It came as no surprise to people who’ve watched state and local authorities fail to manage homelessness that those same authorities don’t know where the money goes. Recent reports from a statewide audit of homeless programs and expenses concluded that, “the State must do more to assess the cost-effectiveness of its homelessness programs.”
Reviews of spending for homelessness in San Jose and San Diego discovered that neither city had adequate systems for tracking money spent on homelessness nor were they able to evaluate the success or failure of the multitude of programs dedicated to managing homelessness. A financial report issued by California’s State Auditor found that, “San Jose has failed to consistently track the more than $300 million spent to fight homelessness and cannot adequately ensure that the money is helping to alleviate the crisis, according to a much-anticipated state audit.”
Anyone with even a cursory understanding of local efforts to manage the homeless crisis throughout the state knows that, with few exceptions, money spent on homelessness is money down the drain. From Central Valley towns to coastal metropolises like San Francisco and San Diego, the basic problems are the same.
In the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto offers a typical example. Even before he was elected, Modesto City Councilman Nick Bavaro spent months studying homelessness in his district and throughout the city. Bavaro wanted a better understanding of city and county tactics for managing homelessness.
Once in office, Bavaro rode along with police officers and other authorities so that he could learn more about the local homeless crisis. On one ride-along with Modesto’s Park Rangers, the rangers ordered a small group of homeless people to remove themselves and their belongings from Downey Park, a small park near Downey High School that is bordered by the school, single-family homes, and apartments. The same tactic is used by the Modesto Police Department for every park in the city.
“I went by the park the next day and those same homeless people were on the sidewalk across the street,” said Bavaro later. “They didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
On another occasion, Stanislaus County Sheriffs conducted a sweep of homeless people on Daly Avenue, a street in an industrial park near the City of Modesto. Daly Avenue is outside Modesto city limits, so county sheriffs have jurisdiction there.
“All they did was push them into my district,” said Bavaro, who monitors homelessness in his district closely.
Statewide, billions of dollars have been spent on sweeps that merely move people from one location to another, sometimes less than a block or two away. Though there is little to no return on the dollars spent on sweeps, they continue to be the preferred tactic for managing homelessness throughout the state.
“They move us out and we wait a few days and then we go back,” said one homeless man of the sweeps. “And when we go back it’s all cleaned up.”
A successful businessman, Nick Bavaro realized even before he took office that tactics for managing homelessness not only squander taxpayer dollars, they also lack metrics for success. Most any close look at Modesto’s and Stanislaus County’s attempts to manage homelessness would reveal the same conclusion. In fact, the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury examined local homeless programs two years ago.
In 2022,
“The Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury (SCCGJ) identified dozens of public agencies, private organizations, and non-profits working in this arena. It is hard to evaluate coordination, effectiveness, and accountability when efforts are so fragmented. The SCCGJ found that while efforts to coordinate all these agencies and their activities are being pursued, accountability is lacking. Given the significant dollars spent to address homelessness, this lack of accountability is problematic and can undermine the public’s confidence in our public agencies.”
Ironically, Stanislaus County and Modesto call their efforts to manage homelessness an “accountability program.” Unfortunately, they’re trying to hold people with nowhere to go accountable for a statewide shortage of housing, a statewide shortage of facilities and services for the mentally and physically ill, and a statewide shortage of emergency shelter for people in crisis.
Like the old joke about rearranging the desk chairs on the Titanic, the State of California and local authorities continue to resort to futile measures as billions of dollars get squandered in their misguided attempts to manage the humanitarian crisis of homelessness. They are the ones who should be held accountable, not the passengers on their sinking ship of state.
Cathy says
THE COUNTY OF STANISLAUS DO NOT GIVE A CRAP ABOUT THE HOUSELESS PEOPLE AT ALL.IF THEY DID THEY WOULD HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN THEM A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE TO BE AT WITH NEARBY FOOD STORES AND GAS STATION AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ALREADY. STANISLAUS COUNTY NEEDS TO STOP SPENDING THE MONEY THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA GAVE TO THE COUNTRY ON THEMSELVES AND SPREND IT ON TINY HOMES AND TRAVEL TRAILER AND R.V. SO THE HOUSELESS PEOPLE CAN KEEP WARM IN THE WINTER AND COOL IN THE SUMMER RIGHT NOW. COUNTY OF STANISLAUS GET OFF YOUR DEAD ASS.
frank says
You know what really angers me is that we could do better, a lot better actually, and don’t because of leadership beholding to ideas and policies that don’t work for the GOOD OF THE PEOPLE.
Therefore it follows, that if we really want a community of “No Others” then either the leaders change, or we change the leaders.
Claudio Bono says
Thank you for your news report. Wanted to bring to your attention that there is a solution to fix the unhoused. 1 tweet and over 1 million likes, shares etc http://www.ihaveasolution.me the real issue here is that no elected officials are willing to even just listen to what the solution is. That’s the real shame.
John Rivera says
You’re right they do move them but there is more to this some not all end up targeting the people by taking their own personal property in every which way you can imagine and they will stalk them till they get what they want law enforcement is totally aware of these acts the administration of the department should be held responsible for these acts and they don’t care what any one says they won’t stop they need to be brought to justice. It needs to stop now. All the money that was given for the people for assistance was not used for the assistance for homeless people.
Pat says
Is not that it doesn’t work. The problem is that the leaders behind the project don’t work. So we get rid of the leaders not the project,. The project is good if they do the right things. If the leaders are not doing their job that means they’re taking advantage of the money for the project….another example of corruption on the highest level!
Jack Waldorf says
The housing crisis for the unhoused stems largely from stigma. Attempts in Turlock and Modesto to provide shelter have been stymied by NIMBY proponents who have demonstrated a shocking ignorance of mental illness and the mentally ill. This ignorance has led to unwarrented fear and dehumanization. Those who are ignorant don’t care if the mentally ill are housed, they just want them out of sight.
Susan says
Bring back large hospitals for mental health instead of bandaid temporary bridge housing.
Melissa r says
1st n foremost
every one of us has a story behind us, everyone of us has a voice tht needs to b heard, yet no one listens nor cares to listen .
Ppl judge us based on appearances of our looks. Judge us if we have a car or if we r walking . Ppl became so cruel n heartless forgetting where they all came from .
WE ALL R FIGHTING THE SAME DEMONS N DEVILS ALL OF US R JUST AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE GAME.
NT ALL OF US R HOMELESS BCUZ OF DRUGS OR MEDICAL CONDITIONS SUM OF US R HOMELESS BCUZ FAMILY FORCED US OUT OF OUR HOME TO THE STS. SUM PPL LOST THEIR JOBS WHICH ENDS UP WITH NO HOME.
SUM OF US STILL HAVE A HEART N R HUMBLE SUM R MEAN WITH ATTITUDE.
WE WERE FORCED INTO THIS CHANGE BCUZ PPL STEREOTYPIN ALL OF US. PPL GIVE US LOOKS AS IF THEY R GNA CATCH A DAMN DISEASE OR SUM THING .
OUR GOVERNMENT SUXS ASS ONLY CARES BOUT THEMSELVES
IN THEIR EYES THE RICH GET RICHER N THE POOR GOES POORER. THE GOVERNMENT RATHER KILL US OFF THN HELP US GROW.
THE SAFE PLACES LIKE PARKIN LOTS OR A CENTER HAS REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO B THERE N THOSE REQUIREMENTS HAVE MORE REQUIREMENTS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANY HOMELESS PERSON INCLUDIN CHILDREN TO B AT OR ON A SAFE PLACE .
BEING BULLIED N DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BY EVERYONE INCLUDIN THE COPS.
WE ALL HAVE ISSUES WE ALL HAVE STRUGGLES ON A DAILY BASIS
DNT B SO QUICK BLAMING IT ON DRUG’S AS I SAID B4 WE ALL R FIGHTING THE SAME DEMONS N DEVILS WE R ALL AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE GAME THOU.
LOU VALERO says
STOP THE INSANITY! SWEEPING HUMAN BEINGS EVERY WHICH WAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN, EXPECTING BETTER CONDITIONS, JUST TO PLEASE A NUMBER OF NIMBY SNOBS THAT MODESTO IS DOING “SOMETHING” IS NOT SANE: EXPECIALLY WHEN THESE SWEEPS ARE “ILLEGAL” ACCORDING TO THE 9TH DISTRICT COURT.
WHO EXACTLY ARE THEY PLEASING, THE CITY MANAGER?
WHO EVER IT IS PUSHING THIS INSANITY NEEDS TO KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF OUR HOMELESS, UNLESS THEY ARE COMMITTING A REAL CRIME.
PROVIDE THEM WITH TRASH BAGS THEY CAN LEAVE FOR PICK UP AND MAKE AN ORDINANCE THEY CANNOT TRANSPORT OTHER PEOPLES TRASH AROUND WITH THEM. ISN’T THAT PART OF THE PROBLEM?
BY THE SAME TOKEN, CRACK DOWN ON DISCARDED ITEMS BEING LEFT WHERE OTHER PEOPLE CAN CART THEM OFF. SPEND MORE MONEY ON PICKING UP PILES OF DISGARDS LEFT OUT ON OUR STREETS. RATHER THAN LEAVING THE DISGARDS OUT TO BE HAULED ABOUT INTO MOUNDS OF TRASH TO BE BULLDOZED IN SWEEPS.
MOST IS PREVENTABLE. THE UNHOUSED HAVE 24/7/365 DAYS WITH NOTHING TO DO. IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP. SWEEP THE TRASH, NOT THE UNHOUSED.
DO YOU HEAR ME CITY MANAGER AND MAYOR? THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
Fulltime homeless says
I totally agree. I myself am homeless with a full-time job and what I get is go here go there to run into a bs trip and then attempt to get a hold of a “case manager” and realize they have disappeared leaving me feeling lower than I already felt because of the false reassurance and the false hope.
LOU VALERO says
HUSTLE HERE, HUSTLE THERE, SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO, RIGHT? THEY PUT IT ALL ON YOU, SO WHEN THEY COME UP SHORT, AS USUAL, THEY GET TO BLAME YOU FOR NOT FOLLOWING THEIR BS PROGRAM TO THE LETTER OF THEIR BS POLICIES. YET, THEY ALL WANT RAISES TO REWARD THEIR BS.
THEY’RE KIDDING RIGHT?