Marisa Kendall
CalMattersMarisa Kendall covers California’s homelessness crisis for CalMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics, and a JPR news partner.
-
Whoever takes the mantle as California’s next governor will face an immediate test as they try to solve the crisis of homelessness on the streets. -
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court struggles to serve Californians in acute mental health crises. Two bills are moving forward to change that. -
Homelessness prevention shows promising results in California, as advocates push to spread it statewide and nationally. -
A California company is using AI to help diagnose homeless Californians. The technology promises better access to health care, but it also raises questions. -
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is pressuring local leaders to pass ordinances regulating homeless encampments, among other requirements. -
A new law going into effect Jan. 1, 2026 prevents cities from penalizing outreach workers who provide services such as legal aid or hand out blankets at encampments. -
In the most-comprehensive look yet at whether people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court, CalMatters found that far fewer Californians are enrolled in the mental health program than he projected. -
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Santa Clara County and San Francisco are suing the Trump administration over a huge shift in homelessness policy. -
Gov. Newsom introduced CARE Court to bring more people experiencing severe mental illness into treatment. It has helped fewer people than he projected, but a new law will make more people eligible for it. -
Thousands of Californians could return to homelessness as the feds reportedly plan to disinvest from permanent housing. -
Experts worry liberal California will be blacklisted from federal homelessness dollars, effectively counteracting recent progress. -
In the most-comprehensive look yet at whether people are using Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court, we found that far fewer Californians are enrolled in the mental health program than he projected.
