Bill Text


Bill PDF |Add To My Favorites | print page

AB-307 Homeless youth: grant program.(2019-2020)

SHARE THIS:share this bill in Facebookshare this bill in Twitter
Date Published: 05/17/2019 04:00 AM
AB307:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 16, 2019
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 13, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 307

Introduced by Assembly Member Reyes
(Principal coauthor: Senator Wiener)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bloom, Carrillo, Cooley, Gloria, Lackey, McCarty, Ramos, Rodriguez, Mark Stone, and Gipson)
(Coauthors: Senators Dodd and Glazer)

January 29, 2019

An act to add Section 8262 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homeless youth, and making an appropriation therefor. youth.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 307, as amended, Reyes. Homeless youth: grant program.
Existing law establishes the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council and requires the council to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California by setting specific, measurable goals aimed at preventing and ending homelessness among youth in the state and defining outcome measures and gathering data related to the goals.
This bill would require the council to develop and administer a grant program to support young people experiencing homelessness and prevent and end homelessness. The program would be funded by a combination of funds provided to the council by the State Department of Health Care Services from the Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention and Treatment Account, funds appropriated by the Legislature, and gifts and donations made to the council for that purpose. The bill would make an appropriation to the council from the General Fund in the amount of the difference between that funding and $100,000,000.
The bill would specify the entities eligible to apply for grant funding and identify specific information to be included in the grant application. The bill would require preference for funding to be given to entities with certain characteristics, including those that participate in the development of a local, youth-centered, coordinated entry system. The bill would require grant funds to be used both to provide supportive services, as specified, and to establish or expand housing programs. The bill would require a grant recipient to submit data and annual progress reports to the council and agree to meet quality improvement goals, accept technical assistance, and submit to annual site monitoring visits by the council, as specified. The bill would require the council, by January 10, 2021, and each January 10 thereafter, to submit a report to the Legislature on the data received from grant recipients.
Vote: TWO_THIRDSMAJORITY   Appropriation: YESNO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 It is the intent of the Legislature to do both of the following:
(a) Prevent or reduce the incidence of substance use disorders among homeless youth by providing services in the most efficient and effective way, including housing, if appropriate, and to reduce the exposure to trauma as a result of homelessness that has been shown to be a precursor to substance use disorders.
(b) Address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth, who account for up to 40 percent of the homeless youth population nationwide and experience substance abuse risk factors, including homlessness homelessness and family rejection, more than than their non-LGBTQ peers. Research indicates that young adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer use alcohol 1.3 times more often, use cannabis 1.6 times more often, use injectable drugs 2.9 times more often, and use cocaine 3.3 times more often than their non-LGBTQ peers. LGBTQ youth engage in substance abuse more often than their non-LGBTQ peers as a means of coping with societal stigma, discrimination, and family rejection, which often leaves them without a home or supportive adult.

SEC. 2.

 Section 8262 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, immediately following Section 8261, to read:

8262.
 (a) The council shall, subject to the availability of funding for that purpose, develop and administer a grant program to support young people experiencing homelessness and prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.
(b) In the development and administration of the grant program described in subdivision (a), the council shall do all of the following:
(1) Solicit annual progress reports from each grant recipient.
(2) Annually review the programs developed by each grant recipient using grant funds for effectiveness in meeting stated project outcomes and engaging in continuous quality improvement activities.
(3) Conduct monitoring visits to each grant recipient, as specified in the guidelines adopted pursuant to paragraph (5), in order to provide technical assistance in areas identified as needing improvement.
(4) Collect and report on data, as described in subdivisions (l) and (m).
(5) Adopt guidelines, as described in Section 8256.
(c) The council may enter into an interagency agreement with another department or agency for the administration of the grant program created pursuant to this section.
(d) (1)Grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be awarded in three-year grant cycles and, subject to the availability of funding, shall be funded from one or more of the following sources:

(A)

(1) Funds received by the council from the Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention and Treatment Account established pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 34019 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, for programs that are determined by the appropriate agency to meet the requirements of that subdivision. Funds received pursuant to this paragraph shall not be expended for administrative duties of the council.

(B)

(2) Funds appropriated to the council by the Legislature for the purposes of this section.

(C)

(3) Gifts and donations made to the council for the purposes of this section.

(2)If the annual amount received by the council from the sources identified in paragraph (1) is less than one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), funds in the amount of the difference between the amount received and one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) are hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the council for the purposes of this section.

(e) Either of the following types of entities are eligible to apply for a grant to operate a homeless youth program:
(1) A private, nonprofit agency with a demonstrated record of success and experience in the delivery of services to youth experiencing homelessness or at-risk youth.
(2) A continuum of care entity with a demonstrated record of success. An entity that is awarded a grant shall not use more than 10 percent of the grant for administrative purposes.
(f) The grant application shall include all of the following:
(1) Evidence that services will be provided within the positive youth development framework and that the agency’s or entity’s policies and procedures address cultural competence, including, but not limited to, language appropriateness, cultural sensitivity, and the complex identities related to sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and gender expression, so that all youth are assured that programs are safe, inclusive, and nonstigmatizing by design and in operation.
(2) If an agency described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) is proposing to serve a geographic area covered by a continuum of care entity, a letter from the local continuum of care entity or county that identifies whether the applicant participates in the local planning process for addressing homelessness.
(3) An explanation of how the services to be provided using grant funds will address substance use disorders or the risk of substance abuse among the population it intends to serve and how it intends to ensure that participating youth receive services that provide education, prevention, early intervention, and timely treatment services.
(g) Preference in the award of grants shall be given to entities that demonstrate each of the following:
(1) Involvement of a network of youth-serving agencies in the delivery of services to young people experiencing homelessness.
(2) Participation in a local continuum of care.
(3) Utilization of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
(4) Participation in development of a local, youth-centered, coordinated entry system, including diversion.
(5) Intent to work with other entities to develop or implement a local plan to reduce homelessness among homeless youth.
(h) Preference in the award of grants may be given to Notwithstanding subdivisions (e) and (g), efforts shall be made to also award grants to entities that propose to provide services in a geographic area where similar services for homeless youth are not provided and there is a demonstrated need for those services. Entities described in this subdivision shall demonstrate both of the following:
(1) A record of success and experience in the delivery of services similar or transferable to services that are beneficial for youth experiencing homelessness or at-risk youth.
(2) A commitment to all of the following:
(A) Becoming involved in a network of youth-serving agencies in the delivery of services to young people experiencing homelessness, to the extent that those agencies exist in the local area.
(B) Participation in the local continuum of care.
(C) Utilization, to the degree feasible, of HMIS.
(D) Participation in the development of a local, youth-centered, coordinated entry system.
(i) (1) A grant recipient shall use grant funds to provide a wide array of supportive services including, at a minimum, all of the following:
(A) Drug abuse education, prevention, and treatment services.
(B) Transitional living plan and services.
(C) Access to education and employment assistance, including literacy and vocational training.
(D) Independent living skill development, economic stability, and mobility services.
(E) Counseling and case management services.
(F) Screening, assessment, and treatment or referral of behavioral and physical healthcare services.
(G) Services for pregnant and parenting youth.
(H) Services for LGBTQ youth.
(I) Legal services.
(J) Family support, including family reunification, when safe and appropriate, and engagement and intervention, when appropriate.
(K) Family finding services to identify appropriate family members.
(L) Adequate supervision of minors, and availability of services for all participants.
(M) Outreach to young people experiencing homelessness.
(N) Aftercare and followup services, including relapse prevention.
(O) Housing navigation services.
(2) A grant recipient shall proactively engage homeless youth to determine which supportive services meet the needs of each participant and, if appropriate, the participant’s family.
(3) A grant recipient shall not prevent a youth from entering housing, or discharge or evict a youth from a housing program, on the basis of lack of participation in supportive services.
(j) (1) A grant recipient shall use grant funds to establish or expand one or more of the following housing programs, which utilizes evidence-based housing and services models, for homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness:
(A) Rental assistance.
(B) Nontime-limited supportive housing.
(C) Transitional housing.
(D) Posttransitional housing assistance.
(E) Rapid rehousing.
(F) Flexible rental subsidies.
(G) Host homes.
(H) A runaway and homeless youth shelter licensed pursuant to Section 1502.35 of the Health and Safety Code.
(I) Shelters for homeless youth.
(2) A grant recipient shall develop a plan in collaboration with a youth to meet the youth’s housing needs.
(k) (1) A shelter program established using grant funds awarded under this section shall provide the services described in Section 13701; outreach to homeless youth, as described in Section 576.101 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and, if appropriate for a specific youth, drug abuse education, prevention and treatment services, and either a drug abuse treatment program or a referral to a drug abuse treatment program.
(2) Subcontractors may be used to fulfill the requirements of paragraph (1).
(3) No more than 40 percent of the grant funds received by a grant recipient each year may be used to establish, expand, or operate a shelter program.
(l) (1) Each grant recipient shall submit data and annual progress reports to the council and agree to meet continuous quality improvement goals, accept technical assistance, if available, and submit to site monitoring visits by the council.
(2) The council shall collect data from grant recipients and utilize HMIS data, to the extent possible, to ensure that appropriate and high-quality services are being delivered to youth experiencing homelessness. Data collected pursuant to this paragraph shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) The number of youth served each year by the grant recipient.
(B) The dependency status, delinquency status, housing status, family reunification status, and runaway status of the youth served each year by the grant recipient.
(C) The type and number of services utilized by the youth served by the grant recipient each year.
(D) The types of housing assistance accessed by the youth served by the grant recipient each year.
(E) The distribution of the length of time each youth receives services from the grant recipient.
(F) Any available outcome data for the youth served by the grant recipient, including, but not limited to, housing stabilization, duration and number of experiences of homelessness prior to, while, and after receiving family reunification services, educational achievement, skills acquisition, and employment status.
(m) (1) The council shall provide a report to the Legislature on the data received from grant recipients pursuant to subdivision (l) by January 10, 2021, and each January 10 thereafter.
(2) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(n) A grant recipient that intends to serve minors shall provide an annual training to employees who are mandated reporters under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11164) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code). The training shall include, at a minimum, a discussion of duties under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, how to identify child abuse and neglect, and how to make a report pursuant to the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. Grant funds may be used to provide the annual training.
(o) Receipt of housing or supportive services funded pursuant to this section does not constitute the provision of support to a minor for the purpose of determining whether a minor has been left without any provision for support, as described in subdivision (g) of Section 300, and shall not prevent the minor from being adjudged a dependent child of the court pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 300.
(p) Grant funds received pursuant to this section shall be used to supplement existing levels of service, and shall not be used to supplant existing local, state, or federal funding.