Homelessness Among Topics of Discussion in State of the State Address

"I hope what we’ll see from the governor is just more and more funding available to the city so that we can continue the work that we do," said Christy Holstege, Palm Springs City Councilmember. "We want to get these people housed, we want to get people into services, we want to get them off the street, but that takes resources and places for people to go."

Governor Gavin Newsom delivers his annual State of the State address. Among the anticipated topics- homelessness.

"Homelessness continues to be the number one issue when residents are polled," said Holstege.

Local city officials hope the governor will allocate funds to the Coachella Valley to further support the efforts of the city to address homelessness.

"Additional resources from the state, especially ones that go directly to cities would be helpful," said Holstege. "Cities are really on the frontline of addressing homelessness"

The City of Palm Springs plans to open a homeless navigation center that would provide temporary housing to homeless residents. City officials say shelter is just one solution to a much broader issue.

"We really can’t talk about homelesnness without talking about mental health," said Holstege. "We know that so many people who are homeless either have mental health conditions or get mental health conditions after living on the streets."

The city also plans to offer a variety of services aimed at helping those experiencing homelessness transition into permanent housing and employment, something they say can’t be done without state funding.

"I’m glad that the Governor continues to fund both homelessness and housing, knowing that those aren’t separate… and we’re going to fight to get our fair share of resources," said Holstege. "I’m really looking for regional equity from the governor to make sure that money gets into Coachella Valley cities so that we can continue to address this problem and continue to get results which we’ve shown that we can do with funding."