AB 2306: Foster care: Independent Living Program.

Existing law establishes the Independent Living Program (ILP), which has among its purposes providing training in daily living skills, budgeting, locating and maintaining housing, and career planning for foster youth up to 21 years of age. Existing federal law authorizes a state, under certain circumstances, to expand eligibility for the ILP to former foster youth who have not attained 23 years of age.

This bill would expand eligibility for the ILP to current and former foster youth up to 22 years of age, subject to an appropriation and the approval of the federal government.

The bill would also require the State Department of Social Services to take specified actions relating to the ILP, including updating and expanding the standards and requirements for the ILP to increase consistency in ILPs across counties while retaining some flexibility in services and supports delivered by local ILPs and identifying a minimum set of specific core services and supports that all county ILPs are required to provide. The bill would specify certain services that are required to be included in the core services and supports, including, among others, direct services or linkage to programs and services that will reduce the incidence of homelessness. The bill would require a county to submit a plan for the operation of its ILP to the department and implement that plan within a specified timeframe. The bill would state that any of these provisions that require automation shall become operative on July 1, 2024, or the date the department notifies the Legislature that the statewide child welfare information system can perform the necessary automation to implement the ability to identify ILP core services and supports, whichever is earlier.

By creating new duties for counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require the department to determine the funding necessary to expand eligibility for the ILP and the stipends described below to include former foster youth up to 23 years of age and to submit a report with that information to the Legislature during budget hearings for the 202324 fiscal year budget. The bill would require the department to implement these provisions by all-county letter or similar instruction until regulations are adopted and would make the implementation of certain provisions contingent on an appropriation by the Legislature for those purposes.

Existing law requires counties to maintain a stipend to assist youth who have exited the foster care system at or after 18 years of age with independent living needs, as specified.

This bill would expand the list of specified independent living needs for which the stipend is authorized. The bill would, subject to an appropriation, require counties to provide that stipend to former foster youth up to 25 years of age. By creating new duties for counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.