Assembly Continues Oversight of Homelessness Spending

On Wednesday, Budget Subcommittee No. 7 on Accountability and Oversight again focused on how the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program is spending taxpayer dollars to get people off the street and into homes.

• Nick Miller
• Communications Director
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SACRAMENTO- This week, the Assembly continued oversight of California's housing and homelessness spending, convening its latest special budget subcommittee hearing to scrutinize how billions in taxpayer dollars are being used - and whether the state is getting results.

On Wednesday, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 7 on Accountability and Oversight, chaired by Assemblymember Gregg Hart, probed the effectiveness of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program. HHAP deploys one-time funding with the goal to prevent and reduce homelessness in California.

This is the third oversight hearing on homelessness spending by this committeein as many years, following hearings in May 2024 and March 2025, resulting in rigorous reporting and oversight of taxpayer dollars.

"As Speaker, I've insisted homelessness funding come with real accountability. Californians are tired of excuses - they want results. We've made progress over the past two years, and our Assembly will keep pushing until more Californians are in permanent homes," Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said.

"In the communities I represent, state homelessness assistance funding has transitioned more than 800 people from homelessness into housing - providing a clear example of what success can look like," said Assemblymember Hart."But getting people housed is only the first step. We must ensure they remain housed for the long term. Through strong accountability and oversight, we are identifying what works and what doesn't - and charting a path forward to break the cycle of homelessness affecting communities across California."

In 2023, the Legislature decided to pair investments with accountability reforms, a move that strengthens oversight and performance, and cracks down on mismanagement of funds.

As the state continues to distribute HHAP funding to local governments, the work of the Legislature will ensure:

• Stronger program oversight by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), which has authority to monitor expenditures and track outcomes, along with implementing corrective action plans and enforcing compliance
• Initial funds go only to governments and organizations who are in good standing with reporting and on track for spending their funds from previous rounds.
• Local governments and nonprofits are cooperating regionally to improve outcomes.

This work is also transparent, with a detailed public dashboard showing how funds are being granted and spent.

Wednesday's hearing in Budget Subcommittee 7 brought together state and local experts who oversee and utilize the HHAP program. Panelists and lawmakers discussed the value of the funding, and how best to structure the program moving forward to achieve results and maintain accountability. Participants stressed that homelessness is closely tied to the lack of affordable housing, underscoring why the Assembly has emphasized building more housing, faster.

Oversight of Homelessness Spending - A Recent History

In 2024, Speaker Rivas debuted the new Budget Subcommittee 7 to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently.

In just its third hearing that year, then-Chair Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Santa Ana) and fellow Democrats on the committee explored the totality of state homelessness efforts, following a State Auditor report that concluded there was insufficient data to evaluate the program's cost-effectiveness. Current Chair Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) has continued the committee's sharp focus.

Responding to the work of the subcommittee and implementing recommendations from the audit, the Legislature ensured that future HHAP funding (beginning in Round 6) included stronger oversight by the HCD, stricter conditions for local governments to demonstrate progress and more public transparency requirements.

The Assembly's Continued Commitment to Accountability

Under Speaker Rivas' leadership, the Assembly has consistently prioritized impact, oversight and accountability.

From the formation of new committeesthat make sure taxpayer dollars are implemented effectively and efficiently to special affordability-focused hearings on energy pricesand the top cost drivers for working families, the Assembly has prioritized robust oversight of state spending and new legislation with real impact - especially in lowering the cost of living in California.

In 2025, Speaker Rivas also lowered the number of bills legislators can introducefrom 50 to 35, so that every leader in the Assembly has the greatest possible bandwidth to focus on making sure California's laws uplift prosperity.

The Budget Subcommittee 7 has scrutinized state spending and pushed for accountability in a variety of issues areas, including state reserves and the Rainy Day Fund, government operational efficiencies, broadband, and impacts of recent threats to federal funding.

Now in 2026, the Speaker is empowering members to emphasize collaborative review of enacted legislation by introducing an "Outcomes Review" oversight toolwith hearings underway, which government policy author Jennifer Pahlka described as a "bold" and "intentional, structured processfor evaluating whether the laws lawmakers pass actually do what they're supposed to do" on her Eating PolicySubstack.