Gov. Newsom signs package to boost home building, expand affordable housing

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In response to California's homelessness and housing crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a package of more than 30 bills.

The governor says he wants to boost home building and increase the number of affordable homes available for the unhoused and veterans.

He says he wants to "radically change the way we've been doing things."

In the Mission District, La Fenix is an affordable housing complex with 157 units; 40 of them are for people who used to live on the streets.

To tackle homelessness and to create more affordable homes, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a number of new bills.

"The original sin in this state is affordability. It impacts more people in more ways on more ways. And it's the cost of housing and it's that imbalance of supply and demand. It's the fact that we have not gotten out of our way. That is the challenge we are trying to address," said Governor Newsom.

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The new laws are aimed at boosting home building. Some are meant to streamline the approval process for certain projects. One law will impose penalties for cities and counties that don't abide by state requirements to accommodate new housing.

"We continue to struggle with accountability. We continue to struggle with transparency. For those who turn their back on this crisis, we're turning up the heat," said Newsom.

Karen Nemsick is director of housing justice for United Way Bay Area.

"We need the public will to build this housing where we need it throughout the state, particularly in the Bay Area where housing prices have just gone up leaps and bounds," said Nemsick.

Nemsick applauds the governor's efforts.

"I think these bills do something. They are making the effort to make it easier to build affordable housing," said Nemsick.

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But not everyone is on board.

Reina Tello works with underserved communities in San Francisco.

She believes we have an affordability crisis that can't be solved by building more units that are unaffordable.

"I'm disappointed. We need the governor's office to partner with local cities and communities to be able to ensure that we have the funding that we need to create that affordable housing," said Tello. "What's stopping housing is the cost of building. We can't work our way around that without funding."

Other laws require local municipalities to create plans to house individuals at risk for homelessness -- or who are currently unhoused.

Governor Newsom also introduced the Homekey+ housing program which will help veterans or individuals experiencing mental health or substance use disorders.

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It'll create more than 4,000 new permanent housing units with services - much of it set aside for veterans.

Funding for the program will come from Proposition 1, which voters approved earlier this year.

The Homekey+ program is an extension of a current program. It focuses on acquiring and rehabbing buildings that can be quickly converted into permanent affordable housing. Applications open in November.

The governor talked about several cities that have banned emergency shelters and supportive housing or have refused to comply with state housing mandates.

One bill he signed, SB 1037 for State Senator Scott Wiener, will enable the attorney general to seek civil penalties against local governments that violate state housing laws.

Violators could face a $10,000 penalty per month.