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Federal government plans to crackdown on homelessness across California

By Christien Kafton, KTVU
Published  September 11, 2019 1:57pm EDT
U.S.
FOX 5 New York

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - San Francisco's ongoing homelessness crisis has been drawing increasing attention. Now the President is reportedly mulling a plan to take a more active role in addressing homelessness.

San Francisco's homeless crisis has made headlines across the country. According to a report from the Washington Post, the Trump administration is planning a major crackdown on homelessness across California, possibly even planning to relocate homeless into new government-backed facilities with administration officials already meeting in Southern California. 

"I own property in San Francisco," the president said in July. "I don't care, except it was so beautiful. Areas you thought were special you take a look, it's terrible."

President Trump discussed homelessness in California and specifically San Francisco, hinting at the time his administration may take some kind of action. 

"We're looking at it very seriously. We may intercede," he said. "We may do something to get it cleaned."

Mayor London Breed said if the President is serious about addressing homelessness and its root causes and is willing to look for viable long term solutions she would welcome federal aid. 

"The decline in the amount of federal resources for affordable housing in San Francisco, and in California, in general, has been significant, and so the need is great," Breed said.

San Francisco's Coalition On Homelessness is preparing for its annual fundraiser, an art auction in SOMA set for Thursday.

Executive Director Jennifer Friedenbach says the president proposing to help end homelessness is ironic in light of Trump administration policies that she says have increased homelessness. 

"They cut housing by up to 80 percent. The Trump administration itself has cut a lot of Section 8, has cut HUD," said Friedenbach. 

KTVU reached out to the White House and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to get an idea of what this homeless federal intervention might look like but have yet to hear back.