Gov. Newsom Falling Short of Housing Goals

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signed package after package of new laws meant to streamline the housing approval process. The state’s housing crisis has proven to be a bit more stubborn to solve.

As 2025 looms, the new year offers a reminder of how the state’s housing supply has fallen short of the Governor’s original goal of adding 3.5 million new homes by next year, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Newsom set the ambitious goal in 2017 when he campaigned for governor. As of 2023, about 650,000 permits were taken out for new homes since he stepped into the governorship, according to the Chronicle report citing state and local government data.

That goal was later updated in 2022 when Newsom ran for reelection with the latest target now being 2.5 million homes planned by 2030. A spokesperson for the governor told the Chronicle that 1.1 million new homes have so far been added to cities’ and counties’ housing plans.

The report also called out Newsom’s goals to address homelessness. Although the governor never created a specific target for his administration to reach, the Chronicle reported homelessness has only ballooned since Newsom took office, rising from 150,000 in 2019 to about 180,000 in 2023.

A Newsom spokesperson defended the administration’s work pointing out state initiatives such as Project Roomkey and Homekey have collectively provided shelter or housing to some 82,000 individuals. Grants, the spokesperson told the Chronicle, have also been put to work for emergency housing and “supportive housing.” Ultimately, those efforts have led to a slowdown in the rate of increase of unsheltered homeless individuals, the spokesperson added.