California Voters Support Policies To Combat the State’s Homelessness Crisis
By Evangel Penumaka, Data For Progress
California was already facing a severe homelessness crisis prior to the pandemic, and it has only been exacerbated since. A 2019 estimate put the number of unhoused people in California at more than 150,000. However, this figure is likely underestimated and has no doubt increased in the midst of the pandemic and the economic crisis we’re facing. The crisis is particularly prominent in Los Angeles County: a recent count in June 2020 shows 66,436 people experiencing homelessness in the county, with 41,290 in the city of Los Angeles alone.
Lawmakers in California have taken steps to both provide shelter for the unhoused and prevent the spread of the virus. Project Roomkey — an effort funded primarily through federal relief aid — was started following the pandemic to use hotel and motel rooms to provide shelter for the unhoused. President Biden recently passed an executive order directing FEMA to fully reimburse cities and counties for the cost of opening and operating hotels to house the homeless. This offers a significant source of funding to continue the project and increase the amount of people in California that Project Roomkey reaches.
In a late January survey, Data for Progress examined likely voter support for this policy in Los Angeles County. We asked voters if they would support or oppose a proposal to increase the use of hotels and motels to house the homeless population in Los Angeles. We find that Los Angeles County voters support the proposal by a 24-percentage-point margin. This is particularly popular among Democrats by a 35-percentage-point margin (65 percent support) and Independents by a 31-percentage-point margin (61 percent support).
We also examined support for a policy solution to establish a permanent source of funding to combat homelessness in California more broadly. California Assembly Bill 71 — the “Bring California Home Act” — was introduced on the first day of California’s 2021-22 Session by Assembly Members Luz Rivas and David Chiu. Among its provisions, the bill would raise taxes on corporations that make more than $5 million a year. The revenue would be used to fund a range of efforts to help California’s homelessness crisis, from expanding emergency shelters to creating more affordable housing.
First, we tested support for the legislation on a California wide survey of 594 likely voters fielded in mid-January. Sixty-nine percent of likely California voters support this policy plan. Democrats are overwhelmingly in support (89 percent support) alongside a majority of Independents (52 percent). The majority of Republicans oppose this legislation (51 percent).
We also tested support for AB-71 in our survey of Los Angeles County voters, here providing more information from supporters and opponents of such a proposal. Voters were shown the following text:
Some lawmakers in California are proposing to raise income taxes on corporations that make more than $5 million per year in profits, and use the revenue to fund homeless programs.
Supporters of this proposal say this will help reduce the homeless population in California and create permanent, affordable housing solutions. Opponents of this proposal say it will lead to higher costs for consumers and discourage businesses from staying in the state.
When thinking about this, what comes closer to your view?
When shown both viewpoints of this policy plan, we find 57 percent of voters in Los Angeles County say we should do so to fund homeless programs. This has support from the majority of Democrats by a 41-percentage-point-margin (66 percent support) and Independents by a 29-percentage-point margin (60 percent support).
Both of these surveys find support for policies that would provide pivotal steps to tackle this crisis in California — particularly in cities like Los Angeles that have faced a significant growth in their unhoused population. Currently in Los Angeles, three hotels are being used under Project Roomkey to house about 900 people with a total capacity of 1,200 beds. This is a positive step, but not nearly enough to support the thousands of others still without shelter. Additionally, as we recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic we must acknowledge that inequalities that existed prior to the pandemic have not disappeared. Racial disparities in the U.S. have led to an overrepresentation of people of color who experience homelessness. The climate crisis also leaves this population vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. We need lawmakers in California to act with urgency to support the unhoused population, address these racial inequities, and create a path towards permanent, affordable housing solutions.
Evangel Penumaka (@evangelpenumaka) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress
Survey Methodology
Los Angeles County survey:
From January 29 to February 1, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 516 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±4.3 percentage points. The raw count of likely voters by party are 317 Democrats, 108 Independents / Third Party and 91 Republicans.
California survey:
From January 16 to January 19, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 564 likely voters in California using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±4.1 percentage points. The raw count of likely voters by party of 287 Democrats, 129 Independents / Third Party and 148 Republicans.