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California blocks Trump administration from withholding homelessness funds

A parked RV near a Berkeley homeless encampment
bryce_nesbitt
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
A parked RV near a Berkeley homeless encampment

California counties can continue to dedicate the bulk of their federal homelessness funds towards permanent housing. The Trump administration had moved to shift these funding priorities towards temporary and sober housing instead. But that’s on hold, following a legal victory earlier this week.

The Trump administration's proposed shifts would have prevented counties from spending more than 30 percent of their federal funds on permanent housing.

That’s a drastic decrease from the 90 percent California counties had been contributing to long-term housing – which experts say is the most effective way to get someone out of homelessness.

This week, the Trump administration withdrew an appeal it made after California and multiple other states sued to preserve their funding priorities.

While this move allows California to keep prioritizing permanent housing for now, both sides are still fighting in court.