Bill Text: CA AB1702 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1702 (Prior Session Legislation)

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

Bill Title: Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-21 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB1702 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1702-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 03, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1702

Introduced by Assembly Member Luz Rivas

February 22, 2019

An act to amend Section 8257 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homelessness.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1702, as amended, Luz Rivas. Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.

Existing law establishes various programs, including, among others, the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program, to provide assistance to homeless persons. Existing law requires a state agency or department that funds, implements, or administers a state program that provides housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness to revise or adopt guidelines and regulations to include enumerated Housing First policies. Existing law establishes the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council to oversee the implementation of the Housing First guidelines and regulations, to create partnerships with specified entities, including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program, and, among other things, to identify resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law requires the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency to provide staff for the council.

This bill would ~~designate the council as California’s primary liaison to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program, and would~~ require the agency to provide 6 additional full-time staff to support the council’s efforts. The bill would require, by July 1, 2020, the council (1) to evaluate its staffing needs opportunities to promote systems integration, and improve the integration of state programs, (2) to identify recommendations for legislation, and (3) to report these matters to the Legislature. The bill would require, by January 1, 2021, the council to commence implementation of efforts to promote systems integration and to improve the integration of state programs. positions for the council, as specified. The bill would require the council to report to the Legislature recommendations for statutory changes to streamline the delivery of services and effectiveness of homelessness programs in the state, by January 1, 2021.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

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

SECTION 1.

Section 8257 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

8257.

(a) Within 180 days of the effective date of the measure adding this chapter, the Governor shall create a Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.

(b) The council shall have 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 the 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 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) and CalWORKs (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(14) Setting goals to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

(15) Working to improve the safety, health, and welfare of young people experiencing homelessness in the state.

(16) Increasing 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) Leading efforts to coordinate a spectrum of funding, policy, and practice efforts related to young people experiencing homelessness.

(18) Identifying 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.

(A) The Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing, or their designee who shall serve as chair of the council.

(B) A representative from the Department of Transportation.

(D) A representative of the State Department of Social Services.

(E) A representative of the California Housing Finance Agency.

(F) A representative of the State Department of Health Care Services.

(G) A representative of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(H) A representative of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

(I) A representative from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee in the Treasurer’s office.

(J) A representative of the Victim Services Program within the Division of Grants Management within the Office of Emergency Services.

(K) A formerly homeless person who lives in California.

(L) A formerly homeless youth who lives in California.

(M) Two representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program.

(N) State advocates or other members of the public or state agencies, according to the Governor’s discretion.

(2) The Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly shall each appoint one representative of 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.

(d) The council shall hold public meetings at least once every quarter.

(e) The members of the council shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

(f) 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.

(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) (1) The Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency shall provide staff for the council.

(2) Commencing with the 2020–21 fiscal year, the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency shall ~~provide additional staff, as requested by the council, to support the council’s efforts, subject to the appropriation of funding in the annual Budget Act for this express purpose.~~ create three new full-time staff positions for the council and convert three existing part-time staff positions to full time, for a total of six new full-time positions.

(i) 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.

(j) There shall be an executive director of the council under the direction of the Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing.

(k) The council shall be under the direction of the executive director and staffed by employees of the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency.

(l) Commencing January 1, 2020, the council, as the statewide facilitator, coordinator, and policy development resource on ending homelessness in California, as described in paragraph (9) of subdivision (b), shall be designated as California’s primary liaison to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program.

~~(m)By July 1, 2020, the council shall do all of the following:~~
~~(1)Evaluate both of the following:~~
~~(A)The council’s staffing needs.~~
(B)Opportunities to promote systems integration and to improve the integration of various state programs’ resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California for purposes of enhancing the continuity and delivery of services.
~~(2)Identify recommendations for legislation in furtherance of the efforts specified in paragraph (1) and goals described in subdivision (b).~~
~~(3)Report to the Legislature its evaluation and recommendations related to the matters described in paragraphs (1) and (2).~~
(n)By January 1, 2021, the council shall commence implementation of efforts to promote systems integration and to improve the integration of state programs, as described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (m).
(m) (1) By January 1, 2021, the council shall report to the Legislature recommendations for statutory changes that could be made to streamline the delivery of services and effectiveness of homelessness programs in the state.
~~(o)(1)~~

(2) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under paragraph ~~(3) of subdivision (m)~~ (1) is inoperative on January 1, ~~2024,~~ 2025, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

~~(2)~~

(3) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph ~~(3) of subdivision (m)~~ (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.