Bill Text: CA SCR128 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-28 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 137, Statutes of 2014. [SCR128 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SCR128-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SCR 128 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 137
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 28, 2014
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2014
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 25, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 11, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Stone)
(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Block, Galgiani, Leno, and Mitchell)
JUNE 9, 2014
Relative to California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 128, Liu. California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
This measure would designate the month of November 2014 as
California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month and would recognize the
need for individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local
governments, and the state to take action on behalf of runaway and
homeless youth in California.
WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth are young people between 12
and 24 years of age who have the least access to essential
opportunities and supports; and
WHEREAS, The prevalence of runaways and homelessness among youth
is staggering, with studies suggesting that nationally between 1.6
and 1.8 million youth up to 24 years of age experience homelessness
every year, of which a disproportionate number are gay, lesbian,
bisexual, or transgender; and
WHEREAS, Based on national surveys and California's youth
population, an estimated 200,000 youth under 18 years of age, and
thousands more who are 18 to 24 years of age, are homeless for one or
more days each year; and
WHEREAS, The State Department of Education has indicated in a
recent report required by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act that during the 2012-13 school year, a total of
259,656 youth, including unaccompanied youth and youth with their
families who lack stable housing, in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, experienced homelessness at least one day out of the
year, which is an increase of 18 percent over the previous academic
year; and
WHEREAS, An overwhelming majority of runaway and homeless youth
have been expelled from their homes by their families; physically,
sexually, and emotionally abused at home; discharged from foster care
and other state custodial systems without adequate transition plans;
or separated from their parents by death or divorce. These youth are
often too poor to secure their own basic needs and are ineligible
for or unable to access adequate medical or mental health resources;
and
WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth who live on the street are
victims of physical abuse, sexual exploitation, and crime in untold
numbers; and
WHEREAS, These youths are on the street because they feel there
are no other options open to them; and
WHEREAS, Youths who "age out" of the foster care system are at an
increased risk of homelessness, and represent an estimated 20 percent
of the 20,000 youth who leave foster care and are currently
homeless; and
WHEREAS, Providing safe, stable, and permanent housing for runaway
and homeless youth is a family, community, state, and national
priority; and
WHEREAS, The future well-being of our state depends on the value
we place on our youth, and, in particular, on our actions to provide
the most vulnerable young people in the state with opportunities to
acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to find and
maintain stable housing and develop into healthy and productive
adults; and
WHEREAS, The number of effective programs providing services and
support to runaway and homeless youth in California is a fraction of
what is needed to fully address the needs of these young people, as
only 20 of California's 58 counties have programs for runaway and
homeless youth; and
WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth has operated the
California Youth Crisis Line (1-800-843-5200), 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, for over 25 years as the state's only emergency response
system for youth in crisis; and
WHEREAS, November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Awareness
Month; and
WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth, along with other
community-based organizations, providers, and advocates, is
sponsoring the fourth annual California Runaway and Homeless Youth
Month to increase awareness and action on behalf of youth who are at
risk or currently living on the street; and
WHEREAS, Awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness and its
causes must be heightened to ensure greater support for effective
programs aimed at preventing homelessness and helping youth remain
off the streets; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the need for
individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments, and
the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless youth in
California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of
November 2014 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month; and be
it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
