'Incredibly Cruel' — Contra Costa County Told To Brace For Cuts

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Officials warned that looming and deep cuts could push hundreds of residents onto the streets and undo years of efforts to create a durable safety net for Contra Costa County.

Calling the situation "incredibly cruel," Housing and Homeless Services Director Christy Saxton said the county has been told to expect to see critical safety net funds slashed in half when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announces its next round of Continuum of Care funding, according to the East Bay Times and reports.

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Saxton said her department has been warned of a looming 40 percent cut in June to funding for permanent supportive housing. She said that equates to the loss of 500 homes in the community, according to the East Bay Times and reports.

The warning comes as federal housing funds remain in limbo and congressional budget cuts threaten to further destabilize services for the county’s unhoused population.

The county’s 2025 Point-in-Time Count recorded 2,118 unhoused people. The count was 26 percent lower than the year before.

Saxton said the cuts in support from its largest source of funding — HUD — could undo the progress the county has made.

Saxton outlined the dire warnings during a presentation to the Board of Supervisors on the 2024 Annual Report on Contra Costa Continuum of Care. The report details steps taken to address homelessness and housing instability in the county.

Supervisors began warning Contra Costa County residents in 2025 to prepare for hardship as budget cuts target safety-net programs and immigrant communities, shifting care burdens to local government. Officials said the reductions threaten hospitals, healthcare, food assistance, and social services for hundreds of thousands of residents, forcing the county to fill in widening gaps in support.

A report to the Board of Supervisors described the 2025 federal measure, "One Big Beautiful Bill," as a major shift in federal funding for state and local services.

Senior Deputy County Administrator Emlyn Struthers said the plan imposes sweeping fiscal and policy changes over the next decade, including reduced access to and funding for healthcare, food programs, and other core safety-net services, including Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 10 to place a countywide sales tax on the June 2 ballot.

Voters will decide whether to approve the increase to stabilize funding for healthcare and essential services.The proposal would increase the sales tax by 0.625 percent, or 62.5 cents per $100 on taxable goods, generating about $150 million annually or $750 million over five years.

Revenue would flow into the county’s general fund to support healthcare, public safety, and homelessness programs strained by federal cuts, with officials framing the measure as a backstop against a rapidly shrinking safety net.