Yes, California’s half-assed efforts have been rife with fraud and waste.

https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2024/04/california-homelessness-spending

Similarly, it costs many billions more to fund our half-assed healthcare system than it would be to simply give people healthcare. Dealing with problems in a way that only attacks the symptoms is far more expensive and wasteful.

But it has been proven that guaranteeing housing is both cheaper and produces superior results.

https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/look-finlands-housing-first-initiative