsheltered homelessness and untangle overlapping programs to improve accountability.

Elizabeth Funk, CEO of Dignity Moves, said interim housing “can be safe, dignified” and “build the momentum” to transition unhoused people into permanent homes. She told the committee that allowing people to languish on streets while waiting for permanent housing inflicts irreversible trauma and that the state should set an audacious, measurable finish line.

Several major homelessness and housing organizations testified with cautious support for the committee’s amendments while urging refinements. The Corporation for Supportive Housing said shelters remain an important part of a mix of responses and commended the amendments that would require a statewide needs assessment, while the League of California Cities urged changes that would align reporting with existing regional planning processes to avoid administrative burdens on smaller cities.

Committee members voiced both support for the concept and skepticism about relying only on new planning and data. Sen. Cabaldon said California has spent many years pursuing plans that did not yield the needed results and urged stronger, enforceable actions and accountability. The author and supporters said they accept that a plan alone won’t solve the problem but argued SB 16’s focus on unsheltered people, interim housing, and clear lines of responsibility could lead to faster results if paired with urgency and funding.

The committee accepted the author’s statement that SB 16 would be amended and agreed to return the bill for a vote when quorum allowed. The committee chair recorded the bill as having amendments accepted and placed the measure on call for a later roll call.