Berkeley report says $750 million more needed to meet regional goal to cut unsheltered homelessness

A city consultant told the Berkeley City Council on July 9 that while recent investments have increased shelter capacity, the city still faces a large funding and supply gap if it aims to cut unsheltered homelessness by 75% over the next decade.

"This adds up to about $750,000,000 over 10 years or $75,000,000 per year," Zoe Clingman said during a staff presentation of the homelessness system gap analysis prepared for the city manager's office.

The report, compiled by Clingman working with city staff, said Berkeley has expanded noncongregate shelter and added about 100 permanent supportive housing beds, and that noncongregate beds have been filled to roughly 95% capacity on a typical night. But those gains, Clingman said, do not eliminate the shortfall in units and prevention funding needed to achieve the regionally adopted 75% reduction target.

Mayor Aragon placed the findings in budgetary context, telling the council the progress to date was driven largely by voter‑approved Measure P and other one‑time state and federal resources. "We spend more per capita than any jurisdiction in Alameda County on direct services to assist people experiencing homelessness," he said, but "we have to find a sustainable source of revenue" if the city is to sustain or scale recent gains.

Council members focused questions on several policy levers highlighted in the report: increasing targeted prevention to limit future entries into homelessness; reducing paperwork and documentation barriers that delay housing placement; and improving coordinated entry so people who are matched to housing move into units faster. Councilmember Kesarwani asked Clingman how the $750 million estimate was calculated; Clingman pointed to a methodology in the written report that draws on All Home modeling and local service data.

City staff noted steps already underway: expanded outreach and efforts to enable the city's homeless response team to be a limited access point for assessments and documentation, stronger ties with day shelter providers to prepare people for housing offers, and efforts to preserve and augment noncongregate capacity.

Public commenters urged urgency and additional local revenue sources. Multiple speakers also warned that political or legal constraints could reduce available regional funding and stressed the need to continue building local capacity.

The council did not take immediate budget action but discussed timing for Measure P reauthorization and other near‑term options that could sustain the programs described in the report. Staff said the city attorney will continue to advise on legal constraints and that staff would return with details and recommendations for next steps.

The homeless system gap analysis and related materials were presented to the council; staff said they will continue working with regional partners to refine models and programmatic priorities.