DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A new push to clear homeless encampments is creating mixed reactions. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Desert Hot Springs City Council passed the camping restrictions ordinance that is aimed at removing homeless encampments from public spaces, while citing safety and sanitation concerns. Some Desert Hot Springs residents say it’s long
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Partnering with different church kitchens like Our Lady of Guadalupe and United Methodist Church, Well In The Desert has brought hot meals to Palm Springs’ homeless population for more than 20 years. But recent construction at Church of St. Paul In the Desert has left the nonprofit without a viable kitchen on Wednesdays. With homeless
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County officials and local volunteers took part in the 2025 Riverside County Point-in-Time Homeless Count. Volunteers were out at various locations across Palm Springs to conduct the count. The goal is to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in the area, providing data for local and federal agencies. This information will help the county
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The Riverside County Homeless Point-in-Time Count is taking place Wednesday morning at the Palm Springs Pavilion. It is intended to accurately count the number of unhoused residents in the city. It will be attended by Palm Springs mayor Ron deHarte, police chief Andrew Mills and fire chief Paul Alvarado. The count helps determine the level of federal
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Officials today announced the need for members of faith-based groups, churches, civic affairs organizations, public agencies, student bodies and many others to help with Riverside County’s 2025 point-in-time homeless count, slated for later this month. “By helping us count homeless individuals throughout the county, we can have a better idea of the type of services
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Associated Press The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally
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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
Continue Reading 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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