Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and in the City and County of San Francisco for the purpose of providing specified services to homeless youth, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and screening for basic health needs. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to monitor these projects, which are funded through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth.

This bill would establish an additional homeless youth emergency service project in the County of Sacramento. The bill would require the office to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for the grantee by June 1, 2019, and would require the office to enter into a grant award agreement and the grantee to commence operation of the project by October 1, 2019.

Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and in the City and County of San Francisco for the purpose of providing specified services to homeless youth, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and screening for basic health needs. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to monitor these projects, which are funded through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth.

This bill would establish an additional homeless youth emergency service project in the County of Sacramento. The bill would require the office to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for the grantee by June 1, 2019, and would require the office to enter into a grant award agreement and the operation of the project to begin by October 1, 2019.

Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and in the City and County of San Francisco for the purpose of providing specified services to homeless youth, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and screening for basic health needs. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to monitor these projects, which are funded through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth.

This bill would establish an additional homeless youth emergency service project in the County of Sacramento. The bill would require the office to prepare and disseminate a request for proposals for grantees proposal for the grantee by June 1, 2019, and would require the office to enter into a grant award agreements agreement by October 1, 2019.

Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and in the City and County of San Francisco for the purpose of providing specified services to homeless youth, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and screening for basic health needs. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to monitor these projects, which are funded through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth.

This bill would establish an additional homeless youth emergency service project in the County of Sacramento. The bill would require the office to prepare and disseminate a request for proposals for grantees by June 1, 2019, and would require the office to enter into grant award agreements by October 1, 2019.

GOVERNOR'S VETO

GV Bill Id:AB 2602

Author:(McCarty)

As Enrolled Ver:September 5, 2018

2/3 vote

SUMMARY: Establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project to be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES).
2. Requires, with respect to project established in Sacramento County, OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for grantee for the project by June 1, 2019, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019, and, further, prohibits this grant from reducing funding provided for existing projects in any of the three other participating counties or in the City or County of San Francisco.
3. Makes technical changes.

The Senate amendments add language prohibiting the grant for the Sacramento County homeless youth emergency service project proposed by this bill from reducing funding provided for existing projects in any of the three other participating counties or in the City or County of San Francisco.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties. (Welfare and Institutions Code Section (WIC) 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide services, as specified and including, but not limited to: food and access to overnight shelter; counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems; outreach services; screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care; linkage to other services; long-term stabilization planning; and follow-up services to ensure that any return to the family or placement outside of the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth, and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill may result in the following costs:

1. Cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish and fund the program in Sacramento County. (General Fund, special funds)
2. Minor and absorbable administrative costs to OES.

COMMENTS:

Youth homelessness: Homeless youth and children are defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 as individuals who "lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence," to include children and youth who: have to share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds because they lack other accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are awaiting foster placement; or have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, estimated that, nationally, on a single night in January 2017, 40,799 unaccompanied youth were homeless (i.e., individuals under the age of 25 who experience homelessness on their own). In California, this single-night count found 15,458 unaccompanied homeless youth (38% of the national total). Because these counts are for a single night, and because of the unique and often hidden nature of youth homelessness, the data do not represent the entire number of California youth who experience homelessness each year.

A report on Sacramento County's January 2017 point-in-time count estimated real growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30% (from 2,822 to 3,665). This same count indicated that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth (between approximately 18 and 25 years old) experiencing homelessness, representing a 20% decrease from 2015. The report notes, though: "However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often 'couch surf' with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally."

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) youth, youth formerly or currently involved with the foster care system, youth involved with the juvenile justice system, and youth of color all tend to be overrepresented among homeless youth populations. And homelessness can have many long-term impacts on youth that last well into adult; these include negative impacts on health and mental health and the creation of barriers to education, job skills, and resources that lead to financial stability and overall wellbeing.

Homeless youth emergency service projects: In 1985, legislation – The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) – was passed that established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. This bill appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program. SB 508 (Presley), Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By 2015-16, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program was administered by OES and operating in four agencies, each representing a separate county: San Diego Youth Services, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco), and the Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County). Total 2015-16 funding for the projects was almost $1.1 million, $356,000 of which was General Fund (the remaining funds were State Victim Witness Assistance Funds). OES reported that, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program (across all four county projects), among other things: provided 9,988 youth with outreach services; provided 661 youth with shelter; assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and provided training on independent living and survival skills to 1,082 youth.

AB 1622 (Assembly Budget Committee), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds to be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. On April 2nd, it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Need for this bill: According to the author, "The homeless population in Sacramento has increased rapidly and despite recent efforts to provide wraparound services to the homeless, there is a significant gap when it comes to youth, especially LGBT youth. This bill will provide a much needed opportunity for assistance in helping getting our homeless youth population off the streets and on the path to a better life."

GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE:

This bill requires the Office of Emergency Services to enter into a grant award agreement to fund a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County that must begin operating by October 1, 2019.

The bill directs the Office to establish the project but does not provide funding for its operation. Services to the state's homeless youth are important, but mandating this project without a funding source would be unwise. This project should be carefully evaluated during the annual budget process.

Analysis Prepared by: Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0005325

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 2602

Author:(McCarty)

As Amended Ver:August 17, 2018

Majority vote

Original Committee Reference: HUM. S.

SUMMARY: Establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project to be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES).
2. Requires, with respect to project established in Sacramento County, OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for grantee for the project by June 1, 2019, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019, and, further, prohibits this grant from reducing funding provided for existing projects in any of the three other participating counties or in the City or County of San Francisco.
3. Makes technical changes.

The Senate amendments:

Add language prohibiting the grant for the Sacramento County homeless youth emergency service project proposed by this bill from reducing funding provided for existing projects in any of the three other participating counties or in the City or County of San Francisco.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties. (Welfare and Institutions Code Section (WIC) 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide services, as specified and including, but not limited to: food and access to overnight shelter; counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems; outreach services; screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care; linkage to other services; long-term stabilization planning; and follow-up services to ensure that any return to the family or placement outside of the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth, and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill may result in the following costs:

1. Cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish and fund the program in Sacramento County. (General Fund, special funds)
2. Minor and absorbable administrative costs to OES.

COMMENTS:

Youth homelessness: Homeless youth and children are defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 as individuals who "lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence," to include children and youth who: have to share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds because they lack other accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are awaiting foster placement; or have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, estimated that, nationally, on a single night in January 2017, 40,799 unaccompanied youth were homeless (i.e., individuals under the age of 25 who experience homelessness on their own). In California, this single-night count found 15,458 unaccompanied homeless youth (38% of the national total). Because these counts are for a single night, and because of the unique and often hidden nature of youth homelessness, the data do not represent the entire number of California youth who experience homelessness each year.

A report on Sacramento County's January 2017 point-in-time count estimated real growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30% (from 2,822 to 3,665). This same count indicated that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth (between approximately 18 and 25 years old) experiencing homelessness, representing a 20% decrease from 2015. The report notes, though: "However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often 'couch surf' with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally."

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) youth, youth formerly or currently involved with the foster care system, youth involved with the juvenile justice system, and youth of color all tend to be overrepresented among homeless youth populations. And homelessness can have many long-term impacts on youth that last well into adult; these include negative impacts on health and mental health and the creation of barriers to education, job skills, and resources that lead to financial stability and overall wellbeing.

Homeless youth emergency service projects: In 1985, legislation – The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) – was passed that established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. This bill appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program. SB 508 (Presley), Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By 2015-16, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program was administered by OES and operating in four agencies, each representing a separate county: San Diego Youth Services, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco), and the Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County). Total 2015-16 funding for the projects was almost $1.1 million, $356,000 of which was General Fund (the remaining funds were State Victim Witness Assistance Funds). OES reported that, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program (across all four county projects), among other things: provided 9,988 youth with outreach services; provided 661 youth with shelter; assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and provided training on independent living and survival skills to 1,082 youth.

AB 1622 (Assembly Budget Committee), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds to be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. On April 2nd, it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Need for this bill: According to the author, "The homeless population in Sacramento has increased rapidly and despite recent efforts to provide wraparound services to the homeless, there is a significant gap when it comes to youth, especially LGBT youth. This bill will provide a much needed opportunity for assistance in helping getting our homeless youth population off the streets and on the path to a better life."

Analysis Prepared by Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0004603

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 2602

Author:

: Senate

Vote:

SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 6-0, 6/12/18

AYES: Wiener, Glazer, Leyva, McGuire, Nguyen, Portantino

NO VOTE RECORDED: Berryhill

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/16/18

AYES: Portantino, Bates, Beall, Bradford, Hill, Nielsen, Wiener

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 5/30/18 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT:

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County and specifies that any grant awarded to establish a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County shall not reduce the funding provided for existing projects in any of the other three participating counties or in the City and County of San Francisco.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara Counties. (WIC 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide, as specified, and including but not limited to, all of the following services:
   1. Food and access to an overnight shelter;
   2. Counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems;
   3. Outreach services to locate homeless youth and link them with services, and drop-in facilities to make the services accessible to the street population;
   4. Screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care;
   5. Linkage to other services offered by public and private agencies;
   6. Long-term stabilization planning so that the youth may be returned to the parental home under circumstances favoring long-term reunification with the family, or so that the youth can be suitably placed in a situation outside the family when family reunification is not possible; and
   7. Follow up services to ensure that the return to the family or the placement outside the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

This bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the OES.
2. Requires, with respect to the project established in Sacramento County, OES prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for project grantee by June 1, 2019, and further, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019.
3. Provides that the grant awarded for a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento shall not reduce the funding provided for existing projects in any of the other three participating counties or in the City and County of San Francisco.
4. Makes technical changes.

Background

According to the author, the Greater Sacramento region is experiencing a rapid increase in homelessness numbers, especially among youth and youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). An estimated 23,700 people moved to Sacramento in 2016. This influx of new residents, combined with limited available housing has resulted in available housing becoming much more expensive.

According to the author, rent increases have “pushed many of those who were barely making rent out of the housing market and onto the streets.” The 2017 Sacramento County homeless count saw a 30 percent increase in the total homeless count from 2015. Many of Sacramento’s homeless are under the age of 24 and identify as LGBT. “This has resulted in a real need for an increase in local services to meet the needs of homeless LGBT youth,” states the author.

The author proposes AB 2602 to address this situation, stating that it will create a new Sacramento County homeless youth emergency services project that will provide a potential source of funding for providers that have the knowledge and ability to provide wraparound services for homeless youth, especially LGBT youth.

Youth Homelessness. More than one-third of the nation’s homeless youth live in California – 15,458 youth, according to the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR), which is driven by data stemming from the point in time HUD count. This represents an increase of 26 percent in a single year, and 32 percent since 2015. California’s numbers are the highest in the nation – the second highest is in New York with 2,829 homeless youth – or fewer than 20 percent of California’s total.

The federal government defines a homeless youth as a minor younger than 18 or a young adult between 18 and 24 years old who is living individually without shelter. Homelessness is disproportionate. Studies show that up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT. Additionally, youth of color, youth who are currently or formerly in the foster care system^[1] and youth who have been in the juvenile justice system all have higher rates of homelessness.^[2] Homelessness is growing among college students. One in 10 California State University system students^[3] and one in five students in the Los Angeles Community College District^[4] are homeless.

Exact counts vary substantially based on definition and methodology, but reports across various systems show a growing number of homeless unaccompanied youth, a group that often stays hidden from view and may be easily overlooked. Youth have just begun to be recognized as a population needing attention. Prior to 2015, the federal annual count did not break out unaccompanied youth at all. The US Interagency Council on Homelessness in August 2017 noted “an unprecedented increase in collaboration among federal agencies and between the government and locally-driven efforts to end homelessness among unaccompanied youth under age 25.”^[5]

Moreover, a 2015 report by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found that 50 percent of chronically homeless adults experienced homelessness as transitional age youth, between the ages of 18 and 24. Experts say this data indicates that intervention targeted to this population could help prevent chronic homelessness among some adults.

For more information on the homeless youth, see the Senate Committee on Human Services October 10, 2017 Joint Informational Hearing with Assembly Human Services Committee: California’s Homeless Youth: Averting Long-Term Crisis background paper.

Unique Service Needs and Safety. Housing is limited for youth, with reports of months-long wait lists for shelter or other housing. Providers of services and shelter say youth tend to avoid adult homeless shelters because they are often victimized there, instead believing they are safer in youth encampments, living with relatives or strangers, or in other situations until they can access shelter care. According to the HUD annual count, 55 percent of unaccompanied homeless youth were unsheltered, while 35 percent of all people experiencing homelessness were unsheltered. California accounted for 58 percent of the nation’s unsheltered and unaccompanied youth in 2017.

Experts say it is critical to develop and fund youth homeless services that are developmentally appropriate for young, maturing adults. Services that have proven successful for youth include those that are trauma-informed, teach life skills, and offer educational degrees and job training.

Sacramento County’s Homeless Youth. California State University (CSU), Sacramento, while reporting on Homelessness in Sacramento County, found that the 2017 point-in-time count estimated growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30 percent. This meant that Sacramento’s homeless population was up to 3,665 in 2017 from 2,822 in 2016. The count also revealed that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth experiencing homelessness, representing a 20 percent decrease from 2015.

In regards to this seemingly downward trend, the report warned: “However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often ‘couch surf’ with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally.”^[6]

Homeless Youth Emergency Service Projects and Funding. In 1985, the Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos, Chapter 1445, Statues of 1985)) was passed, establishing pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angles, as well as requiring the state to collect data on runaway youth in San Clara and San Diego counties. This Act appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning for the administration of the program. In 1988, SB 508 (Presley, Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988) extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. This project was further extended in 1990, when AB 3654 (Vasconcellos, Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990) required the establishment of homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16, almost $1.1 million dollars was providing in funding to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program, $365,000 of which was from the General fund with the remaining funds provided by the State Victim Witness Assistance Funds. The program, and provided funds, were administered by OES and provided to four agencies, each operating a homeless youth emergency service project in a different county. The agencies are as follows:

• San Diego Youth Services, serving San Diego County;
• Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles County;
• Lark Street Youth Services, serving San Francisco County; and
• The Bill Wilson Center, serving Santa Clara County.

OES reported that, for FY 2014-15, these projects, across all four counties, accomplished the following:

• Provided 9,988 youth with outreach services;
• Provided 661 youth with shelter;
• Assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and
• Provided 1,082 youth with training on independent living and survival skills.

In 2016, AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016) carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional homeless youth emergency service projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over a five year period.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting, Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017) provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. In March 2018 it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Related/Prior Legislation

SB 918 (Wiener and Assemblymember Rubio, 2018) would enact the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 to provide for the establishment of a state Office of Homeless Youth and to offer grants to providers of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. This bill is on the Assembly Floor.

SB 850 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018) provides for over $600 million in funding to various projects aimed at reducing homelessness. As well as move the Council from the HCD to the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, among other changes.

AB 97 (Ting, Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017) provided $10 million for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required funded grants to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth, as specified.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations:

• Cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish and fund the program in Sacramento County. (General funds, special funds)
• Minor and absorbable administrative costs to the Office of Emergency Services.

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/17/18)

California Coalition for Youth

Sacramento LGBT Community Center
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/17/18)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 5/30/18

AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Travis Allen, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon

Prepared by:

8/19/18 13:40:21

**** END ****

1. Dworsky, Amy, Laura Napolitano, Marc Courtney, Homelessness During the Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood, American Journal of Public Health (December 2013). ↑

2. Addressing the Intersections of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessnes: Principals for Change, Corporation for Supportive Housing (March 2017) <http://www.csh.org/2017/03/addressing-the-intersections-of-juvenile-justice-involvement-and-youth-homelessness-principles-for-change/> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

3. Rashida Crutchfield, Serving Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU, California State University (January 2016) <https://presspage-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/1487/cohomelessstudy.pdf?10000> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

4. Los Angeles Community College District: Survey of Student Basic Needs, Wisconsin HOPE Lab (Fall 2016) <http://www.wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin-HOPE-Lab-LA-CC-District-Report-Survey-Student-Needs.pdf> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

5. Ending Youth Homelessness, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (May 25, 2018) <https://www.usich.gov/goals/youth> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

6. Arturo Baiochhi, Jennifer Price-Wolf, Keith Hodson, David Barker, Mathew Foy, Homelessness in Sacramento County: Results from the 2017 Point-in-Time Count, CSU Sacramento (July 2017) <http://www.saccounty.net /Homelessness/Documents/2017_SacPIT_Final.pdf> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular Session

AB 2602 (McCarty) - Homeless youth emergency service projects

Bill Summary:

AB 2602 would establish a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on August 16, 2018

Fiscal Impact:

• Cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish and fund the program in Sacramento County. (GF, special funds)
• Minor and absorbable administrative costs to the Office of Emergency Services (OES)

Committee Amendments:

Specify that funding for the project in Sacramento County may not reduce the funding provided to the established projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular Session

AB 2602 (McCarty) - Homeless youth emergency service projects

This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Bill Summary:

AB 2602 would establish a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

Fiscal Impact:

• Cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish and fund the program in Sacramento County. (GF, special funds)
• Minor and absorbable administrative costs to the Office of Emergency Services (OES)

Background:

The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles counties. In 1988, the program was extended to delete references to pilot project provisions and make the provisions permanent. The program was further extended in 1990 requiring the establishment of homeless youth emergency services in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By FY 2015-16, almost $1.1 million was provided in funding to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program ($365,000 from the General Fund and the remainder from state special funds and federal funds). The program and provided funds were administered by OES and provided to four agencies in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties. These projects provided outreach services, provided youth with shelter, assisted youth with family reunification and provided youth with training on independent living and survival skills. In 2016, $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program were redirected on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund five-year homeless youth emergency service pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties. In 2017, $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects was administered to establish or expand these programs; these monies were divided between San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties with each county receiving $2.5 million.

The 2017 Sacramento County homeless count saw a 30% increase in the total homeless count from 2015, many of whom were under the age of 24.

Proposed Law:

This bill would establish a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County. This bill would also require OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for the grantee under this chapter by June 1, 2019, and enter into a grant award agreement and operation of the project by October 1, 2019.

Related Legislation:

SB 918 (Wiener, 2018) would establish a grant program to offer grants to providers of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. This bill is pending in the Assembly Human Services Committee.

AB 97 (Ting, Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017) provided $10 million for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required funded grants to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth, as specified.

AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016) among other things, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

AB 1699 (Kim, 2016) would have expanded homeless youth emergency service projects to additional counties and required these projects to provide transitional living services. This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 3654 (Vasconcellos, Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990) required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in Santa Clara and San Diego counties.

SB 508 (Presley, Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988) extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent.

AB 1596 (Agnos, Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) established the Homeless Youth Act of 1985 to create pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. This bill also appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program.

Staff Comments:

Staff notes that the four projects currently under this program split nearly $1.1 million from state and federal funds. Additionally, the State Penalty Fund – one of the state funds supporting this program – has been experiencing a continued decline in revenue over the past several years, which leads to a continued decrease in the amount being available for the various programs this fund supports. Due to the 35% decrease to the State Penalty Fund in 2017-18, OES began supplementing a portion of the program with federal Victims of Crime Act funding. The 2018-19 Budget Act reflects a continued decrease to the State Penalty Fund.

There is no funding source identified for this bill for the establishment of a Sacramento project, which will introduce a fifth county to split the total funding and cause a decrease in monies distributed to the four established projects. This could lead to creating cost pressure for additional funding so that all projects are funded at a reasonable level rather than compromise on funding for any of the projects.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Wiener, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular

Bill No: AB 2602

Subject: Homeless youth emergency service projects.

SUMMARY

This bill establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

ABSTRACT

Existing law:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara Counties. (WIC 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide, as specified, and including but not limited to, all of the following services:
   1. Food and access to an overnight shelter;
   2. Counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems;
   3. Outreach services to locate homeless youth and link them with services, and drop-in facilities to make the services accessible to the street population;
   4. Screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care;
   5. Linkage to other services offered by public and private agencies;
   6. Long-term stabilization planning so that the youth may be returned to the parental home under circumstances favoring long-term reunification with the family, or so that the youth can be suitably placed in a situation outside the family when family reunification is not possible; and
   7. Followup services to ensure that the return to the family or the placement outside the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

This bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the OES.
2. Requires, with respect to the project established in Sacramento County, OES prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for project grantee by June 1, 2019, and further, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019.
3. Makes technical changes.

FISCAL IMPACT

According to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations on April 25, 2018, this bill may result in the following costs:

1. Cost pressure in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars (General Fund) to fund the Sacramento County program. No new funding source is identified in the bill. Adding a 5th project to the existing funding could compromise the other four projects, creating pressure for additional funding.
2. $150,000 (General Fund) annual cost to OES for administrative costs for the development of the request for proposal and to implement and maintain the new project.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Purpose of the bill:

According to the author, the Greater Sacramento region is experiencing a rapid increase in homelessness numbers, especially among youth and youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). An estimated 23,700 people moved to Sacramento in 2016. This influx of new residents, combined with limited available housing has resulted in available housing becoming much more expensive.

According to the author, rent increases have “pushed many of those who were barely making rent out of the housing market and onto the streets.” The 2017 Sacramento County homeless count saw a 30 percent increase in the total homeless count from 2015. Many of Sacramento’s homeless are under the age of 24 and identify as LGBT. “This has resulted in a real need for an increase in local services to meet the needs of homeless LGBT youth,” states the author.

The author proposes AB 2602 to address this situation, stating that it will create a new Sacramento County homeless youth emergency services project that will provide a potential source of funding for providers that have the knowledge and ability to provide wraparound services for homeless youth, especially LGBT youth.

Youth Homelessness

More than one-third of the nation’s homeless youth live in California – 15,458 youth, according to the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR), which is driven by data stemming from the point in time HUD count. This represents an increase of 26 percent in a single year, and 32 percent since 2015. California’s numbers are the highest in the nation – the second highest is in New York with 2,829 homeless youth – or fewer than 20 percent of California’s total.

The federal government defines a homeless youth as a minor younger than 18 or a young adult between 18 and 24 years old who is living individually without shelter. Homelessness is disproportionate. Studies show that up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT. Additionally, youth of color, youth who are currently or formerly in the foster care system^[1] and youth who have been in the juvenile justice system all have higher rates of homelessness.^[2] Homelessness is growing among college students. One in 10 California State University system students^[3] and one in five students in the Los Angeles Community College District^[4] are homeless.

Exact counts vary substantially based on definition and methodology, but reports across various systems show a growing number of homeless unaccompanied youth, a group that often stays hidden from view and may be easily overlooked. Youth have just begun to be recognized as a population needing attention. Prior to 2015, the federal annual count did not break out unaccompanied youth at all. The US Interagency Council on Homelessness in August 2017 noted “an unprecedented increase in collaboration among federal agencies and between the government and locally-driven efforts to end homelessness among unaccompanied youth under age 25.”^[5]

Moreover, a 2015 report by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found that 50 percent of chronically homeless adults experienced homelessness as transitional age youth, between the ages of 18 and 24. Experts say this data indicates that intervention targeted to this population could help prevent chronic homelessness among some adults.

Unique Service Needs and Safety

Housing is limited for youth, with reports of months-long wait lists for shelter or other housing. Providers of services and shelter say youth tend to avoid adult homeless shelters because they are often victimized there, instead believing they are safer in youth encampments, living with relatives or strangers, or in other situations until they can access shelter care. According to the HUD annual count, unaccompanied homeless youth are much more likely to be unsheltered (55 percent) than all people experiencing homelessness (35 percent).^[6] California accounted for 58 percent of the nation’s unsheltered and unaccompanied youth in 2017.

Experts say it is critical to develop and fund youth homeless services that are developmentally appropriate for young, maturing adults. Services that have proven successful for youth include those that are trauma-informed, teach life skills, and offer educational degrees and job training.

Furthermore, on the street, unaccompanied young people are particularly vulnerable to violence and exploitation. There is a significant overlap between homelessness and commercial sexual exploitation. Studies indicate at least one in five homeless youth have participated in “survival sex” in order to find shelter or food. The likelihood of victimization is even higher for young women and LGBTQ youth. A 2012 report by the California Homeless Youth Project described strategies that youth use to stay as safe as possible on unsheltered nights including staying up all night walking the streets, riding public transportation, napping at a fast food restaurant, finding sexual partners who would provide them with shelter, and “hustling up” enough cash for a room.

Sacramento County’s Homeless Youth

California State University (CSU), Sacramento, while reporting on Homelessness in Sacramento County, found that the 2017 point-in-time count estimated growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30 percent. This meant that Sacramento’s homeless population was up to 3,665 in 2017 from 2,822 in 2016. The count also revealed that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth experiencing homelessness, representing a 20 percent decrease from 2015.

In regards to this seemingly downward trend, the report warned: “However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often ‘couch surf’ with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally.”^[7]

Homeless Youth Emergency Service Projects and Funding

In 1985, the Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos, Chapter 1445, Statues of 1985)) was passed, establishing pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angles, as well as requiring the state to collect data on runaway youth in San Clara and San Diego counties. This Act appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning for the administration of the program. In 1988, SB 508 (Presley, Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988) extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. This project was then further extended in 1990, when AB 3654 (Vasconcellos, Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990) required the establishment of homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16, almost $1.1 million dollars was providing in funding to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program, $365,000 of which was from the General fund with the remaining funds provided by the State Victim Witness Assistance Funds. The program, and provided funds, were administered by OES and provided to four agencies, each operating a homeless youth emergency service project in a different county. The agencies are as follows:

• San Diego Youth Services, serving San Diego County;
• Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles County;
• Lark Street Youth Services, serving San Francisco County; and
• The Bill Wilson Center, serving Santa Clara County.

OES reported that, for FY 2014-15, these projects, across all four counties, accomplished the following:

• Provided 9,988 youth with outreach services;
• Provided 661 youth with shelter;
• Assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and
• Provided 1,082 youth with training on independent living and survival skills.

In 2016, AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016) carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional homeless youth emergency service projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over a five year period.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting, Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017) provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. In March 2018 it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Related legislation:

SB 918 (Wiener and Assemblymember Rubio, 2018) would enact the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 to provide for the establishment of a state Office of Homeless Youth and to offer grants to providers of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. It is currently scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Human Services Committee on June 26, 2018.

AB 97 (Ting, Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017) provided $10 million for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required funded grants to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth, as specified.

AB 824 (Lackey, 2017) would have created the Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth Grant Program in OES to award grants to nonprofit entities providing residential, referral, life skills and counseling, and outreach services to homeless youth ages 18 to 24, and would have additionally required each grant recipient to annually report to OES specified information regarding services provided. It was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016) among other things, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

AB 1699 (Kim, 2016) would have expanded homeless youth emergency service projects to additional counties and required these projects to provide transitional living services. It was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 3654 (Vasconcellos, Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990) required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in Santa Clara and San Diego counties.

SB 508 (Presley, Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988) extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent.

AB 1596 (Agnos, Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) established the Homeless Youth Act of 1985 to create pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. Further, it appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program.

COMMENTS

Though this bill does not increase the funding available to homeless youth emergency service projects, it would increase the number of youth served by authorizing OES to partner with a services provider in Sacramento County for the creation of an additional homeless youth emergency service project. With the rapid increases seen in Sacramento’s housing costs (an estimated 9.9 percent increase to average rent costs occurred in Sacramento County between June 2016 and July 2017) there is a corresponding increased need for services for the county’s growing homeless population.

Research shows that youth specific services are necessary in order to address the unique service needs and safety of homeless youth. This suggests that simply increasing the overall efforts to decrease homelessness in a community may not impact the number of homeless youth in that community. This bill ensures that Sacramento is offering youth specific services in order to better serve an incredibly vulnerable population.

PRIOR VOTES

POSITIONS

Support:

California Coalition for Youth

Sacramento LGBT Community Center

Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety

Oppose:

None received

-- END --

1. Dworsky, Amy, Laura Napolitano, Marc Courtney, Homelessness During the Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood, American Journal of Public Health (December 2013). ↑

2. Addressing the Intersections of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessnes: Principals for Change, Corporation for Supportive Housing (March 2017) <http://www.csh.org/2017/03/addressing-the-intersections-of-juvenile-justice-involvement-and-youth-homelessness-principles-for-change/> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

3. Rashida Crutchfield, Serving Displaced and Food Insecure Students in the CSU, California State University (January 2016) <https://presspage-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/1487/cohomelessstudy.pdf?10000> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

4. Los Angeles Community College District: Survey of Student Basic Needs, Wisconsin HOPE Lab (Fall 2016) <http://www.wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin-HOPE-Lab-LA-CC-District-Report-Survey-Student-Needs.pdf> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

5. Ending Youth Homelessness, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (May 25, 2018) <https://www.usich.gov/goals/youth> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

6. The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (December 2017) <https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2017-AHAR-Part-1.pdf> (as of June 6, 2016). ↑

7. Arturo Baiochhi, Jennifer Price-Wolf, Keith Hodson, David Barker, Mathew Foy, Homelessness in Sacramento County: Results from the 2017 Point-in-Time Count, CSU Sacramento (July 2017) <http://www.saccounty.net /Homelessness/Documents/2017_SacPIT_Final.pdf> (as of June 6, 2018). ↑

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 2602

Author:(McCarty)

As Amended Ver:April 3, 2018

Majority vote

SUMMARY: Establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project to be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES).
2. Requires, with respect to project established in Sacramento County, OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for grantee for the project by June 1, 2019, and further, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019.
3. Makes technical changes.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties. (WIC 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide services, as specified and including, but not limited to: food and access to overnight shelter; counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems; outreach services; screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care; linkage to other services; long-term stabilization planning; and follow-up services to ensure that any return to the family or placement outside of the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth, and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 25, 2018, this bill may result in the following:

1. Cost pressure in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars (General Fund) to fund the Sacramento County program. No new funding source is identified in the bill. Adding a 5th project to the existing funding could compromise the other four projects, creating pressure for additional funding;
2. $150,000 (General Fund) annual cost to OES for administrative costs for the development of the request for proposal (RFP) and to implement and maintain the new project.

COMMENTS:

Youth homelessness: Homeless youth and children are defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 as individuals who "lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence," to include children and youth who: have to share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds because they lack other accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are awaiting foster placement; or have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, estimated that, nationally, on a single night in January 2017, 40,799 unaccompanied youth were homeless (i.e., individuals under the age of 25 who experience homelessness on their own). In California, this single-night count found 15,458 unaccompanied homeless youth (38% of the national total). Because these counts are for a single night, and because of the unique and often hidden nature of youth homelessness, the data do not represent the entire number of California youth who experience homelessness each year.

A report on Sacramento County's January 2017 point-in-time count estimated real growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30% (from 2,822 to 3,665). This same count indicated that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth (between approximately 18 and 25 years old) experiencing homelessness, representing a 20% decrease from 2015. The report notes, though: "However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often 'couch surf' with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally."

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) youth, youth formerly or currently involved with the foster care system, youth involved with the juvenile justice system, and youth of color all tend to be overrepresented among homeless youth populations. And homelessness can have many long-term impacts on youth that last well into adult; these include negative impacts on health and mental health and the creation of barriers to education, job skills, and resources that lead to financial stability and overall wellbeing.

Homeless youth emergency service projects: In 1985, legislation – The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) – was passed that established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. This bill appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program. SB 508 (Presley), Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By 2015-16, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program was administered by OES and operating in four agencies, each representing a separate county: San Diego Youth Services, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco), and the Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County). Total 2015-16 funding for the projects was almost $1.1 million, $356,000 of which was General Fund (the remaining funds were State Victim Witness Assistance Funds). OES reported that, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program (across all four county projects), among other things: provided 9,988 youth with outreach services; provided 661 youth with shelter; assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and provided training on independent living and survival skills to 1,082 youth.

AB 1622 (Assembly Budget Committee), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds to be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. On April 2nd, it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Need for this bill: According to the author, "The homeless population in Sacramento has increased rapidly and despite recent efforts to provide wraparound services to the homeless, there is a significant gap when it comes to youth, especially LGBT youth. This bill will provide a much needed opportunity for assistance in helping getting our homeless youth population off the streets and on the path to a better life."

Analysis Prepared by: Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0003222

Date of Hearing: April 25, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2602

Author:(McCarty) – As Amended Ver:April 3, 2018

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project to be established in Sacramento County and to be operated by an agency through a grant award agreement with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES).
2. Requires, with respect to the Sacramento County project, OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for the grantee by June 1, 2019, and further requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and begin operation of this project by October 1, 2019.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Cost pressure in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars (GF) to fund the Sacramento County program. No new funding source is identified in the bill. Adding a fifth project to the existing funding could compromise the other four projects, creating pressure for additional funding.
2. $150,000 (GF) annual cost to OES for administrative costs for the development of the RFP and to implement and maintain the new project.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author:

The homeless population in Sacramento has increased rapidly and despite recent efforts to provide wraparound services to the homeless, there is a significant gap when it comes to youth, especially LGBT youth. This bill will provide a much needed opportunity for assistance in helping getting our homeless youth population off the streets and on the path to a better life.

1. Background. The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. That bill appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program. SB 508, Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent.

AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

Today, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program provides food, shelter, counseling, outreach services, referrals, screening for basic health needs and long-term stabilization planning. It is administered by OES and operates in four agencies, each representing a separate county: San Diego Youth Services, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco), and the Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County). Total 2015-16 funding for the projects was almost $1.1 million, $356,000 of which is General Fund (the remaining funds are State Victim Witness Assistance Funds). A youth is considered homeless if he or she is under the age of 24 and one of the following, or combination, apply: a) does not have a permanent residence; b) has run away from home; c) has been pushed out of his or her home by parents or guardians; d) has aged out of the foster care system and is now homeless; e) is living in a shelter; or f) is living on the streets.

OES reported that, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program (across all four county projects), among other things: provided 9,988 youth with outreach services; provided 661 youth with shelter; assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and provided 1,082 with training on independent living and survival skills.

AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10 million in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects administered by OES and required grant funds to be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. On April 2^nd, it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

1. Related Legislation. SB 918 (Wiener and Assemblywoman Rubio), of the current Legislative Session, seeks to enact the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 to establish a state Office of Homeless Youth and to offer grants to providers of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. It is pending hearing in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee.
2. Prior Legislation. In addition to the bills mentioned above:

AB 824 (Lackey), of the 2017-18 Legislative Session, would have created the Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth Grant Program in OES to award grants to nonprofit entities providing residential, referral, life skills and counseling, and outreach services to homeless youth ages 18 to 24. It was held on this committee’s suspense file.

AB 1699 (Kim), of the 2015-16 Legislative Session, would have expanded homeless youth emergency service projects to additional counties and required these projects to provide transitional living services. It was held on this committee’s suspense file.

Analysis Prepared by: Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 10, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Blanca Rubio, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2602 (

Author:McCarty) – As Amended Ver:April 3, 2018

SUBJECT: Homeless youth emergency service projects

SUMMARY: Establishes a homeless youth emergency service project in Sacramento County.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires, alongside the homeless youth emergency service projects already established per current law in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties, a homeless youth emergency services project to be established in Sacramento County, to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES).
2. Requires, with respect to project established in Sacramento County, OES to prepare and disseminate a request for proposal for grantee for the project by June 1, 2019, and further, requires OES to enter into a grant award agreement and for operation of this project to begin by October 1, 2019.
3. Makes technical changes.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes homeless youth emergency service projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties. (WIC 13700 et seq.)
2. Requires each homeless youth emergency project to provide services, as specified and including, but not limited to: food and access to overnight shelter; counseling to address immediate emotional crises or problems; outreach services; screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private agencies for health care; linkage to other services; long-term stabilization planning; and follow-up services to ensure that any return to the family or placement outside of the family is stable. (WIC 13701)
3. Requires each of the four county-based projects to be operated by an agency in accordance with a grant award agreement with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (now the Office of Emergency Services [OES]), and permits each project to have one central location or more than one location, as specified. Further requires that, to be eligible, grantees must be private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth, and sets criteria for granting preference, as specified. (WIC 13703)
4. Requires OES to monitor the homeless youth emergency service projects, as specified. (WIC 13704)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.

COMMENTS:

Youth homelessness: Homeless youth and children are defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 as individuals who “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” to include children and youth who: have to share housing with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds because they lack other accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are awaiting foster placement; or have a primary nighttime residence that is not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in its 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, estimated that, nationally, on a single night in January 2017, 40,799 unaccompanied youth were homeless (i.e., individuals under the age of 25 who experience homelessness on their own). In California, this single-night count found 15,458 unaccompanied homeless youth (38% of the national total). Because these counts are for a single night, and because of the unique and often hidden nature of youth homelessness, the data do not represent the entire number of California youth who experience homelessness each year.

A report on Sacramento County’s January 2017 point-in-time count estimated real growth in the total nightly homeless population of about 30% (from 2,822 to 3,665). This same count indicated that there were 242 unaccompanied transitional age youth (between approximately 18 and 25 years old) experiencing homelessness, representing a 20% decrease from 2015. The report notes, though: “However, because of the small size of this group, and the relative large margin of error, the decrease in unsheltered [transitional age youth] may be modest…While these trends are positive, and potentially illustrative of progress being made in Sacramento County toward addressing youth homelessness, there is also a strong likelihood that these estimates may be undercounts. One issue is simply the fact young adults are much more likely to experience episodes of homelessness, as opposed to continuous periods. Single point-in-time designs are inherently biased toward over-sampling individuals with longer periods of homelessness (as they are more likely to be homeless during the time of the study). Another methodological concern is that young people experiencing housing instability often ‘couch surf’ with friends, which is a form of housing instability not captured by the [point-in-time] design. Homeless youth are also reportedly less likely to be found in typical homeless locations frequented by adults, or to engage with adult volunteers more generally.”

LGBTQ youth, youth formerly or currently involved with the foster care system, youth involved with the juvenile justice system, and youth of color all tend to be overrepresented among homeless youth populations. And homelessness can have many long-term impacts on youth that last well into adult; these include negative impacts on health and mental health and the creation of barriers to education, job skills, and resources that lead to financial stability and overall wellbeing.

Homeless youth emergency service projects: In 1985, legislation – The Homeless Youth Act of 1985 (AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985) – was passed that established pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. This bill appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program. SB 508 (Presley), Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent. AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

By 2015-16, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program was administered by OES and operating in four agencies, each representing a separate county: San Diego Youth Services, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco), and the Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County). Total 2015-16 funding for the projects was almost $1.1 million, $356,000 of which was General Fund (the remaining funds were State Victim Witness Assistance Funds). OES reported that, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program (across all four county projects), among other things: provided 9,988 youth with outreach services; provided 661 youth with shelter; assisted 319 youth with family reunification; and provided training on independent living and survival skills to 1,082 youth.

AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies on a one-time basis to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

Most recently, AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10,000,000 in one-time funds for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required grant funds to be used to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth. On April 2^nd, it was announced that organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties would each receive $2.5 million of this funding to provide the required housing and services.

Need for this bill: According to the author, “The homeless population in Sacramento has increased rapidly and despite recent efforts to provide wraparound services to the homeless, there is a significant gap when it comes to youth, especially LGBT youth. This bill will provide a much needed opportunity for assistance in helping getting our homeless youth population off the streets and on the path to a better life.”

RELATED AND PRIOR LEGISLATION:

SB 918 (Wiener and Assemblywoman Rubio), 2018, would enact the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 to provide for the establishment of a state Office of Homeless Youth and to offer grants to providers of housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. It is currently scheduled to be heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on April 10^th.

AB 97 (Ting), Chapter 14, Statutes of 2017, provided $10,000,000 for homeless youth emergency service projects to be administered by OES and required funded grants to establish or expand programs to assess the housing and service needs of homeless youth, as specified.

AB 824 (Lackey), 2017, would have created the Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth Grant Program in OES to award grants to nonprofit entities providing residential, referral, life skills and counseling, and outreach services to homeless youth ages 18 to 24, and would have additionally required each grant recipient to annually report to OES specified information regarding services provided. It died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1622 (Assembly Committee on Budget), Chapter 44, Statutes of 2016, among other things, carved out $10 million from funds previously appropriated for the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program and redirected these monies to the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program to fund additional pilot projects in Orange, El Dorado, Fresno, and San Bernardino counties over five years.

AB 1699 (Kim), 2016, would have expanded homeless youth emergency service projects to additional counties and required these projects to provide transitional living services. It died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 3654 (Vasconcellos), Chapter 1396, Statutes of 1990, required OES to establish homeless youth emergency service projects in Santa Clara and San Diego counties.

SB 508 (Presley), Chapter 288, Statutes of 1988, extended the Homeless Youth Act, deleting references to pilot projects and making provisions permanent.

AB 1596 (Agnos), Chapter 1445, Statutes of 1985, established the Homeless Youth Act of 1985 to create pilot projects to develop a network of youth services in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and required the state to collect data on runaway youth in Santa Clara and San Diego counties. Further, it appropriated state General Fund monies to the former Office of Criminal Justice Planning to administer the program.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

California Coalition for Youth

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089