(NationalUSNews.com) — California city officials recently approved a new multimillion-dollar project to build apartments for the homeless, despite a recent audit finding that California spent more than $24 billion on the state’s homeless crisis.
The audit also reveals that California’s state officials can’t identify what projects the $24 billion went to, raising concerns about budgetary wasting on undefined projects or programs. Although the audit seems damning, Santa Monica has approved yet another project that would construct apartments for the homeless, with each unit costing more than $1 million.
Santa Monica recently posted a design concept on its official website, which confirms that the project will cost more than $123 million. The website also features an alternative project that would prove even more expensive for California, costing a whopping $200 million. Although the new programs would cost taxpayers tens of millions, Santa Monica city officials claim the new policy would help reduce the city’s growing rate of homelessness. Santa Monica’s mayor, Phil Brock, is among the city officials championing the new project, and said that he believes the new apartment would help homeless people thrive.
Brock cites the new apartment project as an attempt by Santa Monica officials to help bring affordable housing to the city’s homeless population. Brock expects homeless individuals and struggling families to take advantage of the new free apartments immediately after construction. The affordable housing project includes multiple floor plans for the apartments and will feature studio apartments, apartments with one or two bedrooms, and a few apartments featuring three bedrooms.
The new apartment project follows a recent audit that detailed California’s spending on projects related to the homelessness crisis. The audit revealed that California’s state officials spent approximately $24 billion over five years on various programs to reduce homelessness. Despite the heavy spending on programs and construction projects, such as the apartments, California state officials can’t provide transparent information about how the spending helped reduce the state’s growing rate of homelessness.
Media outlets contacted Santa Monica officials to ask how the city would implement the new program and whether city officials would monitor the apartment project to prevent unnecessary spending. A spokesperson for Santa Monica responded to questions about the new apartment construction but didn’t address whether city officials planned on implementing transparency regarding the new project. The spokesperson stated that Santa Monica officials know the latest audit and still plan to allow the project to progress.
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