AB 2876: Veterans housing: assistance.

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Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to work together to administer the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 to provide for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable multifamily supportive housing, affordable transitional housing, affordable rental housing, or related facilities for veterans and their families to allow veterans to access and maintain housing stability.

Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to publicize information pertaining to benefit programs that are available to qualified homeless veterans, including, but not limited to, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher program, and any programs that assist homeless veterans in securing rental housing.

This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development, after consulting with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to establish a program to provide on an annual basis a grant to eligible cities, counties, or nonprofit organizations that provide services to homeless veterans. The bill would require these grants to be used to provide veterans who receive a federal Supportive Housing voucher, but may or may not be eligible for funds from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, with supplemental funding for one or more move-in expenses, as defined.

Existing law authorizes every city and county to accept title to real property for museum or art gallery purposes or permit the erection of buildings and improvements for these purposes on lands owned by the city or county.

This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

Version:

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:SECTION 1.Chapter 11.6 (commencing with Section 50810) is added to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:11.6.Veterans Supportive Housing50810.

(a)The Department of Housing and Community Development shall, after consulting with the Department of Veterans Affairs, establish a program to provide on an annual basis a grant to eligible cities, counties, or nonprofit organizations that provide services to homeless veterans. These grants shall provide veterans who receive a federal Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher pursuant to the HUD-VASH program (Public Law 110-161), but may or may not be eligible for funds from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families program (38 U.S.C. Sec. 2044), with supplemental funding for one or more move-in expenses.

(b)The Department of Housing and Community Development shall annually accept grant applications from a nonprofit organization that provides services to homeless veterans and has received federal funds pursuant to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program within the year prior to the application. The department shall also annually accept grant applications from a city or county that has approved for the year in which the application is submitted the expenditure of funds to provide move-in expenses to veterans who receive a HUD-VASH voucher.

(c)The amount of the grant to a nonprofit organization that provides services to homeless veterans shall not exceed either one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or the amount of the federal funds received by that nonprofit organization for the year in which the state application is submitted, whichever amount is less. The amount of the grant to a city or county shall not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) or the amount authorized by the city or county to provide move-in expenses to veterans who receive HUD-VASH vouchers, whichever amount is less.

(d)There is hereby established in the General Fund the Homeless Veterans Supportive Housing Account. Moneys deposited in the account shall be made available, upon appropriation, to the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide grants pursuant to this section.

(e)For purposes of this section, move-in expenses means any of the following:

(1)Security deposit.

(2)First-months rent.

(3)Refrigerator.

(4)Microwave.

(5)Mattress.

(6)Bedding, such as pillows, sheets, and blankets.

(7)Moving services.

(8)Holding deposit, holding fee, or both, charged to manage a landlords risk of a delayed move-in date or delay in receiving a HUD-VASH voucher payment in an amount that does not exceed two months rent.

(9)Maintenance repairs necessary for a dwelling unit to meet the housing standard required by the HUD-VASH program.

(10)Credit check and application fees.

(11)Utility deposit.

(12)Past due rent and fees for use of a rental storage unit immediately prior to occupancy of a dwelling unit obtained with a HUD-VASH voucher.

SECTION 1.Section 5135 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:5135.

Each city and county may accept title to real property for museum or art gallery purposes, or permit the erection of buildings and improvements for these purposes on lands owned by the city or county.

Date	Status
Feb 19, 2016	Introduced. To print.
Feb 21, 2016	From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
Feb 22, 2016	Read first time.
Mar 17, 2016	Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and V.A.
Mar 18, 2016	From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on H. & C.D. Read second time and amended.
Mar 28, 2016	Re-referred to Com. on H. & C.D.
Apr 19, 2016	In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

Authors shown for version:
Amended Assembly (3/18/2016)