The Democratic governor of California – and his left-leaning policies – are being blamed for contributing to the state's problems surrounding homelessness, which increased dramatically during his first year in office.

A report released on Friday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that the percentage increase in California's homeless for 2019 is higher than the total of all the 49 other states combined. The increase – which exceeds tens of thousands of individuals (more than 16 percent) – was recorded in a year when most states saw a decrease in their numbers of homeless.

"While the rest of the country experienced a combined decrease in homelessness in 2019, significant increases in unsheltered and chronic homelessness on the West Coast – particularly California and Oregon – offset those nationwide decreases, causing an overall increase in homelessness of 2.7 percent in 2019," the HUD report reads.

Homelessness up from last year, but down from Obama years

With over half a million Americans homeless, the number still represents a double-digit percentage decrease from the beginning of the decade under former President Barack Obama.

"On a single night in January 2019, state and local planning agencies (Continuums of Care) reported [that] 567,715 people were homeless – representing an overall 2.7 percent increase (14,885) from 2018, but a nearly 11 percent decline since 2010," HUD informed.

Even though two-thirds of the states took more people off the streets than putting them on, many left-leaning states did the opposite.

"Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported declines in homelessness between 2018 and 2019, while 21 states reported increases in the number of persons experiencing homelessness," the report added. "Homelessness in California increased by 21,306 people (16.4 percent), which is more than the total national increase of every other state combined."

People being indefinitely on the streets is becoming a greater problem – especially on the predominantly "blue" West Coast.

"Also, the number of people experiencing chronic or long-term homelessness rose by 8.5% over the last year," TheBlaze pointed out. "The increase was reportedly concentrated on the West Coast, with the largest being in California."

HUD Secretary Ben Carson stressed how the Democrat-dominated Pacific states are making poverty worse – not better.

Carson

"As we look across our nation, we see great progress, but we're also seeing a continued increase in street homelessness along our West Coast where the cost of housing is extremely high," Carson noted.

"In fact, homelessness in California is at a crisis level and needs to be addressed by local and state leaders with crisis-like urgency. Addressing these challenges will require a broader, community-wide response that engages every level of government to compassionately house our fellow citizens who call the streets their home."

President Donald Trump warned Govenor Gavin Newsom that he needs to clean up his act or Washington will have to jump in.

"Governor Gavin N has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California," Trump tweeted Wednesday. "If he can't fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!"

But Newsom earlier blamed Trump for his state's increasing homeless problem.

"California is making historic investments now to help our communities fight homelessness," Newsom asserted earlier this month in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "But we have work to do and we need the federal government to do its part."

Besides Newsom, Trump also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her 12th congressional district's homeless crisis. Her district includes San Francisco.

"Nancy Pelosi's District in California has rapidly become one of the worst anywhere in the U.S. when it come to the homeless & crime," Trump tweeted Thursday. "It has gotten so bad, so fast – she has lost total control and, along with her equally incompetent governor, Gavin Newsom. It is a very sad sight!"

California, here I go …

Further condemning Democrats' policies for impoverishing the Golden State is former Assemblyman Chuck Devore (R-Calif.), who moved to Texas as California got worse and worse.

"California's progressive left policies are killing the state," Devore insisted on Fox & Friends, according to Fox News. "The state is dying. Everything is more expensive. Their energy is more expensive, housing is more expensive."

He warned voters about America's future should progressive policy makers take over.

"If you want a blueprint of what America will look like if the left takes over, look no further than California," Devore added. "They have half of the nation's unsheltered individuals in one state – in California. The place is falling apart."

He said it will be hard for Republicans to go into a Democratic-run California and turn things around.

"California is failing, [and] President Trump certainly is going to have his work cut out for him because it's very difficult for the federal government to move alone – without the state and local governments backing them up," Devore impressed.

"However, I know a lot of nonprofits out in California would certainly love to see a change in policy, and maybe we're going to see that and maybe we will start to see a reduction in the homeless population. In the meantime, though, California isn't looking good."

The exodus from California is expected to exceed population growth from births and immigration.

"I predict within two years, you're actually going to see California begin to shrink in population as people leave the state and go to other places like Texas – where taxes are lower and regulation is less," Devore concluded.