Bill Text: CA AB589 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Homeless youth: transitional housing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2024-01-25 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB589 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB589-Amended.html
NOYES
Local Program:
NOYES
SECTION 1.
Bill Title: Homeless youth: transitional housing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2024-01-25 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB589 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB589-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 23, 2023 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 589
| Introduced by Assembly Member Boerner Horvath |
February 09, 2023 |
An act to add and repeal Chapter 6.1 (commencing with Section 13710) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homelessness.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 589, as amended, Boerner Horvath.
Homeless youth: transitional housing.
Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service pilot projects in the City of Los Angeles and the City and County of San Francisco providing services to homeless minors, including food and access to an overnight shelter and counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems. Existing law also requires similar programs to be established in the Counties of San Diego and Santa Clara, and all of these programs to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Emergency Services.
This bill, until January 1, 2029, and upon appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, would require the County of San Diego to establish the Unicorn Homes Transitional Housing for Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth Program, to be
administered by a local community-based organization chosen by the county that provides a majority of its services to the LGBTQ+ community. The bill would require the community-based organization to provide transitional housing for LGBTQ+ youth, 18 to 24 years of age, inclusive, experiencing homelessness due to family rejection, with the ultimate goal of reunification with the youth’s original family. The bill would require the community-based organization to place eligible youth with volunteer host families who meet specified criteria and who are able to provide crisis intervention with trauma-informed practices.
The bill would require the community-based organization to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2028, which would be required to include specified information, including the number of times the organization was contacted by youths, how many of those contacts became participants in the program, and how many of those
initial contacts became repeat contacts.
By imposing a new duty on the County of San Diego, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law, the Homeless Youth Act of 2018, requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to set and measure progress towards goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in the state. Existing law establishes various homelessness assistance programs, some of which are administered by the State Department of Social Services and local partners, such as the Bringing Families Home Program, and certain others by the Department of Housing and Community Development and local partners, such as the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program, which in part targets transitional housing. Existing law sets forth various provisions on the establishment of, or access to, homeless shelters.
Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services licenses and regulates youth homelessness prevention centers as group homes, and
transitional housing placement providers for purposes of operating transitional housing placement programs for minor foster children or nonminor dependents, as defined. Under existing law, transitional housing units include a host family, a staffed site, or a remote site for independent living, as specified.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create a transitional housing program for homeless youth.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 6.1 (commencing with Section 13710) is added to Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:CHAPTER 6.1. UNICORN HOMES TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR HOMELESS LGBTQ+ YOUTH PROGRAM
13710.
To the extent that an appropriation is made by the Legislature for these purposes, the County of San Diego shall establish the Unicorn Homes Transitional Housing for Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth Program as a five-year pilot project expansion of the Unicorn Homes program within the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. The program shall be administered by a local community-based organization, chosen by the county, that provides a majority of its services to the LGBTQ+ community.13711.
The program shall meet all of the following requirements:(a) The community-based organization shall provide emergency transitional housing for LGBTQ+ youth between 18 and 24 years of age, inclusive, experiencing homelessness due to family rejection, with the ultimate goal of the program being reunification with the youth’s family.
(b) Place eligible youths with volunteer host families. Any individual in the host family who is 18 years of age or older and with whom the youth would be living shall meet all of the following criteria:
(1) Has not been convicted of driving under the influence.
(2) Has not been convicted of a crime for which registration is required pursuant to Section 290 of the Penal Code.
(3) Has not been convicted of domestic violence or any other anger-related crimes.
(4) Has successfully passed a Live Scan background check.
(c) Place eligible youths with families who are able to provide crisis intervention with trauma-informed practices.
13712.
(a) The community-based organization shall prepare a report, to be submitted to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2028. The report shall contain the following information, to the extent available:(1) The number of times the community-based organization was contacted by an LGBTQ+ youth potentially eligible for the program created by this chapter.
(2) How many of those initial contacts became participants in the program.
(3) How many of those initial contacts became repeat contacts.
(4) How many of those initial contacts were referred to
other resources and services.
(b) A report to be submitted pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
13713.
This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.SEC. 2.
To the extent that this act has an overall effect of increasing the costs already borne by a local agency for programs or levels of service mandated by the 2011 Realignment Legislation within the meaning of Section 36 of Article XIII of the California Constitution, it shall apply to local agencies only to the extent that the state provides annual funding for the cost increase. Any new program or higher level of service provided by a local agency pursuant to this act above the level for which funding has been provided shall not require a subvention of funds by the state or otherwise be subject to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create a transitional housing program for homeless youth.
