Fresno stop added to Gov. Newsom’s statewide homelessness tour
Gov. Gavin Newsom will be in Fresno on Wednesday as part of his homelessness tour across California, his office confirmed.
Newsom will visit Exodus Recovery, Inc. in southeast Fresno as part of his statewide homeless tour.
Exodus Recovery services many who are dealing with or experienced homelessness, and offers mental health services year-round to youth and adults.
The governor is expected to tour the facility then meet with the media.
Newsom kicked off the week-long tour in Grass Valley before visiting Los Angeles and Riverside, where he toured shelters and talked about homeless resources.
The tour comes as Newsom has announced a plan for statewide measure to be placed on the November ballot that would require localities and the state to meet aggressive goals to house the homeless.
The newest version of the plan places the burden on the state, counties and cities to get homeless people indoors. It’s what many homeless advocates call a “housing first” approach, which means drug addiction and mental health are addressed after the individual is placed in housing.
It also focuses on permanent housing, though shelters with services may be part of the plan for areas where housing is more available.
In the city of Fresno, 1,152 people are homeless, and about 300 more are homeless but living in a shelter, according to a tally this year. Homelessness in Fresno and Madera counties grew about 17% from the previous year, the tally showed.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 4:12 PM.
