Bill Text: CA AB2061 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Child welfare services: families experiencing homelessness.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-08-26 - Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Beall. [AB2061 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB2061-Amended.html
Bill Title: Child welfare services: families experiencing homelessness.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-08-26 - Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Beall. [AB2061 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB2061-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2061 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 10, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 23, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chau FEBRUARY 20, 2014 An act to addArticle 5.5 (commencing with Section 11420) to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9 ofSection 18262 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2061, as amended, Chau.Housing Program for Homeless Families Receiving Child Welfare Services.Child welfare services: families experiencing homelessness . Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. The program is funded by a combination of federal, state, and county funds, with moneys from the General Fund being continuously appropriated to pay for the state's share of AFDC-FC costs. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Social Services to conduct a demonstration project in up to 20 counties, to allow flexible use of federal and state foster care funds by utilizing a federal capped allocation model over a 5-year period, based on the terms and conditions of the federal Title IV-E waiver. Existing law provides for child welfare services, which are public social services directed toward, among other purposes, protecting and promoting the welfare of all children, including those in foster care placement. This bill would require the department, subject to federal approval, to include innovative, evidence-based strategies in the federal Title IV-E waiver capped allocation demonstration project to achieve supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent housing, as described, for families that include a child placed in foster care, who are receiving child welfare services, and who are experiencing homelessness. The bill would also provide that the continuous appropriation for the state's share of the AFDC-FC costs would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.Existing law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using a combination of state, county, and federal funds. Under existing law, after a family has used all available liquid resources in excess of $100, the family is entitled to receive a CalWORKs allowance for nonrecurring special needs, including homeless assistance.Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services and county welfare departments maintain a system of child welfare services to serve the needs of children who are alleged to be abused or neglected, to reduce the necessity for removing these children from their homes, to encourage speedy reunification of families when it can be safely accomplished, and to locate permanent homes and families for children who cannot return to their biological families, among other things.This bill would establish the Housing Program for Homeless Families Receiving Child Welfare Services, under which the State Department of Social Services would provide a 4-year grant to a participating county to enable the county to provide specified housing services and related financial assistance to homeless, or recently homeless, families that receive child welfare services and meet other eligibility criteria. The bill would require, among other things, a participating county to fund 50% of the cost of the services delivered under the program, as provided.Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) A correlation exists between family homelessness and foster care placement. Though homelessness alone is not a basis for removing a child from a home, almost one-half of children in foster care have birth parents with a history of homelessness. Foster children with homeless birth parents are less likely to live with relative caregivers than children of families with stable housing, and these children remain separated from their families for longer than children of families with stable housing. (b) Homelessness and housing instability interfere with the reunification of children in foster care with birth families. As many as 30 percent of children in foster care who cannot be reunited with birth families could be reunited if the family were able to access a safe place to live. (c) Like children of homeless families, children involved with a child welfare system experience elevated school dropout rates, learning difficulties, worsening mental health conditions, and high levels of aggravation. (d) A study of child-welfare-involved families experiencing long-term homelessness with at least one parent with a substance use disorder showed supportive housing allowed the majority of families' child welfare cases to be resolved by reuniting families within 10 months. The study showed supportive housing reduced actual and potential use of foster care services by an average of 187 days. (e) Studies have shown that providing low-cost short- and medium-term housing and services interventions, known as "rapid rehousing services," to families experiencing brief episodes of homelessness results in housing stability, with families becoming 4.7 times less likely to return to homelessness than shelter interventions. (f) A child's experience with foster care perpetuates a cycle of homelessness. Data shows that 25 percent of children placed in foster care become homeless within four years of aging out. (g) Jurisdictions are using evidence-based strategies to implement federal demonstration waivers that grant states flexibility in the use of federal foster care payment funds. These waivers allow child welfare agencies to use alternative services and supports that promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children. (h) It is the intent of the Legislature to promote the use of innovative, evidence-based models to assess the housing needs of families who are receiving child welfare services and who are experiencing homelessness, and tofundcoordinate and access resources available for rapid rehousing, supportive housing, and services that promote housing stability, with the goals of preventing foster care placement and reuniting children in foster care with their birth parents.SEC. 2.Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 11420) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: Article 5.5. Housing Program for Homeless Families Receiving Child Welfare Services 11420. For purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) (1) "Eligible family" means a family that meets all of the following criteria: (A) Receives child welfare services, as defined in Section 16501, which include, but are not limited to, child maltreatment investigations, emergency response services, family preservation services, family maintenance services, out-of-home placements, family reunification services, and the identification of children to be placed in suitable relative adoptive homes. (B) Is homeless or has been homeless within the past 12 months. (C) Voluntarily agrees to participate in the program. (D) Meets any additional criteria adopted by the county. (2) "Eligible family" does not include a family for whom family reunification services have been denied or terminated. (b) "Department" means the State Department of Social Services. (c) "Homeless" has the same meaning as defined in Section 91.5 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as it read on January 1, 2014. (d) "Permanent housing" means housing without a limit on length of stay that meets the habitability requirements contained in Section 1941.1 of the Civil Code. (e) "Rapid rehousing" means assistance to allow individuals and families experiencing homelessness to be quickly stabilized and housed in permanent housing affordable to the individual or family, and includes, but is not limited to, the services identified in Section 11422. (f) "Supportive housing" has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 50675.14 of the Health and Safety Code, but is not restricted to projects with five or more units. 11421. (a) The department shall design the Housing Program for Homeless Families Receiving Child Welfare Services, which shall do both of the following: (1) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, provide a four-year grant to any county that meets the requirements of Section 11424, to enable the county to provide the services and financial assistance described in Section 11422. (2) Promote participation in, and educate county officers and employees regarding, the program. (b) The department shall, using a third-party evaluator, collect data and evaluate the effect of the program, including all of the following: (1) How many families the program served. (2) The services provided to each family. (3) The median and mean costs per family expended by each county. (4) The status of each participating family's child welfare case upon entering the program, after six months in the program, after one year in the program, and, if applicable, after two years in the program, as well as the length of time to resolve a participating family's case as compared with other families' cases in each participating county. (5) The incidence of recidivism into the child welfare system among participating families, as compared to the incidence of recidivism among other families involved in the child welfare system in the participating county, over a specified period of time. (6) The current housing status of each participating family. (7) Other relevant outcomes, such as school performance and change in income status. (c) The department shall provide opportunities for public comment and input from the counties during the design process. (d) Subject to federal approval, the department shall include the services identified in Section 11422 as part of a Title IV-E waiver demonstration project. 11422. A county that opts to participate in the program shall provide all of the following services to an eligible family: (a) An assessment of the family's housing needs and the development of a plan to meet those needs. (b) The engagement of housing navigators to help families locate safe, affordable housing with private or nonprofit landlords. (c) If appropriate based on the assessment of the family's housing needs, the provision of rapid rehousing assistance, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) Short-term or medium-term rental assistance. (2) Housing relocation services. (3) Housing mediation services, such as credit counseling. (4) Security deposits, utility deposits, or other move-in cost assistance. (5) Utility payments. (6) Moving cost assistance. (7) Case management to promote housing stability. (d) If appropriate based on the assessment of the family's housing needs, the provision of supportive housing assistance, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) Long-term rental assistance. (2) Housing relocation services. (3) Security deposits, utility deposits, or other move-in cost assistance. (4) Interim housing assistance, if the family and child welfare agency are working toward permanent housing placement. (5) Case management and other services that promote housing stability. 11423. Rental assistance provided under the program shall be used only for housing that meets all of the following criteria: (a) Is permanent as defined in Section 11420, unless interim housing assistance is provided while a family is awaiting placement in permanent housing. (b) Offers all of the landlord-tenant protections included in the Civil Code. (c) Provides rental agreements between landlords and tenants. 11424. A county shall be eligible for state funds under this program, upon application to the department, if the county meets both of the following criteria: (a) The county funds 50 percent of the costs of the services identified in Section 11422 from one of the following sources: (1) Foster care payment funds, if the county is participating in the federal Title IV-E waiver capped allocation demonstration project pursuant to Section 18260. (2) A commitment of federal, state, or local housing subsidies administered by a public housing authority to meet participating families' rental assistance needs. (3) A commitment of rental assistance through partnership with a community-based permanent housing provider that agrees to limit participating families' rent to one-third of each family's income. (b) The county demonstrates need and the capacity to administer the grants.SEC. 2. Section 18262 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code , to read: 18262. The department, subject to federal approval, shall include innovative, evidence-based strategies in the federal Title IV-E waiver capped allocation demonstration project pursuant to Section 18260 to assist families that include a child placed in foster care, who are receiving child welfare services, and who are experiencing homelessness to achieve the following: (a) Supportive housing, including housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by the target population, and that is linked to onsite or offsite services that assist the supportive housing resident in retaining the housing, improving his or her health status, and maximizing his or her ability to live and, when possible, work in the community. (b) Rapid rehousing, including assistance that enables an individual or family experiencing homelessness to be quickly stabilized and housed in permanent housing affordable to the individual or family. (c) Permanent housing, including housing without a limit on the length of stay that meets the affirmative standard characteristics of Section 1941.1 of the Civil Code. SEC. 3. No appropriation pursuant to Section 15200 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall be made for purposes of implementing this act.