HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 1708 HHAP Pathways for Cities Act - City of SLO - SUPPORTCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
February 11, 2026
The Honorable José Luis Solache
California State Assembly
1020 N St. Rm. 5110
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 1708 (Solache) HHAP Pathways for Cities Act.
Notice of SUPPORT (As Introduced 2/4/2026)
Dear Assembly Member Solache,
The City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to support AB 1708 (Solache), which would create a new
pathway for cities with populations under 300,000 to access state homelessness funding. Since 2019,
the state’s flagship homelessness grant program, the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention
(HHAP) program, has provided direct funding to cities with populations over 300,000, all 58 counties,
and the 44 Continuums of Care (CoC) across California.
This structure has left most cities without a consistent pathway to access HHAP funding, despite
investing significant General Fund resources to prevent and reduce homelessness in their
communities. AB 1708 would address this by creating a new opportunity for the 469 California cities
with populations under 300,000 to apply for HHAP funding through their CoC.
Specifically, AB 1708 would require CoCs, before allocating funding to other subrecipients in their
region, to accept applications for 30 days only from cities with populations under 300,000. This
measure would strike a reasonable balance between access and accountability, requiring interested
cities to commit to regionally coordinated action plans and adhere to state housing and encampment
policies.
AB 1708 would also require CoCs to prioritize applications from cities that have existing partnerships
with non-profits, other cities, or have already leveraged state and local funding for existing projects
in their communities. This would ensure that limited state resources are deployed efficiently and
deliver measurable results in reducing homelessness.
The City of San Luis Obispo has made significant investments to address homelessness, including
funding emergency shelter operations, expanding outreach and behavioral health services, and
supporting permanent supportive housing projects. We have partnered with local non-profits and
the County to implement a community safe parking pilot program and encampment resolution
strategies to address our community’s needs. Despite these efforts, demand for services and housing
continues to outpace available resources. Additional state funding through HHAP would allow us to
scale proven programs, accelerate housing placements, and strengthen regional collaboration to
reduce homelessness in our community.
As the Governor and the Legislature consider future investments in the HHAP program, it is important
to ensure the program is structured to maximize its reach and impact. Providing all cities with a
pathway to participate in HHAP would strengthen regional collaboration and ensure state resources
are deployed where they can most effectively serve unhoused Californians.
Local governments are best positioned to identify the programs and partnerships that will have the
greatest impact in our communities. AB 1708 recognizes this, creating a clearly defined opportunity
for all cities to compete for state resources, so that communities of all sizes can have a meaningful
role in the state’s response efforts.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to support AB 1708 (Solache).
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
Cc: Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Senator John Laird
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org