Governor Gavin Newsom's recent interview with Sean Hannity, where he admitted California's homelessness crisis is "disgraceful," offered a glimmer of hope. He rightly pointed to high housing costs and bureaucratic hurdles as contributing factors, acknowledging the stark contrast between California's 170,000 homeless and Florida's 26,000, despite similar climates. While Newsom's willingness to take responsibility is commendable, a crucial piece of the puzzle remains unaddressed: the intertwined mental health crisis.

Speaking on Doctor Radio Reports, Dr. Maria Raven, Chief of Emergency Medicine at UCSF, highlighted a critical bottleneck. Emergency rooms often become temporary holding areas for individuals experiencing mental health episodes, with limited options for long-term care. The lack of appropriate facilities and housing forces many back onto the streets, perpetuating a cycle of instability. Dr. Raven argues that investing in housing upfront would ultimately save significant healthcare costs down the line.

California's approach to mental health has been problematic for decades. Deinstitutionalization, while conceptually sound, has failed due to a lack of community-based support and housing. The state's five remaining mental health hospitals, with a capacity of just 7,000, primarily serve individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Unlike some states, California's prisons prioritize release over treatment, further exacerbating the issue by sending thousands with mental health challenges back into communities ill-equipped to support them. Over a third of California's nearly 95,000 inmates have diagnosed mental illnesses.

A 2015 San Jose State study revealed that almost 14,000 of the nearly 19,000 seriously mentally ill individuals in prison were there due to state hospital closures. California's homeless population already includes a significant number struggling with mental illness, often without access to treatment. Living on the streets only exacerbates these conditions. Simply throwing money at the problem, as evidenced by proposed measures like installing planters to deter encampments, is a superficial fix that doesn't address the root causes.

While New York City's shelter system has its flaws, it provides a safety net absent in California, where a vast majority of the homeless lack shelter. Newsom's $15.3 billion plan to combat homelessness needs to prioritize a cultural shift. This involves creating affordable housing, expanding access to mental health services, and prioritizing treatment over incarceration. Addressing the underlying mental health crisis is essential to truly solving California's homelessness problem.