Tucker Carlson on homelessness: what the evidence says · JRE #2138
SUBJECT: HOMELESSNESS
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
But when they did that study where they said that they had no data, like, how are you? What? You can't say whether or not it's doing anything? Well, how'd you spend $24 billion?
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Carlson referenced a real California State Auditor report (released April 9, 2024) that reviewed state homelessness spending of nearly $24 billion across fiscal years 2018-19 through 2022-23, a figure the audit attributes to the Legislative Analyst's Office. The audit found the California Interagency Council on Homelessness had not consistently tracked spending or outcomes since 2021 and, of five state programs reviewed, could not assess the cost-effectiveness of three (SRAP, HHAP, and ERF, representing $9.4 billion in funding) because of insufficient outcome data; two programs, including the Homekey hotel-conversion initiative and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program, were found likely cost-effective. The $24 billion figure is accurate. Carlson's characterization that the audit found "no data" and could not "say whether or not it's doing anything" overstates the report, which found inconsistent and incomplete tracking for three of five reviewed programs rather than a total absence of data, and which did reach conclusions about the other two programs it examined. Status: largely accurate on the dollar figure and the tracking failure, but exaggerated in describing a total data void across all state homelessness spending.