8257.
(a) The Governor shall create an Interagency Council on Homelessness.(b) The council shall have all of the following goals:
(1) To oversee implementation of this chapter.
(2) To identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.
(3) To create partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, participants in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program, federal
agencies, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, nonprofit entities working to end homelessness, homeless services providers, and the private sector, for the purpose of arriving at specific strategies to end homelessness.
(4) To promote systems integration to increase efficiency and effectiveness while focusing on designing systems to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age.
(5) To coordinate existing funding and applications for competitive funding. Any action taken pursuant to this paragraph shall not restructure or change any existing allocations or allocation formulas.
(6) To make policy and procedural recommendations to legislators
and other governmental entities.
(7) To identify and seek funding opportunities for state entities that have programs to end homelessness, including, but not limited to, federal and philanthropic funding opportunities, and to facilitate and coordinate those state entities’ efforts to obtain that funding.
(8) To broker agreements between state agencies and departments and between state agencies and departments and local jurisdictions to align and coordinate resources, reduce administrative burdens of accessing existing resources, and foster common applications for services, operating, and capital funding.
(9) To serve as a statewide facilitator, coordinator, and policy development resource on ending homelessness in
California.
(10) To report to the Governor, federal Cabinet members, and the Legislature on homelessness and work to reduce homelessness.
(11) To ensure accountability and results in meeting the strategies and goals of the council.
(12) To identify and implement strategies to fight homelessness in small communities and rural areas.
(13) To create a statewide data system or warehouse, that collects local data through Homeless Management Information Systems, with the ultimate goal of matching data on homelessness
to programs impacting homeless recipients of state programs, such as Medi-Cal (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9) and CalWORKs (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9).
(14) To set goals to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.
(15) To improve the safety, health, and welfare of young people experiencing homelessness in the state.
(16) To increase system integration and coordinating efforts to prevent homelessness among youth who are currently or formerly involved in the child welfare system or the juvenile justice system.
(17) To lead efforts to coordinate a spectrum of
funding, policy, and practice efforts related to young people experiencing homelessness.
(18) To identify best practices to ensure homeless minors who may have experienced maltreatment, as described in Section 300, are appropriately referred to, or have the ability to self-refer to, the child welfare system.
(c) (1) The council shall consist of the following members:
(A) The Secretary of Business, Consumer Services and Housing, who shall serve as chair of the council.
(B) The Director of Transportation.
(C) The Director of Housing and Community Development.
(D) The Director of Social Services.
(E) The Director of the California Housing Finance Agency.
(F) The Director of Health Care Services.
(G) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(H) The Secretary of the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation.
(I) The Executive Director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee in the Treasurer’s office.
(J) The Director of Public Health. State Public Health Officer.
(K) The Director of the California Department of Aging.
(L) The Director of Rehabilitation.
(M) The Director of State Hospitals.
(N) The executive director of the California
Workforce Development Board.
(O) The Director of the Office of Emergency Services.
(P) A representative from the State Department of Education, who shall be appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(Q) A representative of the state public higher education system who shall be from one of the following:
(i) The California Community Colleges.
(ii) The University of California.
(iii) The California State University.
(R) A current or formerly homeless person who lives in California.
(S) A current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California.
(2) The Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly shall each appoint one member to the council from two different stakeholder organizations.
(3) The council may, at its discretion, invite stakeholders, individuals who have experienced homelessness, members of philanthropic communities, and experts to participate in meetings or provide information to the council.
(4) The council shall hold public meetings at least once every quarter.
(d) The council shall regularly seek guidance from and, at least once every quarter, meet with an advisory committee that reflects racial and gender diversity, and shall include the following:
(1) A survivor of gender-based violence who formerly experienced homelessness.
(2) Representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program.
(3) Stakeholders with expertise in solutions to homelessness and best practices from other states.
(4) Representatives of committees on African Americans, youth, and survivors of gender-based
violence.
(e) Within existing funding, the council may establish working groups, task forces, or other structures from within its membership or with outside members to assist it in its work. Working groups, task forces, or other structures established by the council shall determine their own meeting schedules.
(1)The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) shall not apply to a meeting of a working group, task force, or other structure within the membership if only a minority of members of the council participate in that working group, task force, or other structure.
(2)Except as provided in paragraph (1),
the council is subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and all meetings of the council are subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.
(f) Upon request of the council, a state agency or department that administers one or more state homelessness programs, including, but not limited to, an agency or department represented on the council pursuant to subdivision (c), the agency or department shall be required to do both of the following:
(1) Participate in council workgroups, task forces, or other similar administrative structures.
(2) Provide to the council any relevant information regarding those state homelessness programs.
(g) The members of the council shall serve without compensation, except that members of the council who are, or have been, homeless may receive reimbursement for travel, per diem, or other expenses.
(h) The appointed members of the council or committees, as described in this section, shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority.
(i) The Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency shall provide staff for the council.
(j) The members of the council may enter into memoranda of understanding with other members of the council to achieve the goals set forth in this chapter, as necessary, in order to facilitate communication and cooperation
between the entities the members of the council represent.
(k) There shall be an executive officer of the council under the direction of the Secretary of Business, Consumer Services and Housing.
(l) The council shall be under the direction of the executive
officer and staffed by employees of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.