AB 824: Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program, under which homeless youth emergency service projects are established in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and the City and County of San Francisco through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth. Under existing law, this program is administered by the Office of Emergency Services. Existing law requires each project to provide specified services, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and long-term stabilization planning.

This bill would establish the Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth Grant Program to be administered by the Office of Emergency Services to award grants to qualified nonprofit entities to provide transitional living services, such as long-term residential services, access to resources, and counseling services, to homeless youth ages 18 to 24 years of age, inclusive, for a period of up to 36 months. The bill would require the office, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to establish minimum standards and procedures for awarding the grant moneys. The bill would require each grant recipient to submit a report to the office on or before January 31, 2020, and on or before January 31 each year thereafter, that contains specified information regarding services provided during the previous calendar year, including the number of youth served that year and the average length of stay for each youth who left the program. The bill would require the office to submit a report to the Legislature on or before March 31, 2020, and on or before March 31 each year thereafter, that contains, in aggregate form, the information the grant recipients submitted to the office. The bill would appropriate $15,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Emergency Services for the purpose of awarding grants under the program.