Gavin Newsom's Crackdown: Clearing Homeless Camps Could Spark New Crisis

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is turning up the heat on homeless encampments, ordering state officials to dismantle thousands of them. But as the tents come down, critics say a new crisis could be just around the corner.

Take Oakland, for example. John Janosko used to call the Wood Street encampment home. The sprawling camp was one of the biggest in the state until it was bulldozed over a year ago. Some former residents, like Janosko, found a spot in tiny cabins or managed to secure permanent housing with help from nonprofits. But many others are still sleeping in cars, RVs, or makeshift shelters behind stores like Target.

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“The sad thing is most people on the street don't even understand what the governor's doing,” Janosko, 55, who once worked as a chef before losing his apartment and living on the streets for a decade, told CNN recently. “It's just somebody saying they're going to make our lives even harder. It's like getting hit with a hammer day in and day out.”

Newsom's directive followed a recent Supreme Court ruling that backed an Oregon city's move to ticket homeless people for sleeping outside, rejecting arguments that such laws are cruel and unusual punishment. 

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Newsom’s message? “No more excuses. It's time for everyone to do their part.”

But many advocates for the homeless and some officials aren't buying it. They argue that tearing down camps without enough shelter beds or services just shifts the problem elsewhere. Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, blasted Newsom for “criminalizing poverty” and “doubling down on failed policies.”

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California is ground zero for homelessness in the U.S., with over 180,000 people living without homes. Despite billions spent on housing programs, the problem keeps growing. Sarah Hunter from the Rand Center on Housing and Homelessness calls Newsom's approach backward. “We should be building enough resources to place these people before we try to move them around,” she told CNN.

Research backs her up. A Rand study found that clearing camps in Los Angeles had no long-term effect on homelessness. In some places, the number of unsheltered people even went up.

Janosko, now in a small East Oakland apartment, fears the worst. “Every time you start to feel like you have a safety zone, it's wiped out again,” he said. “Where are the people going? If they're not in my neighborhood, then whose neighborhood are they going to?”

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