00:00When it comes to America's homeless problem, California's detractors have similarly offered
00:06nothing but rhetoric, moaning and casting blame.
00:10No state, by the way, has done more as California in addressing this pernicious problem of homelessness,
00:15plaguing cities and towns, not just across the state of California, but increasingly
00:19across the United States.
00:22Too many politicians for too long have ignored this problem.
00:25Let me remind you, just as an example, when I got here in 2019, there was no state homeless
00:30strategy, no state homeless plan.
00:32There was no significant investment.
00:34Sure, there was a half a billion dollar contribution one time made to local government, but there
00:39was no expectation of anything in return, accountability.
00:44There was no demonstrable results expected.
00:48When I came into office, we wanted to change that paradigm.
00:51That's why I presented a state of the state exclusively on the issue of homelessness and
00:55mental health.
00:57This was my commitment to California.
00:58We would no longer ignore this most pressing and distressing problem.
01:02Since then, by the way, we've cleared now over 9,300 dangerous encampments and we're
01:07helping tens of thousands of people move from tents and freeway underpasses to shelter or
01:11housing.
01:12Our innovative HomeKey program has revitalized former motels, hotels and apartments and provided
01:18more than 15,300 units of housing.
01:21Combined with Project RoomKey, California has now provided shelter for more than 71,000
01:29people.
01:30While the causes of homelessness are indeed complex, the solution is rather simple.
01:36Housing and supportive services.
01:38Housing and supportive services.
01:40That's why we've focused our reform specifically to address the housing needs as it relates
01:46to reforming CEQA.
01:47I've signed now 32 CEQA reforms to build more housing faster, at the same time creating
01:54more accountability by establishing a housing accountability unit to hold cities and counties
02:00accountable to following the law.
02:03Here are the results.
02:04Just in the last year or two, we've seen some 442 actions against local government, including
02:10lawsuits to compel them to follow the law.
02:13The success of accountability in the housing space is why we're adding similar accountability
02:20and oversight for homelessness.
02:22We're requiring cities now and counties to account for how they spend taxpayer dollars
02:27to get people off the streets and sidewalks, out of tents and into housing.
02:32So long as there are people living outdoors, so long as people are suffering from bipolar
02:38disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, self-medicating with drug or alcohol addictions, our work
02:43clearly is not done.
02:45Most importantly, though, we have created a mosaic, a mosaic of extraordinarily transformative
02:52and impactful mental health reforms.
02:55Started with a new paradigm of thinking, Care Corps, a nation-leading effort that provides
02:59treatment and housing for people with the most serious untreated mental health challenges.
03:03This is critical to help exhausted and financially stressed families that have been trying to
03:08help relatives, loved ones stuck in the dark and unimaginable pain, suffering so often
03:14alone.
03:15Thanks to Susan Eggman, Tom Umberg, this program is moving out of the pilot phase.
03:20It'll be up and running every county in the state of California by the end of this year.
03:25We also took on the difficult and politically fraught task of conservatorship reform.
03:30How many decades have we been discussing the issue of conservatorship reform, saying it
03:35was necessary but increasingly impossible to achieve?
03:39Well, we achieved it.
03:40Now for the first time, we're helping to find meaningful solutions for families with relatives
03:45suffering from acute mental health and substance abuse disorders.
03:49Perhaps the steepest hill to climb was tackling the changes that were necessary, as well,
03:54the Mental Health Services Act.
03:57This year, we made a dramatic shift to focus the law on those struggling the most, to shift
04:02resources to housing and supportive services.
04:06This is the biggest effort in our lifetime to combat substance abuse and mental health
04:11as well.
04:12And this is a future that was advanced because of all of you.
04:16Proposition 1 is the future that you provided us.
04:19With the support of the California voters, we were able now to build over 11,000 new
04:23beds and housing units for those with the most challenging mental illness.
04:27And we're requiring counties and cities in the state to focus existing money on housing
04:31and treatment for the toughest cases.
04:34And critically, we're guaranteeing a portion of those homes will go to veterans living
04:38on the streets, many of them suffering from PTSD.
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