Report: California Sees Surge in Number of Homeless Women

California is experiencing a rise in the number of homeless women, among a general rise in homelessness on the streets of its major cities.

The crisis is one of the major drawbacks of life in a state with every natural advantage, and an abundance of wealth, but with a disproportionate share of the nation’s poor.

The UK Guardian reported Thursday:

Homelessness is a phenomenon that historically has predominantly affected men. But in California, where the number of homeless people surged to 181,000 this year, the number of homeless women has also grown. Newly released data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development show 60,000 unhoused women in the Golden state in 2023 – nearly as many as New York, Texas and Florida combined, and an increase of more than 50% over the previous eight years.

This rise poses a test for state policymakers, who must cope with an increase in groups that face unique challenges, such as domestic violence survivors, pregnant women and mothers. Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that proponents say makes California a national leader in addressing the needs of unhoused women. But despite the new law, the problem in California keeps getting worse.

Domestic violence is cited as a major driver of homelessness, with a study by the Urban Institute concluding earlier this year: “More than a quarter of women (28.7 percent) reported leaving permanent housing because of domestic or interpersonal violence. This was the most commonly cited reason for leaving a prior permanent housing placement.” Mental health challenges and poverty are also important factors.

Recently, Fox News noted, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “ten-year plan” to end homelessness in San Francisco, where he was mayor at the time, observed its twentieth anniversary — with no end to homelessness in sight.

Newsom did manage to clear the homeless off the streets of San Francisco last month, albeit temporarily — an action that he admitted he took to prepare the visit of Chinese premier Xi Jinping.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.