BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Governor Gavin Newsom was in Bakersfield Thursday highlighting services offered to combat homelessness and build affordable housing in the area and the state.
Newsom toured the Park 20th Apartments, a 55-unit complex for homeless veterans and low-income families. There, he met with several former homeless veterans, including Robert Thomas, about the state’s homeless crisis.
“Before I moved here, I had a house with me, but my girlfriend and I lost the house,” Thomas said. “I had to live in my truck for 5-6 days. It was pretty hard.”
But he was eventually connected with Park 20th, and no longer has to worry about living in his truck.
Following the tour of the complex, Newsom spoke with a bipartisan group of local and state leaders, including Senators Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) and Melissa Hurtado(D-Sanger), Assemblymen Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) and Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield), and Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh. Each of them agreed both sides of the aisle must come together to combat homelessness.
The governor spoke about the 2019 state budget, which provided $650 million to local governments across the state for emergency homeless aid. Kern County would receive a portion of $39 million in funding. He called on Kern governments to partner with the state to use the funds.
“We can’t do it alone,” Newsom said. “The state vision for solving or ending chronic homelessness cannot be realized top down. Has to be realized bottom up in partnership…I don’t think we can solve homelessness. I know we can solve homelessness.”
Thomas shared a similar sentiment.
“Veterans are homeless, but normal regular people are homeless. And we need help. They need help. All the help we can get. The governor coming here is fantastic,” he continued.
