As the Coachella Valley’s temperatures drop into freezing conditions overnight, the region’s unhoused population is often left to fend for themselves against the elements. But following the city of Palm Spring’s encampment ban, it’s now illegal for homeless individuals to sleep on the street if shelter beds are available. The ordinance was passed in July
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Phase Two of the Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center is now officially open, with the first residents moving in on Tuesday. News Channel 3’s Peter Daut has been following the project for years, and got a sneak peek of the facility right before those first residents arrived. The nearly $40 million Center includes 80 independent
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California is giving 18 local communities nearly $131 million in total, to help people experiencing homelessness in “dangerous encampments” — and Palm Springs is one of the communities receiving this money. The City of Palm Springs announced Governor Newsom’s office awarded it Encampment Resolution funding and that the money is part of the state’s effort to
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A number of state and city officials were out in Palm Springs on Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking completion of the second phase of the Palm Springs Navigation Center, operated by Martha’s Village and Kitchen. The second phase of the facility will house residents in 80 independent, prefabricated modular transition units, according to a
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CalMatters California put hundreds of millions of homelessness dollars at risk because of its “disorganized” and “chaotic” anti-fraud policies, according to a critical federal audit. The audit released Tuesday analyzed California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, which oversees the state’s homelessness programs. It gave the California agency its lowest possible ranking, finding that it
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By Ray Sanchez and Cheri Mossburg, CNN (CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, buoyed by a recent US Supreme Court decision, issued an executive order Thursday calling on state officials to begin taking down homeless encampments. The move to begin dismantling thousands of encampments throughout California comes after the high court ruled last month in
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This week, Palm Springs city councilmembers voted to pass an ordinance that will establish a process for reducing sleeping and homeless encampments in public areas. Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein, Mayor Pro Tem Ron deHarte and Lisa Middleton voted in favor of the ordinance. Councilmember Christy Holstege voted to abstain while councilmember Grace Garner voted against. According
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By Devan Cole and John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of an Oregon city that ticketed homeless people for sleeping outside, rejecting arguments that such “anti-camping” ordinances violate the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual” punishment. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion for the 6-3 conservative majority, with the
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The long-delayed Homeless Navigation Center in Palm Springs is now providing hygiene services, meals, and shelter with the goal to eventually move people into permanent housing. News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson toured the project today with more on the progress being made. Get the News Channel 3 app here.
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A coalition of mayors from the state’s largest cities today visited Sacramento to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislature to make permanent funding homelessness services across California. The Big City Mayors coalition, chaired by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, requested Newsom and legislators avoid making cuts to the Homelessness Housing, Assistance and Prevention
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It’s a major project the city of Palm Springs is calling a “game changer” for addressing the homeless crisis. City and county officials gave News Channel 3’s Peter Daut an exclusive tour of the new Palm Springs Navigation Center, ahead of its opening. While most of the Navigation Center remains under construction, the early-entry facility
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The Riverside County Housing and Workforce Solutions Department will host a Fourth District Homeless Symposium on Thursday to facilitate a discussion on creating housing and addressing homelessness. The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, 47470 Van Buren St., according to Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. It will
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Riverside County agencies completed a “sheltered only” homeless survey in lieu of a comprehensive count, and the results are due out in April, officials said today. The Board of Supervisors decided last May to shift to biennial Point-In-Time Surveys, which involve canvassing all possible locations where homeless people may be trying to live, outdoors and
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The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an allocation of $7.5 million in funding to complete the Palm Springs Navigation Center campus. County officials said the facility will be integral to the region’s efforts to address homelessness. It is set to provide 80 interim housing units with full wrap-around services. The three‑building campus located at
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The most recent Riverside County study shows its unsheltered population is growing. Right now, there are around 3,300 unhoused people, up 12% from last year. Only about 1,200 are currently living in shelters and the rest are on the streets. According to Martha’s Village and Kitchen, on any given night in the Coachella Valley, there are
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Martha’s Village and Kitchen will operate an overnight Shelter for unhoused residents beginning Friday at the Palm Springs Access Center. The Palm Springs Access Center is located at 225 El Cielo Road, right across the street from the Palm Springs International Airport. City officials said the overnight shelter is part of efforts to assist unhoused
Continue Reading By TRÂN NGUYỄN and JANIE HAR Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Tensions are rising in California’s capital city as the Sacramento district attorney threatened to file charges against city officials over their handling of the homelessness crisis, saying they are too lenient in their approach and are failing to enforce the rules. District Attorney
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A Coachella Valley effort to remove homeless people from the streets by offering them permanent housing is showing positive results but facing headwinds in its search for affordable homes to keep the program expanding. High housing costs are a part of California’s growing homeless population, and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments is now running into the same problem as so
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The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved $7.6 million in federal funding to support emergency shelter projects in Riverside County. The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). County officials said the funds will support the development of eight new housing projects located across all five supervisorial districts. Two of those projects are
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Originally Published: 11 JUL 23 16:05 ET Updated: 11 JUL 23 18:49 ET By Nick Watt, CNN Los Angeles (CNN) — California has spent a stunning $17.5 billion trying to combat homelessness over just four years. But, in the same time frame, from 2018 to 2022, the state’s homeless population actually grew. Half of all
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