Michael Shellenberger Plus: How It To Solve the Problem, Once and For All Share California saw its homeless population rise by 31 percent even as the number of homeless declined 18 percent in the rest of the United States between 2010 and 2020. As a result, there are today 161,000 total homeless in California, with about 113,000 of them “unsheltered,” meaning they’re sleeping in tents on sidewalks, in parks, and alongside highways. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed in a press conference today to spend another $12 billion on housing and services for homelessness. Unfortunately, he is doubling down on the exact same solutions that have worsened the problem over the last decade.