Fresno County to Administer $10.1 Million in State Homelessness Funds

Fresno County announced March 11 it will administer $10.1 million in state funding through California's Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program to address homelessness across Fresno and Madera counties, a grant that had been uncertain for months given the state's projected budget deficit.

The money, drawn from the sixth round of HHAP, will flow through the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care, the regional network of local agencies and nonprofits that coordinates homeless services across both counties and conducts the annual Point-in-Time Count. The continuum's most recent count found more than 4,300 people experiencing homelessness in the two-county region. The county will direct the funds toward emergency shelters, youth shelters, rental assistance, homeless prevention, and street outreach programs.

Fresno County's role as administrator stems directly from a governance shift the Board of Supervisors approved in 2025, when supervisors voted to bring management of the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care under the county umbrella, making the county the region's centralized coordinator of homeless services.

Supervisor Nathan Magsig framed the funding as an opportunity to deepen that centralization. "With this HHAP-6 funding, Fresno County is in a stronger position to build a consolidated system of care for our Fresno County residents experiencing homelessness that combines compassion and better coordination for long-term solutions," Magsig said. Supervisor Luis Chavez added: "This investment will enable Fresno County and our partners to meet people where they are in their journey and equip our unhoused friends and neighbors to move toward housing and stability."

The $10.1 million follows a separately awarded $10.5 million state grant to the city of Fresno. Since 2023, HHAP has helped place more than 94,000 people into permanent housing statewide and has assisted more than 4,000 individuals in Fresno and Madera counties specifically.

Despite those figures, Magsig cautioned that the funding faces a persistent structural challenge. "One of the biggest challenges we face with homelessness is as we spend dollars to bring people off the streets and help provide services to them, there are new homeless that are showing up right behind them," he said. He pointed to state-level policy as a contributing factor, noting that roughly half of California's prison beds have closed over the past decade. He said at least 800 individuals currently on probation or parole in Fresno County are also experiencing homelessness. Magsig also emphasized that coordination among cities and the county is essential because enforcement actions in one jurisdiction can simply push encampments into neighboring areas.

When asked directly whether the county has specific plans for the new funding and where the money will go, Magsig said the priority is maintaining and expanding existing services.

That accountability question carries added weight at the state level. An audit of the HHAP program has been requested as scrutiny grows over how California has allocated billions of dollars across successive rounds of the grant program. Magsig said his immediate focus remains on keeping current services intact while building toward a more coordinated regional system.