Bill Text: CA AB1406 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: School facilities: leases of real property.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-08-27 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 204, Statutes of 2018. [AB1406 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB1406-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 18, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1406

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Introduced by Assembly Members Gloria and Chiu

February 17, 2017

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An act to add Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 50897) to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing, and making an appropriation therefor. housing.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1406, as amended, Gloria. Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program.

Existing law establishes various housing assistance programs directed by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

This bill would establish the Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program to be administered by the department to to, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, award grants to up to 10 local continuums of care, recipients, as defined, that demonstrate the ability to contract with service provider providers capable of providing housing assistance and supportive services to homeless youth with the goal of transitioning youth towards self-sufficiency, and would self-sufficiency. The bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services to work collaboratively to carry out the duties and functions of the program and to, among other things, enter into an interagency agreement to address the respective and shared responsibilities of the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services in implementing, overseeing, and evaluating the program. The bill would also require the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services to establish standards for recipients consistent with the requirements of program and to limit administrative costs.

The bill would require grantees to use funds to establish or expand programs that provide specified housing assistance and supportive services to homeless youth, as defined, under 25 years of age. The bill would require the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to establish minimum standards and procedures for awarding grants under the program. defined. The bill would require the department Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services to award grants under the program to local continuums of care recipients that meet specified requirements, including that the grantee match all grant funds on a dollar-by-dollar basis and that the grantee develop and submit a local plan to reduce homelessness among youth, 16 to 24, inclusive, years of age which shall include specified youth that includes, among other specified information, including a comprehensive outreach strategy to identify and assist homeless youth. The bill would require each grantee to annually report to the department Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services regarding the use of grant moneys, as specified. The bill would require the department to periodically inform the Legislature of the progress in implemending of the program and make related data available on its Internet Web site. The bill would require the department, Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services by October 1, 2019, to report to the Legislature regarding the implementation of the program, as specified. The bill would continuously appropriate $15,000,000 annually from the General Fund to the Department of Housing and Community Development for the purpose of awarding grants under the program.

Digest Key

Vote: TWO_THIRDSMAJORITY   Appropriation: YESNO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 50897) is added to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

CHAPTER  17. Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program

50897.

 This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program.

50897.1.

 (a) The Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program is established in the Department of Housing and Community Development to award grants to up to 10 local continuums of care recipients that demonstrate the ability to provide housing assistance and supportive services to homeless youth with the goal of transitioning youth towards self-sufficiency.

(b)The Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program shall be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

(b) The Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services shall work collaboratively to carry out the duties and functions imposed by this chapter. The departments shall do all of the following:

(1) No later than March 31, 2018, enter into an interagency agreement to address the respective and shared responsibilities of the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services in implementing, overseeing, and evaluating this chapter.

(2) Convene a process to inform the development of guidelines for the implementation of the program, which shall include input from stakeholders. Stakeholders providing input shall include, but not be limited to, organizations with experience serving homeless youth, organizations with experience providing housing or homeless services, youth advocates, and homeless advocates.

(3) Establish standards for recipients consistent with the requirements of this chapter and to limit administrative costs.

(4) Establish an evaluation process for the program.

(5) No later than December 31, 2018, finalize guidelines and requests for proposal.

(6) Review and approve proposals for funding.

(c) Of the total amount of funds appropriated for the program, the departments may use no more than 5 percent for the purpose of administering the program.

(c)

(d) Funds provided through the Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program shall be awarded in a three-year grant cycle.

50897.2.

 For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Benefits advocacy” means individual assistance provided to homeless youth to access benefits to which those homeless youth may be entitled, including, but not limited to, the county child welfare system system, the CalWORKs program (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code), the CalFresh program (Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code), the Medi-Cal program (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code), and Supplemental Security Income. Income, as well as advocacy to create medical-legal partnerships.

(b) “Child welfare services” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 16501 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) “Continuum of care” has the same meaning as that term is defined Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(d)“Department” means the Department of Housing and Community Development.

(d) “Departments” means the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Emergency Services.

(e) “Family finding” means a set of strategies to locate and engage relatives of children living in out-of-home care or at risk of living in out-of-home care, with the goal to connect each child with a family.

(f) “Homeless youth” means a person an unaccompanied youth 24 years of age or younger who is a homeless child or youth, as defined in Part 91 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Section 11434a of Title 42 of the United States Code, as that section read on January 1, 2017.

(g) “Housing navigation services” means housing identification, application assistance, landlord negotiation, and move-in assistance necessary to assist homeless individuals or families, or both, move as quickly as possible into housing.

(h) “Housing stabilization services” means services promoting housing stability, such as engagement, case management, public systems assistance, legal assistance, credit repair assistance, life skills training, and conflict mediation.

(i) “Interim housing” means a safe, decent residential setting that incorporates core components of Housing First, as provided in Section 8255 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and in which homeless youth wait to secure permanent or transitional housing.

(h)

(j) “Program” means the Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program developed under this chapter.

(i)

(k) “Rapid rehousing assistance” has the same meaning as that term is described in Section 576.104 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(l) “Recipients” includes all of the following:

(1) A city, county, or city and county that works with community-based organizations to provide all of the housing options and services identified in subdivision (b) of Section 50897.3.

(2) A homeless continuum of care.

(3) A community-based organization that meets all of the following requirements:

(A) Collaborates with other local agencies to provide the housing options and services identified in subdivision (b) of Section 50897.3.

(B) Has agreed to work together with other entities to develop a local plan to reduce homelessness among homeless youth consistent with paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 50897.3.

(C) Has received approval of the homeless continuum of care in the region in which the organization is operating.

(j)

(m) “Street outreach” has the same meaning as that term is described in Section 576.101 of Title 24 Code of Federal Regulations.

(k)

(n) “Supplemental security income” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 416.120 of Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(l)

(o) “Supportive housing” has the same meaning as that term is defined in subdivision (b) of Section 50675.14.

(m)

(p) “Time-limited housing assistance” includes rapid rehousing and transitional housing, and shall conform to the requirements of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 8255 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(q) “Transitional housing” has the same meaning as specified in Section 8255 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

50897.3.

 (a) The program shall shall, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, award grants to local continuums of care recipients that demonstrate the ability to contract with service providers capable of providing housing assistance and supportive services to homeless youth with the goal of transitioning youth towards self-sufficiency.

(b) A participating continuum of care recipient shall use grant funds to establish or expand programs that assess the housing and services needs of homeless youth, establish a plan to meet those needs in collaboration with the participant, and provide evidence-based housing and services models to participants. In coordination with other relevant county agencies, including a county’s child welfare and disability services agencies, the participating continuum of care recipient shall provide all of the following:

(1) (A) Based on each participant’s homeless youth’s assessed need for housing assistance, participating continuums of care recipients shall offer a range of housing options that meet the need of homeless youth, which shall include two or more of the following:

(i) Rapid rehousing assistance. rehousing.

(ii) Rental assistance to access affordable housing.

(ii)

(iii) Transitional housing, for a period not to exceed 36 months.

(iii)Supportive housing.

(iv) Supportive housing.

(iv)Housing navigation services.

(v)Family finding.

(vi)Street outreach.

(B) For purposes of this section, “housing assistance” does not include publicly or privately operated shelters and housing programs terminating less than six months after placement and nonpermanent living arrangements with family members or other acquaintances. placement. “Housing assistance” may include interim housing of up to nine months so long as the housing provider offers intensive housing navigation services to relocate the homeless youth in permanent housing as quickly as possible.

(2) Based on each participant’s assessed need for supportive services, participating continuums of care recipients shall offer all of the following, using evidence-based evidence-based, voluntary, and noncompulsory services models, such as motivational interviewing, positive youth development models, harm reduction, cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma-informed care: models:

(A) Benefits advocacy, including assistance accessing the county child welfare and foster care system and Supplemental Security Income. advocacy.

(B) Housing stabilization services, including engagement, case management, public systems assistance, legal services, credit repair assistance, life skills training, and conflict mediation. services.

(C) Provision of, or linkage to, care coordination to help participants access any medical, mental health, and substance use treatment the participant needs to attain health stability.

(D) Employment training, acquisition support, and retention services.

(E) Education supports related to receiving a high school diploma or a California High School Equivalency Certificate and access to higher education, including vocational colleges, the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, and other postsecondary educational institutions.

(F) Housing navigation.

(G) Family finding.

(H) Street outreach.

(c) The department departments shall award program funds to local continuums of care recipients subject to the following requirements:

(1) A continuum of care recipient that receives state funds under this program shall develop and submit a local plan to reduce homelessness among youth 16 to 24, inclusive, years of age. homeless youth. The plan shall include all of the following information:

(A) The current number of homeless youth within the jurisdiction of their local continuum of care and the expected level of reduction based on receipt of grant funds from the program. program, based on data aggregated from the annual Point-in-Time count conducted by, and the Homeless Management Information System of, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Homeless Children and Youths Program of the United States Department of Education, and any other reliable source of data on the number of homeless youth within the area served by the recipient.

(B)The housing services and supportive services currently available to homeless youth.

(C)The housing services and supportive services to be provided to homeless youth.

(D)

(B) The protocol to be used to ensure that homeless youth, 16 to 18, inclusive, years of age, are screened for maltreatment and assisted in their efforts to enter foster care.

(E)

(C) The protocol to be used to ensure that homeless youth are screened for eligibility for Supplemental Security Income and assisted in their efforts to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. benefits and receive benefits advocacy.

(F)The protocol to be used to ensure that homeless youth are screened for eligibility for CalWORKs and assisted in their efforts to receive CalWORKs.

(G)

(D) The protocol to be used to incorporate homeless youth into the local homeless services coordinated entry and assessment system.

(H)

(E) The comprehensive outreach strategy to identify and assist homeless youth.

(F) The protocol to be used to reduce disparities in access to housing and services for youth.

(2) A Regardless of housing type, a homeless service provider offering services funded by the program shall demonstrate the ability to provide comprehensive, culturally competent advocacy and housing competent, and trauma-informed services to meet the needs of homeless youth, including the specific needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. youth, commercially sexually exploited children and youth, and survivors of domestic violence.

(3) A continuum of care recipient that receives state funds under this program shall match that funding on a dollar-by-dollar basis. Funds used for this purpose shall supplement, not supplant, continuum of care recipient funding intended for these purposes. In-kind matches shall be allowable for the recipient matching requirement and may include reasonably calculable services, the fair market value of housing vouchers set aside for the program population, or the value of affordable apartments set aside for the program population.

(d)The department, in consultation with current and former homeless youth, John Burton Advocates for Youth, Housing California, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and other groups serving homeless and at-risk youth shall establish all of the following:

(1)Minimum standards and procedures for the awarding of grants and the determination of grant amounts under the program.

(2)The proportion of program funding to be expended on reasonable and appropriate administrative activities to minimize overhead and maximize services.

(3)Eligible sources of funds for a continuum of care’s matching contribution described under paragraph (3) of subdivision (b).

(4)Tracking and reporting procedures for the program.

(5)A process for evaluating program data.

50897.4.

 (a) Each participating continuum of care recipient shall annually report to the department departments regarding the use of state funding provided under this chapter, including all the following information:

(1) The number and demographics of youth served.

(2)The demographics of the youth served, including race or ethnicity, age, gender, parenting status, and sexual orientation.

(3)

(2) The types of housing assistance provided by the continuum of care recipient and the number, age, and gender of youth who have resided in the housing.

(4)

(3) The supportive services provided by the continuum of care recipient and the number, age, and gender of youth who received these supportive services.

(5)The percentage of homeless youth who retained permanent housing 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, after initial placement.

(4) The number of youth served who are currently in stable housing and how long each has resided in stable housing.

(6)

(5) The number of youth served who are engaged in employment training, the nature of the training, and length of time enrolled in employment training.

(7)

(6) The number of youth that served who completed high school or high school equivalency and the number of youth enrolled in educational programs, the type of programs, and the length of enrollment in educational programs.

(8)

(7) The number of youth receiving served who received benefits advocacy related to accessing child welfare services and the number who successfully receive child welfare services. welfare, Supplemental Security Income, and other services to which the youth are entitled, as well as the number of youth receiving child welfare and Supplemental Security Income.

(9)The number of youth receiving benefits advocacy related to accessing Supplemental Security Income and the number who successfully receive Supplemental Security Income.

(b) The department shall periodically inform the Legislature of the progress in implementing the program and make related data available on its Internet Web site. The department departments shall also report to the Legislature by October 1, 2019, regarding implementation of the program, including the information reported by each participating continuum of care recipient pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (b) is inoperative on October 1, 2023, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

(d)Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this chapter through letters without taking any regulatory action.

SEC. 2.

Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) from the General Fund is hereby continuously appropriated to the Department of Housing and Community Development in each fiscal year for the purpose of awarding grants under the Homeless Youth Advocacy and Housing Program established pursuant to Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 50897) of Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code.