Existing law establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law requires the department to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Existing law requires the area agencies on aging to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services. Existing law requires each area agency on aging to maintain a professional staff that is supplemented by volunteers, governed by a board of directors or elected officials, and whose activities are reviewed by an advisory council consisting primarily of older individuals from the community.

Existing federal law defines continuums of care as the groups organized to carry out specified responsibilities, including responsibilities related to homelessness, including certain nonprofit entities, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, and advocates. Existing state law establishes specified grants and programs available to continuums of care.

Existing law requires the Governor to create the Interagency Council on Homelessness for specified purposes, including to create partnerships among various entities for the purpose of arriving at specific strategies to end homelessness, including participants in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Developments Continuum of Care program and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and to identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.

This bill would require the council to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, the California continuums of care, and the area agencies on aging to convene a working group no later than March 1, 2024, to develop recommendations on best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness. The bill would require the working group to develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help those individuals access resources to prevent and overcome homelessness, as specified, no later than March 1, 2025. The bill would require the working group, on or before March 1, 2025, to report to specified committees of the Legislature on their recommendations.

Existing law establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law requires the department to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Existing law requires the area agencies on aging to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services. Existing law requires each area agency on aging to maintain a professional staff that is supplemented by volunteers, governed by a board of directors or elected officials, and whose activities are reviewed by an advisory council consisting primarily of older individuals from the community.

Existing federal law defines continuums of care as the groups organized to carry out specified responsibilities, including responsibilities related to homelessness, including certain nonprofit entities, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, and advocates. Existing state law establishes specified grants and programs available to continuums of care.

Existing law requires the Governor to create the Interagency Council on Homelessness for specified purposes, including to create partnerships among various entities, like participants in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Developments Continuum of Care program, and to identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.

This bill would require the council to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, the California continuums of care, and the area agencies on aging to convene a working group no later than March 1, 2024, to develop recommendations on best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness. The bill would require the working group to develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help those individuals access resources to prevent and overcome homelessness, as specified, no later than November 1, 2024. March 1, 2025. The bill would require the working group, on or before December 1, 2024, March 1, 2025, to report to specified committees of the Legislature on their recommendations.

Existing law establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law requires the department to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Existing law requires the area agencies on aging to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services. Existing law requires each area agency on aging to maintain a professional staff that is supplemented by volunteers, governed by a board of directors or elected officials, and whose activities are reviewed by an advisory council consisting primarily of older individuals from the community.

Existing federal law defines continuums of care as the groups organized to carry out specified responsibilities, including responsibilities related to homelessness, including certain nonprofit entities, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, and advocates. Existing state law establishes specified grants and programs available to continuums of care.

Existing law requires the Governor to create the Interagency Council on Homelessness for specified purposes, including to create partnerships among various entities, like participants in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Developments Continuum of Care program, and to identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.

This bill would require the council to coordinate with the California continuums of care and the area agencies on aging to partner in their shared regions to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff, to ensure that homelessness service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain a permanent housing solution. The bill would be implemented contingent on an appropriation for those purposes in the budget act. California Department of Aging, the California continuums of care, and the area agencies on aging to convene a working group no later than March 1, 2024, to develop recommendations on best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness. The bill would require the working group to develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help those individuals access resources to prevent and overcome homelessness, as specified, no later than November 1, 2024. The bill would require the working group, on or before December 1, 2024, to report to specified committees of the Legislature on their recommendations.

Existing law establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law requires the department to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Existing law requires the area agencies on aging to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services. Existing law requires each area agency on aging to maintain a professional staff that is supplemented by volunteers, governed by a board of directors or elected officials, and whose activities are reviewed by an advisory council consisting primarily of older individuals from the community.

Existing federal law defines continuums of care as the groups organized to carry out specified responsibilities, including responsibilities related to homelessness, including certain nonprofit entities, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, and advocates. Existing state law establishes specified grants and programs available to continuums of care.

Existing law requires the Governor to create the Interagency Council on Homelessness for specified purposes, including to create partnerships among various entities, like participants in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Developments Continuum of Care program, and to identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.

This bill would require the council to coordinate with the California continuums of care and the area agencies on aging to partner in their shared regions to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff, to ensure that homelessness service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain a permanent housing solution. The bill would be implemented contingent on an appropriation for those purposes in the budget act.

 VETO  

Bill No: SB 657

Author: Caballero (D), et al.

Amended: 7/12/23

Vote: 27

SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 4-0, 4/17/23

AYES: Alvarado-Gil, Ochoa Bogh, Menjivar, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Hurtado

SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE: 11-0, 4/24/23

AYES: Wiener, Ochoa Bogh, Blakespear, Caballero, Cortese, McGuire, Padilla, Seyarto, Skinner, Umberg, Wahab

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/18/23

AYES: Portantino, Jones, Ashby, Bradford, Seyarto, Wahab, Wiener

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0, 5/25/23

AYES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

SENATE FLOOR: 39-0, 9/11/23

AYES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Cortese, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Caballero

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 9/7/23 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with the California Department of Aging (CDA), the California continuums of care (CoCs), and the area agencies on aging (AAAs) to convene a working group, by March 1, 2024, relating to older adults and homelessness.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Defines, in federal statute, the word “homeless” for the purpose of housing assistance, to mean an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as:
   1. A primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;
   2. A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or
   3. Exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution. (42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 91.5)
2. Establishes the Cal ICH to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Housing First guidelines and regulations in California, and to identify resources and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (WIC 8255 et. seq.)
3. Sets the goals for the Cal ICH including, but not limited to, identification of resources and services to prevent and end homelessness; creating partnerships among local, state, federal entities to arrive at strategies to end homelessness; coordinating existing homelessness funding; making policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature; and, creating a Homeless Data Integration System, as provided. (WIC 8257(b))
4. Defines, in federal statute, “Continuums of Care (CoCs)” means the group organized to carry out the responsibilities required and that is composed of representatives of organizations, including nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly homeless persons to the extent these groups are represented within the geographic area and are available to participate. (24 CFR 578.3)
5. Defines “Area agency on aging” means a private nonprofit or public agency designated by the Department of Aging that works for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area, engages in community planning, coordination, and program development, and through contractual arrangements, provides a broad array of social and nutritional services. (WIC 9006)

This bill:

1. Requires the Cal ICH to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, California CoCs and the AAAs to convene a working group to do all of the following:
2. Develop recommendations for best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.
3. Develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help those individuals access resources to prevent becoming homeless, and to help older adults who are homeless in obtaining a permanent housing solution.
4. Ensure the training is culturally and geographically appropriate.
5. Determine who should take the training, whether the training should be mandatory or voluntary, and if the training is mandatory, determine who will enforce the training requirement.
6. Requires the working group to convene by no later than March 1, 2024 and develop training materials and guidelines no later than March 1, 2025.
7. Requires Cal ICH, on or before March 1, 2025, to submit a report on the working group’s recommendations to Assembly and Senate Committees, as specified.

Background

According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk of homelessness because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives and find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services’ staff are an important component to the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis; however, the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing and memory loss, and medical issues are all important to know to help seniors live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services.”

California Homelessness Data. Since 2016, homelessness in America, and particularly in California, has been growing at an increasing rate. Homelessness has been correlated with a number of negative effects, including high rates of chronic disease and acute illness, a broad range of mental health and substance use issues, greater exposure to violence, malnutrition, extreme weather, and criminal charges. The health, personal, and economic challenges that chronically homeless individuals and families face and the lack of effective, coordinated services to address these problems often lead to a cycle of housing instability and health deterioration. Persistent homelessness impedes access to needed health and employment services. Additionally, the conditions of homelessness often make it more difficult to exit homelessness, by creating barriers to the resources necessary to obtain income through training, education, and employment.

Older Adult Homelessness in California. According to a 2021 report by the Administration for Community Living, 17 percent of people living in the United States were 65 or older in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to 22 percent by 2040. Adults over the age of 50 are comprising a growing proportion of the number of individual adults experiencing homelessness. As of September 2022, data from the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) showed that of the 272,626 people experiencing homelessness that had contact with the homelessness response system, about 40 percent were individuals aged 50 and older. The inflationary cost pressures of the last two years may have also contributed to the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time. Research by the California Budget Center and others indicates that reasons for the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time vary, including the series of recessions, financial and medical emergencies later in life, the shortage of affordable housing, difficulties with accessing support and social safety net programs, and insufficient benefit amounts.

Research has also found that people experiencing homelessness have declining health conditions that in comparable populations of housed people wouldn’t arise for another 10-20 years. Additionally, older adults may have a disability or underlying health conditions which may require more assistive services to obtain and maintain their housing. The author’s office has noted that some staff at shelters and other homeless service providers may not have the knowledge or capabilities to be able to address the complex needs of older adults. As such, the increasing numbers of older adults experiencing homelessness will have significant implications for the service offerings and practices of the homeless service system going forward.

Continuums of Care. There are currently 44 CoCs across California’s 58 counties. CoCs are often led by a county or non-profit organization, though in some cases, they are led by a city, and are composed of a number of representative organizations that serve individuals facing homelessness. These can include nonprofit homeless providers, governments, victim service providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement, among others. HUD requires CoCs to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness and enter it into a database. This is accomplished by using a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which is a local information technology system. Each CoC is responsible for selecting a HMIS software solution that complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS in California is composed of each CoC’s database. HUD requires each CoC’s HMIS to comply with their data collection, management, and reporting standards and also requires CoCs to enter data from both the annual PIT count and annual Housing Inventory Count into HMIS. This data is now complied into the state’s HDIS.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). SB 1220 (Rivas, L., Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) to Cal ICH, named the secretaries of BCSH and CHHS as co-chairs of the council, and changed the membership composition from one that included a mix of state and local agencies, persons who previously experienced homelessness, and homeless advocacy groups to one composed of state departments’ and offices’ directorate, including the Departments of Rehabilitation, Aging, Social Services, State Hospitals, and the state’s Medicaid Director.

SB 1220 also added an advisory committee that meets twice a year with the Cal ICH. The advisory committee is currently composed of the following members: a survivor of gender-based violence who formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a developmental disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in HUD’s Continuum of Care Program; stakeholders with expertise in solutions to homelessness and best practices from other states; representatives of committees on African Americans, youth, and survivors of gender-based violence; a current or formerly homeless person who lives in California; and a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One advisory committee member will be chosen to participate in the quarterly council meetings to report their committee’s activities to the Cal ICH.

The Cal ICH is tasked to continue the work it began as HCFC, which was created by SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016), such as coordinating the state’s response to homelessness, and creating partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, nonprofits, and federal agencies, among others. The Cal ICH is also responsible for administering and distributing funding associated with the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program, through which millions of dollars allocated through the state budget process are provided to local governments and CoCs to address immediate homelessness challenges. Additionally, SB 918 (Wiener, Chapter 841, Statutes of 2018) required the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California, and SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) requires the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California by January 1, 2025.

This bill requires, upon receipt of an appropriation, the Cal ICH, by March 1, 2024, to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, CoCs and AAAs to convene a working group as provided. The bill also requires, by March 1, 2025, the working group to develop best practice recommendations, training materials and prescriptive guidelines for those who assist older adults with housing needs and Cal ICH to submit a report to the Legislature, as provided.

Area Agency on Aging (AAA). AAAs are public or private non-profit agencies designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local levels. “Area Agency on Aging” is a generic term—specific names of local AAAs may vary. AAAs are primarily responsible for a geographic area that is either a city, a single county, or a multi-county district. The California Department of Aging contracts with and provides leadership and direction to 33 AAAs that coordinate a wide array of services to older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level and serve as the focal point for local aging concerns. AAAs goal is to make it possible for older individuals to choose the services and living arrangements that suit them best.

Related/Prior Legislation

SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) created the HELP Act and required Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California, as described by January 1, 2025.

SB 1220 (Luz Rivas, Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the HCFC the Cal ICH, named the Secretary of CHHS as a co-chair, reconstituted the Cal ICH membership, required the Cal ICH to meet at least twice yearly with an advisory committee, among other things, as provided.

SB 850 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018) provided funding for homelessness initiatives, permitted the Governor to appoint up to 17 members to HCFC, including the Secretary BCSH or designee, to serve as chair, a representative from the Department of Transportation and a formerly homeless youth to serve on the Council, as provided.

SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016) created the HCFC to coordinate the state’s response to homelessness, as provided.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

1. Cal ICH estimates General Fund (GF) costs of $178,000 in the first year and ongoing costs of approximately $170,000 (GF) annually thereafter, for one position to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to establish the working group goals and objectives, conduct research on best practices, provide continued training implementation, draft the request for proposal, and serve as the contract manager and overall program lead.
2. Cal-ICH estimates a one-time GF cost of $500,000 for a contractor to support the establishment of the working group and develop the training curriculum. The contractor will also provide outreach and engagement to targeted audience, as defined by the working group (such as homeless services staff that need to take training), and create training curriculum informed by the working group and additional materials as needed, and manage outreach and training materials.
3. CDA anticipates minor and absorbable costs to participate in the working group.

SUPPORT: (Verified 10/11/23)

Agency on Aging \ Area 4
City and County of San Francisco
San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Serving Seniors

OPPOSITION: (Verified 10/11/23)

None received

GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE:

This bill would require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Council) to coordinate with the Department of Aging, Continuums of Care, and Area Agencies on Aging to convene a working group to develop best practices and training for those assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.

While I agree with the underlying intent of the bill, some of its provisions are duplicative of the Council's current efforts with member Departments, including the Department of Aging, to establish best practices and provide support for this population. These efforts include the State's recent partnership with the federal government through the ALL INside Initiative, which includes a specific focus on supporting older adults. In addition, the State has also produced the Master Plan for Aging, a comprehensive 10-year blueprint that outlines how the State will address housing solutions for older adults by 2030, including efforts for enriching services and housing for older Californians. I look forward to working with the author to build on these efforts thoughtfully, but at this time, legislation is not necessary.

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 9/7/23

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Wendy Carrillo, Cervantes, Chen, Connolly, Megan Dahle, Davies, Dixon, Flora, Mike Fong, Vince Fong, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Grayson, Haney, Hart, Holden, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Lackey, Lee, Low, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Stephanie Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Jim Patterson, Joe Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Santiago, Schiavo, Soria, Ta, Ting, Valencia, Villapudua, Waldron, Wallis, Ward, Weber, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Zbur, Robert Rivas

NO VOTE RECORDED: Essayli

Prepared by: Bridgett Hankerson / HUMAN S. / (916) 651-1524

10/19/23 10:48:00

**** END ****

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS  

Bill No: SB 657

Author: Caballero (D), et al.

Amended: 7/12/23

Vote: 21

SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 4-0, 4/17/23

AYES: Alvarado-Gil, Ochoa Bogh, Menjivar, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Hurtado

SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE: 11-0, 4/24/23

AYES: Wiener, Ochoa Bogh, Blakespear, Caballero, Cortese, McGuire, Padilla, Seyarto, Skinner, Umberg, Wahab

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/18/23

AYES: Portantino, Jones, Ashby, Bradford, Seyarto, Wahab, Wiener

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0, 5/25/23

AYES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 9/7/23 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with the California Department of Aging (CDA), the California continuums of care (CoCs), and the area agencies on aging (AAAs) to convene a working group, by March 1, 2024, relating to older adults and homelessness.

Assembly Amendments

remove the requirement that implementation of the bill is contingent upon receipt of an appropriation and remove the requirement that the CoCs partner in their shared regions to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff, and instead require Cal ICH to coordinate and convene a working group for those purposes, among others, as provided.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Defines, in federal statute, the word “homeless” for the purpose of housing assistance, to mean an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as:
   1. A primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;
   2. A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or
   3. Exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution. (42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 91.5)
2. Establishes the Cal ICH to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Housing First guidelines and regulations in California, and to identify resources and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (WIC 8255 et. seq.)
3. Sets the goals for the Cal ICH including, but not limited to, identification of resources and services to prevent and end homelessness; creating partnerships among local, state, federal entities to arrive at strategies to end homelessness; coordinating existing homelessness funding; making policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature; and, creating a Homeless Data Integration System, as provided. (WIC 8257(b))
4. Defines, in federal statute, “Continuums of Care (CoCs)” means the group organized to carry out the responsibilities required and that is composed of representatives of organizations, including nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly homeless persons to the extent these groups are represented within the geographic area and are available to participate. (24 CFR 578.3)
5. Defines “Area agency on aging” means a private nonprofit or public agency designated by the Department of Aging that works for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area, engages in community planning, coordination, and program development, and through contractual arrangements, provides a broad array of social and nutritional services. (WIC 9006)

This bill:

1. Requires the Cal ICH to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, California CoCs and the AAAs to convene a working group to do all of the following:
2. Develop recommendations for best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.
3. Develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help those individuals access resources to prevent becoming homeless, and to help older adults who are homeless in obtaining a permanent housing solution.
4. Ensure the training is culturally and geographically appropriate.
5. Determine who should take the training, whether the training should be mandatory or voluntary, and if the training is mandatory, determine who will enforce the training requirement.
6. Requires the working group to convene by no later than March 1, 2024 and develop training materials and guidelines no later than March 1, 2025.
7. Requires Cal ICH, on or before March 1, 2025, to submit a report on the working group’s recommendations to Assembly and Senate Committees, as specified.

Background

According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk of homelessness because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives and find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services’ staff are an important component to the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis; however, the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing and memory loss, and medical issues are all important to know to help seniors live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services.”

California Homelessness Data. Since 2016, homelessness in America, and particularly in California, has been growing at an increasing rate. Homelessness has been correlated with a number of negative effects, including high rates of chronic disease and acute illness, a broad range of mental health and substance use issues, greater exposure to violence, malnutrition, extreme weather, and criminal charges. The health, personal, and economic challenges that chronically homeless individuals and families face and the lack of effective, coordinated services to address these problems often lead to a cycle of housing instability and health deterioration. Persistent homelessness impedes access to needed health and employment services. Additionally, the conditions of homelessness often make it more difficult to exit homelessness, by creating barriers to the resources necessary to obtain income through training, education, and employment.

Older Adult Homelessness in California. According to a 2021 report by the Administration for Community Living, 17 percent of people living in the United States were 65 or older in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to 22 percent by 2040. Adults over the age of 50 are comprising a growing proportion of the number of individual adults experiencing homelessness. As of September 2022, data from the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) showed that of the 272,626 people experiencing homelessness that had contact with the homelessness response system, about 40 percent were individuals aged 50 and older. The inflationary cost pressures of the last two years may have also contributed to the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time. Research by the California Budget Center and others indicates that reasons for the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time vary, including the series of recessions, financial and medical emergencies later in life, the shortage of affordable housing, difficulties with accessing support and social safety net programs, and insufficient benefit amounts.

Research has also found that people experiencing homelessness have declining health conditions that in comparable populations of housed people wouldn’t arise for another 10-20 years. Additionally, older adults may have a disability or underlying health conditions which may require more assistive services to obtain and maintain their housing. The author’s office has noted that some staff at shelters and other homeless service providers may not have the knowledge or capabilities to be able to address the complex needs of older adults. As such, the increasing numbers of older adults experiencing homelessness will have significant implications for the service offerings and practices of the homeless service system going forward.

Continuums of Care. There are currently 44 CoCs across California’s 58 counties. CoCs are often led by a county or non-profit organization, though in some cases, they are led by a city, and are composed of a number of representative organizations that serve individuals facing homelessness. These can include nonprofit homeless providers, governments, victim service providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement, among others. HUD requires CoCs to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness and enter it into a database. This is accomplished by using a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which is a local information technology system. Each CoC is responsible for selecting a HMIS software solution that complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS in California is composed of each CoC’s database. HUD requires each CoC’s HMIS to comply with their data collection, management, and reporting standards and also requires CoCs to enter data from both the annual PIT count and annual Housing Inventory Count into HMIS. This data is now complied into the state’s HDIS.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). SB 1220 (Rivas, L., Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) to Cal ICH, named the secretaries of BCSH and CHHS as co-chairs of the council, and changed the membership composition from one that included a mix of state and local agencies, persons who previously experienced homelessness, and homeless advocacy groups to one composed of state departments’ and offices’ directorate, including the Departments of Rehabilitation, Aging, Social Services, State Hospitals, and the state’s Medicaid Director.

SB 1220 also added an advisory committee that meets twice a year with the Cal ICH. The advisory committee is currently composed of the following members: a survivor of gender-based violence who formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a developmental disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in HUD’s Continuum of Care Program; stakeholders with expertise in solutions to homelessness and best practices from other states; representatives of committees on African Americans, youth, and survivors of gender-based violence; a current or formerly homeless person who lives in California; and a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One advisory committee member will be chosen to participate in the quarterly council meetings to report their committee’s activities to the Cal ICH.

The Cal ICH is tasked to continue the work it began as HCFC, which was created by SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016), such as coordinating the state’s response to homelessness, and creating partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, nonprofits, and federal agencies, among others. The Cal ICH is also responsible for administering and distributing funding associated with the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program, through which millions of dollars allocated through the state budget process are provided to local governments and CoCs to address immediate homelessness challenges. Additionally, SB 918 (Wiener, Chapter 841, Statutes of 2018) required the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California, and SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) requires the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California by January 1, 2025.

This bill requires, upon receipt of an appropriation, the Cal ICH, by March 1, 2024, to coordinate with the California Department of Aging, CoCs and AAAs to convene a working group as provided. The bill also requires, by March 1, 2025, the working group to develop best practice recommendations, training materials and prescriptive guidelines for those who assist older adults with housing needs and Cal ICH to submit a report to the Legislature, as provided.

Area Agency on Aging (AAA). AAAs are public or private non-profit agencies designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local levels. “Area Agency on Aging” is a generic term—specific names of local AAAs may vary. AAAs are primarily responsible for a geographic area that is either a city, a single county, or a multi-county district. The California Department of Aging contracts with and provides leadership and direction to 33 AAAs that coordinate a wide array of services to older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level and serve as the focal point for local aging concerns. AAAs goal is to make it possible for older individuals to choose the services and living arrangements that suit them best.

Related/Prior Legislation

SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) created the HELP Act and required Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California, as described by January 1, 2025.

SB 1220 (Luz Rivas, Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the HCFC the Cal ICH, named the Secretary of CHHS as a co-chair, reconstituted the Cal ICH membership, required the Cal ICH to meet at least twice yearly with an advisory committee, among other things, as provided.

SB 850 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018) provided funding for homelessness initiatives, permitted the Governor to appoint up to 17 members to HCFC, including the Secretary BCSH or designee, to serve as chair, a representative from the Department of Transportation and a formerly homeless youth to serve on the Council, as provided.

SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016) created the HCFC to coordinate the state’s response to homelessness, as provided.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

1. Cal ICH estimates General Fund (GF) costs of $178,000 in the first year and ongoing costs of approximately $170,000 (GF) annually thereafter, for one position to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to establish the working group goals and objectives, conduct research on best practices, provide continued training implementation, draft the request for proposal, and serve as the contract manager and overall program lead.
2. Cal-ICH estimates a one-time GF cost of $500,000 for a contractor to support the establishment of the working group and develop the training curriculum. The contractor will also provide outreach and engagement to targeted audience, as defined by the working group (such as homeless services staff that need to take training), and create training curriculum informed by the working group and additional materials as needed, and manage outreach and training materials.
3. CDA anticipates minor and absorbable costs to participate in the working group.

SUPPORT: (Verified 9/7/23)

Agency on Aging \ Area 4
City and County of San Francisco
San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Serving Seniors

OPPOSITION: (Verified 9/7/23)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 9/7/23

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Wendy Carrillo, Cervantes, Chen, Connolly, Megan Dahle, Davies, Dixon, Flora, Mike Fong, Vince Fong, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Grayson, Haney, Hart, Holden, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Lackey, Lee, Low, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Stephanie Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Jim Patterson, Joe Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Santiago, Schiavo, Soria, Ta, Ting, Valencia, Villapudua, Waldron, Wallis, Ward, Weber, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Zbur, Robert Rivas

NO VOTE RECORDED: Essayli

Prepared by: Bridgett Hankerson / HUMAN S. / (916) 651-1524

9/8/23 10:18:33

**** END ****

SENATE THIRD READING

STR Bill Id:SB 657

Author:(Caballero)

As Amended Ver:July 12, 2023

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with the California Department of Aging (CDA), the California continuums of care (CoCs), and the area agencies on aging (AAAs) to convene a working group relating to older adults and homelessness.

Major Provisions

1. Requires Cal-ICH to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to convene a working group by March 1, 2024, to do all of the following:
2. Develop recommendations for best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and identify best practices for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.
3. Develop training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help them access resources to prevent becoming homeless or to help older adults who are homeless in obtaining a permanent housing solution.
4. Ensure the training is culturally and geographically appropriate, determine who should take the training and whether the training should be mandatory or voluntary, and if mandatory, who should enforce the training requirement.
5. Develop training materials and prescriptive guidelines by March 1, 2025.
6. Requires Cal-ICH to submit a report on the recommendations to specified committees of the Legislature by March 1, 2025.

COMMENTS

Housing Instability among Older Adults: The high cost of housing and the lack of retirement assets has created a crisis among the senior population in California, leading to an increase in homelessness. Many older adults are living on fixed incomes that do not keep pace with inflation, including Social Security and disability benefits. As a result, older adults have become the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness in California – from 2017 to 2021, California's overall senior population grew by seven percent but the number of people 55 and over who sought homelessness services increased 84%, more than any other age group.^[1] In addition, 40% of unhoused Californians in adult-only households who came in contact with the homelessness response system in the 2021-22 fiscal year were aged 50 and older.^[2]

California's Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness: There are several state and regional entities that have responsibility for coordinating policy responses to homelessness and to the needs of older adults. Cal-ICH, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), was created to develop policies and identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California while leading and coordinating statewide responses. CoCs coordinate community-based homelessness service and funding providers as designated by the federal government. CDA designates AAAs to administer programs that serve older adults and adults with disabilities, including trainings, provision of services, fall prevention, chronic disease self-management, and more.

In 2022, Cal-ICH updated their action plan to prevent and end homelessness in California. It identifies 15 objectives and a related 150 activities needed to achieve these goals. Several of these activities relate to the contents of this bill, including:

1. Objective 14 – Activity 9: Incorporate a focus on housing status, housing instability, and housing needs within development of a standardized tool for assessing needs within Aging and Disability Resource Centers and AAAs programming.
2. Objective 15 – Activity 5: Identify and implement strategies to serve older adults and people with disabilities at risk of experiencing homelessness, including meeting the need for in-home supports and access to licensed adult and senior care facilities.^[3]

California's aging population is growing faster than any other age group. By 2030, over 25% of the population in California will be 60 and older.^[4] The population in the state is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, and yet the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Californians disparately.

California Continuums of Care (CoCs): The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiated CoCs which span all 50 states and six United States territories. California is divided into 44 CoCs. Each CoC consists of a wide-range of representatives from public and private entities that include civic groups, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, health and mental health care providers, local government, and non-profit agencies. CoCs are charged with promoting and implementing evidence-based, best, promising, and emerging practices for preventing and ending homelessness.

Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs): An AAA is a public or private nonprofit agency designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local level. Each AAA typically operates in a specific geographic area, known as a planning or service area or PSA. They were established by the Older Americans Act in 1965 and either directly provide or contract with local organizations for the provision of services to seniors and adults with disabilities. CDA has designated 33 AAAs, representing 33 PSAs that vary in size and provide services to the entire state.

AAAs implement the services and intent found within the Older Americans Act, which translates into the coordination and provision of services that help older adults stay in their homes aided by the supports needed to make independent living possible. Services provided by AAAs, or through their contracts with community providers, include: home adaptation funding; provision of assistive devices; support groups; nutrition programs, including congregate nutrition programs and home delivered meal programs; disease prevention and health promotion programs; family caregiver support programs, including training and education; and, supportive services programs. These programs receive funding from a variety of sources, including federal funding, small amounts of California General Fund dollars, and local funding.

Master Plan for Aging: In January of 2021, the Governor released his Master Plan for Aging (MPA). The MPA prioritizes the health and well-being of older Californians and the need for policies that promote healthy aging. The MPA serves as a blueprint for state government, local government, the private sector, and philanthropy to prepare the state for the coming demographic changes and continue California’s leadership in aging, disability, and equity.

The MPA outlines five bold goals, 23 strategies and currently seeks to advance 95 initiatives to build a California for All Ages by 2030. It also includes a Data Dashboard on Aging to measure progress. SB 657 is closely aligned to Goal One: Housing for All Ages and Stages

According to the Author

"California Seniors are at great risk because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives, find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services staff are an important component of the success of addressing California's homeless crisis, however the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing loss and memory, and medical issues and (is) all important to know to help seniors to make choices to have them live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services. Having knowledge of regional services and resources is needed to better assist this more vulnerable population experiencing homelessness."

Arguments in Support

According to the Agency on Aging / Area 4, "While all Californians experiencing homelessness are vulnerable, older adults are particularly vulnerable because they are less likely to: 1) maintain their health/wellness effectively without having assistance from others, 2) physically protect themselves from others who pose a threat, 3) secure employment, and 4) have blood relatives that can offer them assistance. The system of long-term services and supports is exceedingly complex, fluid and unfamiliar to the general public – all of which make it very difficult to navigate."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

1. Cal ICH estimates General Fund (GF) costs of $178,000 in the first year and ongoing costs of approximately $170,000 (GF) annually thereafter, for one position to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to establish the working group goals and objectives, conduct research on best practices, provide continued training implementation, draft the request for proposal, and serve as the contract manager and overall program lead.
2. Cal-ICH estimates a one-time GF cost of $500,000 for a contractor to support the establishment of the working group and develop the training curriculum. The contractor will also provide outreach and engagement to targeted audience, as defined by the working group (such as homeless services staff that need to take training), and create training curriculum informed by the working group and additional materials as needed, and manage outreach and training materials.
3. CDA anticipates minor and absorbable costs to participate in the working group.

VOTES

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0-0

YES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

ASM HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 8-0-0

YES: Wicks, Joe Patterson, Wendy Carrillo, Gabriel, Kalra, Quirk-Silva, Sanchez, Ward

ASM AGING AND LONG-TERM CARE: 6-0-2

YES: Bains, Ta, Juan Carrillo, Stephanie Nguyen, Joe Patterson, Reyes

ABS, ABST OR NV: Haney, Blanca Rubio

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 16-0-0

YES: Holden, Megan Dahle, Bryan, Calderon, Wendy Carrillo, Dixon, Mike Fong, Hart, Lowenthal, Mathis, Papan, Pellerin, Sanchez, Soria, Weber, Wilson

UPDATED

VERSION: July 12, 2023

CONSULTANT: Elizabeth Fuller / AGING & L.T.C. / (916) 319-3990 FN: 0001508

1. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/hdis.html ↑

2. https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california/ ↑

3. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html ↑

4. Projections | Department of Finance (ca.gov) ↑

Date of Hearing: August 16, 2023

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Chris Holden, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 657

Author:(Caballero) – As Amended Ver:July 12, 2023

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

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with the California Department of Aging (CDA), the California continuums of care (CoCs), and the area agencies on aging (AAAs) to convene a working group to develop (1) recommendations for best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and (2) training for those who assist older adults with housing needs.  The bill requires Cal-ICH to submit a report with the recommendations to the Legislature by March 1, 2025.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires Cal-ICH to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to convene a working group by March 1, 2024, to do all of the following:
2. Develop recommendations for best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and identify best practices for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.
3. Develop training for those who assist older adults with housing needs to help them access resources to prevent becoming homeless or to help older adults who are homeless in obtaining a permanent housing solution.
4. Ensure the training is culturally and geographically appropriate, determine who should take the training and whether the training should be mandatory or voluntary, and if mandatory, who should enforce the training requirement.
5. Develop training materials and prescriptive guidelines by March 1, 2025.
6. Requires Cal-ICH to submit a report on the recommendations to specified committees of the Legislature by March 1, 2025.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Cal ICH estimates General Fund (GF) costs of $178,000 in the first year and ongoing costs of approximately $170,000 (GF) annually thereafter, for one position to coordinate with CDA, CoCs, and AAAs to establish the working group goals and objectives, conduct research on best practices, provide continued training implementation, draft the request for proposal, and serve as the contract manager and overall program lead.
2. Cal-ICH estimates a one-time GF cost of $500,000 for a contractor to support the establishment of the working group and develop the training curriculum. The contractor will also provide outreach and engagement to targeted audience, as defined by the working group (such as homeless services staff that need to take training), and create training curriculum informed by the working group and additional materials as needed, and manage outreach and training materials.
3. CDA anticipates minor and absorbable costs to participate in the working group.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. The author seeks help to ensure all service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources, services, and a pathway to gain a permanent housing solution. According to the author:

California Seniors are at great risk because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services staff are an important component of the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis, however the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing loss and memory, and medical issues are all important to know to help seniors to make choices to have them live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services.

1. Background. California’s aging population is growing faster than any other age group. By 2030, over 25% of the population in California will be 60 and older. Older adults are also the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness in California. From 2017 to 2021, California’s overall senior population grew by 7%, but the number of people aged 55 and over who sought homelessness services increased by 84%, more than any other age group. In addition, 40% of unhoused Californians in adult-only households who came in contact with the homelessness response system in the 2021-22 fiscal year were aged 50 and older.

Several state and regional entities are responsible for coordinating policy responses to homelessness and to the needs of older adults. Cal-ICH was created to develop policies and identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California while leading and coordinating statewide responses. In 2022, Cal-ICH updated its action plan to prevent and end homelessness in California. The plan identifies 15 objectives and related activities needed to achieve these goals. Two of the objectives focus on meeting the housing needs of older adults.

CoCs coordinate community-based homelessness service and funding providers as designated by the federal government. CDA designates AAAs to administer programs that serve older adults and adults with disabilities, including trainings, provision of services, fall prevention, chronic disease self-management, and more. This bill requires these agencies to coordinate with Cal-ICH to form a working group to develop recommendations on best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness and to develop a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs. 

In January of 2021, the Governor released his Master Plan for Aging (MPA). The MPA prioritizes the health and well-being of older Californians and the need for policies that promote healthy aging. The MPA serves as a blueprint for state government, local government, the private sector, and philanthropy to prepare the state for the coming demographic changes and continue California’s leadership in aging, disability, and equity.

The MPA outlines five goals, 23 strategies and currently seeks to advance 95 initiatives to build what the MPA calls a “California for All Ages” by 2030. It also includes a “Data Dashboard on Aging” to measure progress. This bill supports these efforts by focusing on best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness, which aligns with the MPA’s “Goal One: Housing for All Ages and Stages.”

1. Related Legislation. AB 820 (Reyes), among other items, adds representatives of organizations that serve or advocate on behalf of older adults, defined as a person 60 years of age or older, to Cal-ICH. SB 820 is pending in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

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

Date of Hearing: July 11, 2023

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGING AND LONG-TERM CARE

Jasmeet Bains, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 657

Author:(Caballero) – As Amended Ver:July 5, 2023

SENATE VOTE: 40-0

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

SUMMARY: Requires the Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with the California Department of Aging (CDA), the California continuums of care (CoCs), and the area agencies on aging (AAAs) to convene a working group relating to older adults and homelessness. Specifically, this bill:

1. Convenes the working group to do all of the following:
   1. Identify best practices for assisting older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness; and,
   2. Identify best practices for training those who assist older adults to prevent and overcome homelessness.
2. Develops a training for those who assist older adults with housing needs.
3. Ensures the training is culturally and geographically appropriate.
4. Determines who should take the training.
5. Determines whether the training should be voluntary or mandatory.
6. Determines, if the training is mandatory, who will enforce the training requirement.
7. Convenes no later than March 1, 2024 and develop training materials and guidelines no later than November 1, 2024.
8. Reports ICH recommendations to the Legislature.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes Cal-ICH to coordinate the State’s response to homelessness using Housing First practices with a number of goals including, but not limited to:
   1. Creating partnerships among various community, regional, state, and federal agencies;
   2. Promoting systems integration to increase efficiency and effectiveness;
   3. Coordinating existing funding and application for competitive funding; and,
   4. Identifying mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (WIC § 8255 et seq)
2. Establishes, in federal law, the Older Americans Act (OAA), which promotes the well-being of Americans 60 years old and above through services and programs designed to meet their needs. (42 United States Code (USC.) § 3001, et seq.)
3. Authorizes in federal law the CoC Program to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness, funds and sets forth responsibilities. (42 United States Code (USC) § 11381, et seq.)
4. Establishes the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act (Act), which establishes CDA, and sets forth its duties and powers, including, among other things, entering into a contract for the development of information and materials to educate Californians on the concept of “aging in place.” (WIC § 9100 et seq.)
5. Under the Act, directs the CDA’s mission to provide leadership to AAAs to develop systems of home and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments.
6. Defines “Older individual” or “elderly” as a person 60 years of age or older, except where this provision is inconsistent with federal requirements. (WIC § 9018)
7. Requires the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in coordination with the Director of CDA, to lead the development and implementation of the MPA established pursuant to Executive Order N-14-19. (WIC § 9850)

FISCAL EFFECT: This bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal committee in its current form.

COMMENTS: Author’s Statement: According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives, find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services staff are an important component of the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis, however the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing loss and memory, and medical issues and (is) all important to know to help seniors to make choices to have them live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services. Having knowledge of regional services and resources is needed to better assist this more vulnerable population experiencing homelessness.”

Housing Instability among Older Adults: The high cost of housing and the lack of retirement assets has created a crisis among the senior population in California, leading to an increase in homelessness. Many older adults are living on fixed incomes that do not keep pace with inflation, including Social Security and disability benefits. As a result, older adults have become the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness in California – from 2017 to 2021, California’s overall senior population grew by seven percent but the number of people 55 and over who sought homelessness services increased 84 percent, more than any other age group.^[1] In addition, 40 percent of unhoused Californians in adult-only households who came in contact with the homelessness response system in the 2021-22 fiscal year were aged 50 and older.^[2]

California’s Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness: There are several state and regional entities that have responsibility for coordinating policy responses to homelessness and to the needs of older adults. Cal-ICH, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), was created to develop policies and identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California while leading and coordinating statewide responses. CoCs coordinate community-based homelessness service and funding providers as designated by the federal government. CDA designates AAAs to administer programs that serve older adults and adults with disabilities, including trainings, provision of services, fall prevention, chronic disease self-management, and more.

In 2022, Cal-ICH updated their action plan to prevent and end homelessness in California. It identifies 15 objectives and a related 150 activities needed to achieve these goals. Several of these activities relate to the contents of this bill, including:

• Objective 14—Activity 9: Incorporate a focus on housing status, housing instability, and housing needs within development of a standardized tool for assessing needs within Aging and Disability Resource Centers and AAAs programming.
• Objective 15—Activity 5: Identify and implement strategies to serve older adults and people with disabilities at risk of experiencing homelessness, including meeting the need for in-home supports and access to licensed adult and senior care facilities.^[3]

California’s aging population is growing faster than any other age group. By 2030, over 25 percent of the population in California will be 60 and older.^[4] The population in the state is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, and yet the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Californians disparately.

California Continuums of Care (CoCs): The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiated CoCs which span all 50 states and six United States territories. California is divided into 44 CoCs. Each CoC consists of a wide-range of representatives from public and private entities that include civic groups, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, health and mental health care providers, local government, and non-profit agencies. CoCs are charged with promoting and implementing evidence-based, best, promising, and emerging practices for preventing and ending homelessness.

Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs): An AAA is a public or private nonprofit agency designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local level. Each AAA typically operates in a specific geographic area, known as a planning or service area or PSA. They were established by the Older Americans Act in 1965 and either directly provide or contract with local organizations for the provision of services to seniors and adults with disabilities. CDA has designated 33 AAAs, representing 33 PSAs that vary in size and provide services to the entire state.

AAAs implement the services and intent found within the Older Americans Act, which translates into the coordination and provision of services that help older adults stay in their homes aided by the supports needed to make independent living possible. Services provided by AAAs, or through their contracts with community providers, include: home adaptation funding; provision of assistive devices; support groups; nutrition programs, including congregate nutrition programs and home delivered meal programs; disease prevention and health promotion programs; family caregiver support programs, including training and education; and, supportive services programs. These programs receive funding from a variety of sources, including federal funding, small amounts of California General Fund dollars, and local funding.

Master Plan for Aging: In January of 2021, the Governor released his Master Plan for Aging (MPA). The MPA prioritizes the health and well-being of older Californians and the need for policies that promote healthy aging. The MPA serves as a blueprint for state government, local government, the private sector, and philanthropy to prepare the state for the coming demographic changes and continue California’s leadership in aging, disability, and equity.

After work began on the MPA, the COVID-19 pandemic reached California. The virus disproportionately harmed older and other at-risk adults, and it strained aging and disability services that were perpetually underfunded. Worldwide, older adults have experienced unprecedented death rates. California’s diverse population saw disproportionate numbers, particularly among Latino, Black and Asian Pacific Islander communities and those living in nursing homes. The pandemic intensified social isolation.

The work plan laid out in the MPA two years after its release continues to highlight the urgent needs facing California’s older adults, people with disabilities, their families, advocates and the workforce supporting these populations.

The MPA outlines five bold goals, 23 strategies and currently seeks to advance 95 initiatives to build a California for All Ages by 2030. It also includes a Data Dashboard on Aging to measure progress. SB 657 is closely aligned to Goal One:

• Goal One: Housing for All Ages and Stages
• Goal Two: Health Reimagined
• Goal Three: Inclusion and Equity, Not Isolation
• Goal Four: Caregiving That Works
• Goal Five: Affording Aging

Arguments in Support: According to the Agency on Aging / Area 4, “While all Californians experiencing homelessness are vulnerable, older adults are particularly vulnerable because they are less likely to: 1) maintain their health/wellness effectively without having assistance from others, 2) physically protect themselves from others who pose a threat, 3) secure employment, and 4) have blood relatives that can offer them assistance. The system of long-term services and supports is exceedingly complex, fluid and unfamiliar to the general public – all of which make it very difficult to navigate.”

Arguments in Opposition: None on file.

Related Legislation:

AB 1220 (Luz Rivas), Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021: Renamed the HCFC to CA ICH. It also added members to the Council and created the advisory committee that CA ICH must seek guidance from.

AB 820 (Reyes) is currently in the Senate and adds representatives of organizations that serve or advocate on behalf of older adults, defined as a person 60 years of age or older to the ICH as one component of the measure.

Double Referred: This bill was heard in the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development on June 21, 2023 and passed out 8-0.

Suggested committee amendments: Amends the final recommendation date and reporting to the legislature date to March 1, 2025.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Agency on Aging \ Area 4

San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Serving Seniors

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth Fuller / AGING & L.T.C. / (916) 319-3990

1. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/hdis.html ↑

2. https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california/ ↑

3. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html ↑

4. Projections | Department of Finance (ca.gov) ↑

Date of Hearing: June 21, 2023

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Buffy Wicks, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 657

Author:(Caballero) – As Introduced Ver:February 16, 2023

SENATE VOTE: 40-0

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

SUMMARY: Requires, contingent upon appropriation, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate with California continuums of care (CoCs) and area agencies on aging (AAAs) to partner in their shared regions to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff, to ensure homelessness service providers are well trained and equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain permanent housing.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes Cal-ICH to coordinate the State’s response to homelessness using Housing First practices with a number of goals including, but not limited to:
   1. Creating partnerships among various community, regional, state, and federal agencies;
   2. Promoting systems integration to increase efficiency and effectiveness;
   3. Coordinating existing funding and application for competitive funding; and
   4. Identifying mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 8255 et seq)
2. Requires the California Department of Aging (CDA) to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as AAAs to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. AAAs are required to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least-restrictive homelike environments, and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services. (WIC 9006)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.

COMMENTS:

Author’s Statement: According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives, find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services staff are an important component of the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis, however the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing loss and memory, and medical issues and all important to know to help seniors to make choices to have them live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services. Having knowledge of regional services and resources is needed to better assist this more vulnerable population experiencing homelessness.”

Housing Instability among Older Adults: The high cost of housing and the lack of retirement assets has created a crisis among the senior population in California, leading to an increase in homelessness. Many older adults are living on fixed incomes that do not keep pace with inflation, including Social Security and disability benefits. As a result, older adults have become the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness in California – from 2017 to 2021, California’s overall senior population grew by seven percent but the number of people 55 and over who sought homelessness services increased 84 percent, more than any other age group.^[1] In addition, 40 percent of unhoused Californians in adult-only households who came in contact with the homelessness response system in the 2021-22 fiscal year were aged 50 and older.^[2]

California’s Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness: There are several state and regional entities that have responsibility for coordinating policy responses to homelessness and to the needs of older adults. Cal-ICH, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), was created to develop policies and identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California while leading and coordinating statewide responses. CoCs coordinate community-based homelessness service and funding providers as designated by the federal government. CDA designates AAAs to administer programs that serve older adults and adults with disabilities, including trainings, provision of services, fall prevention, chronic disease self-management, and more.

In 2022, Cal-ICH updated their action plan to prevent and end homelessness in California. It identifies 15 objectives and a related 150 activities needed to achieve these goals. Several of these activities relate to the contents of this bill, including:

• Objective 14—Activity 9: Incorporate a focus on housing status, housing instability, and housing needs within development of a standardized tool for assessing needs within Aging and Disability Resource Centers and AAAs programming.
• Objective 15—Activity 5: Identify and implement strategies to serve older adults and people with disabilities at risk of experiencing homelessness, including meeting the need for in-home supports and access to licensed adult and senior care facilities.^[3]

This bill would require Cal-ICH to coordinate with CoCs and AAAs to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff, to better support the needs of older adults in the homelessness response system. Enactment of the bill is contingent upon an appropriation in the budget.

Arguments in Support: According to the Agency on Aging / Area 4, “While all Californians experiencing homelessness are vulnerable, older adults are particularly vulnerable because they are less likely to: 1) maintain their health/wellness effectively without having assistance from others, 2) physically protect themselves from others who pose a threat, 3) secure employment, and 4) have blood relatives that can offer them assistance. The system of long-term services and supports is exceedingly complex, fluid and unfamiliar to the general public – all of which make it very difficult to navigate.”

Arguments in Opposition: None on file.

Related Legislation:

AB 1220 (Luz Rivas), Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021: Renamed the HCFC to CA ICH. It also added members to the Council and created the advisory committee that CA ICH must seek guidance from.

Double Referred: This bill was also referred to the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care where it will be heard should it pass out of this committee.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Agency on Aging \ Area 4

San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Serving Seniors

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Nicole Restmeyer / H. & C.D. / (916) 319-2085

1. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/hdis.html ↑

2. https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california/ ↑

3. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html ↑

 THIRD READING 

Bill No: SB 657

Author: Caballero (D)

Introduced: 2/16/23

Vote: 21

SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 4-0, 4/17/23

AYES: Alvarado-Gil, Ochoa Bogh, Menjivar, Wahab

NO VOTE RECORDED: Hurtado

SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE: 11-0, 4/24/23

AYES: Wiener, Ochoa Bogh, Blakespear, Caballero, Cortese, McGuire, Padilla, Seyarto, Skinner, Umberg, Wahab

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/18/23

AYES: Portantino, Jones, Ashby, Bradford, Seyarto, Wahab, Wiener

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), upon an appropriation, to coordinate with the continuums of care (CoCs) and the area agencies on aging (AAAs), to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate a federal response to homelessness and create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to end homelessness. (42 United States Code (USC) 11311)
2. Defines, in federal statute, the word “homeless” for the purpose of housing assistance, to mean an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as:
   1. A primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;
   2. A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or
   3. Exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution. (42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 91.5)
3. Establishes the Cal ICH to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Housing First guidelines and regulations in California, and to identify resources and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (WIC 8255 et. seq.)
4. Sets the goals for the Cal ICH including, but not limited to, identification of resources and services to prevent and end homelessness; creating partnerships among local, state, federal entities to arrive at strategies to end homelessness; coordinating existing homelessness funding; making policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature; and, creating a Homeless Data Integration System, as provided. (WIC 8257(b))
5. Defines, in federal statute, “Continuums of Care (CoCs)” means the group organized to carry out the responsibilities required and that is composed of representatives of organizations, including nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly homeless persons to the extent these groups are represented within the geographic area and are available to participate. (24 CFR 578.3)
6. Defines “Area agency on aging” means a private nonprofit or public agency designated by the Department of Aging that works for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area, engages in community planning, coordination, and program development, and through contractual arrangements, provides a broad array of social and nutritional services. (WIC 9006)

This bill requires the Cal ICH, upon the receipt of an appropriation, to coordinate and partner with the California CoCs and the AAAs shared regions and to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff for the purpose of ensuring that homelessness service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain a permanent housing solution.

Background

According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk of homelessness because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives and find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services’ staff are an important component to the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis; however, the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing and memory loss, and medical issues are all important to know to help seniors live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services.”

California Homelessness Data. Since 2016, homelessness in America, and particularly in California, has been growing at an increasing rate. Homelessness has been correlated with a number of negative effects, including high rates of chronic disease and acute illness, a broad range of mental health and substance use issues, greater exposure to violence, malnutrition, extreme weather, and criminal charges. The health, personal, and economic challenges that chronically homeless individuals and families face and the lack of effective, coordinated services to address these problems often lead to a cycle of housing instability and health deterioration. Persistent homelessness impedes access to needed health and employment services. Additionally, the conditions of homelessness often make it more difficult to exit homelessness, by creating barriers to the resources necessary to obtain income through training, education, and employment.

Each January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has local community CoCs conduct a Point in Time (PIT) count of people experiencing homelessness. HUD defines homelessness as either “sheltered” or “unsheltered”. Sheltered homelessness is when a person is living in a temporary place, such as a temporary shelter and unsheltered homelessness is living out in the open or in places not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for people (i.e. the streets, vehicles, or parks). The PIT count is required by HUD as a condition of receiving federal funding. According to the 2022 PIT count, 171,521 people experienced homelessness in California, representing 30 percent of the nation’s homelessness population. Additionally, California accounted for 50 percent of all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the nation (115,491 people), more than nine times the number of unsheltered people in the state with the next highest number, Washington (12,668).

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s disruptions, the January 2021 PIT count efforts were refocused to survey people experiencing sheltered homelessness and a report focused on this was released in February 2022. HUD cautioned that the 2021 data may not fully represent the number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness due to the Covid-19 pandemic limitations. HUD began requiring counts of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness again in 2022 and released its 2022 PIT count in December 2022. To address changes in the count during the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the data in the 2022 PIT count is averaged across the three year period.

Stakeholders typically feel the annual PIT count is limited, because while these numbers provide a snapshot of the state’s homeless population during a single night, they likely underestimate the scope of the crisis because: (1) the HUD PIT count only measures the homeless population on one day of the year, and (2) it does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness, as some do not wish to be counted, while others cannot be counted because their location is not known to the counters. These shortcomings were further highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic related limitations on data collection efforts and resulting focus on sheltered homelessness in 2021. Additionally, as many of the Covid-19 restrictions on congregate care settings were relaxed in 2022, and later ended in 2023, a continued increase in sheltered homelessness is likely as capacity limitations are lifted at emergency shelters.

Older Adult Homelessness in California. According to a 2021 report by the Administration for Community Living, 17 percent of people living in the United States were 65 or older in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to 22 percent by 2040. Adults over the age of 50 are comprising a growing proportion of the number of individual adults experiencing homelessness. As of September 2022, data from the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) showed that of the 272,626 people experiencing homelessness that had contact with the homelessness response system, about 40 percent were individuals aged 50 and older. The inflationary cost pressures of the last two years may have also contributed to the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time. Research by the California Budget Center and others indicates that reasons for the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time vary, including the series of recessions, financial and medical emergencies later in life, the shortage of affordable housing, difficulties with accessing support and social safety net programs, and insufficient benefit amounts.

Research has also found that people experiencing homelessness have declining health conditions that in comparable populations of housed people wouldn’t arise for another 10-20 years. Additionally, older adults may have a disability or underlying health conditions which may require more assistive services to obtain and maintain their housing. The author’s office has noted that some staff at shelters and other homeless service providers may not have the knowledge or capabilities to be able to address the complex needs of older adults. As such, the increasing numbers of older adults experiencing homelessness will have significant implications for the service offerings and practices of the homeless service system going forward.

Continuums of Care. There are currently 44 CoCs across California’s 58 counties. CoCs are often led by a county or non-profit organization, though in some cases, they are led by a city, and are composed of a number of representative organizations that serve individuals facing homelessness. These can include nonprofit homeless providers, governments, victim service providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement, among others. HUD requires CoCs to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness and enter it into a database. This is accomplished by using a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which is a local information technology system. Each CoC is responsible for selecting a HMIS software solution that complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS in California is composed of each CoC’s database. HUD requires each CoC’s HMIS to comply with their data collection, management, and reporting standards and also requires CoCs to enter data from both the annual PIT count and annual Housing Inventory Count into HMIS. This data is now complied into the state’s HDIS.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). SB 1220 (Rivas, L., Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) to Cal ICH, named the secretaries of BCSH and CHHS as co-chairs of the council, and changed the membership composition from one that included a mix of state and local agencies, persons who previously experienced homelessness, and homeless advocacy groups to one composed of state departments’ and offices’ directorate, including the Departments of Rehabilitation, Aging, Social Services, State Hospitals, and the state’s Medicaid Director.

SB 1220 also added an advisory committee that meets twice a year with the Cal ICH, and is composed of the following members: a survivor of gender-based violence who formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in HUD’s Continuum of Care Program; stakeholders with expertise in solutions to homelessness and best practices from other states; representatives of committees on African Americans, youth, and survivors of gender-based violence; a current or formerly homeless person who lives in California; and a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One advisory committee member will be chosen to participate in the quarterly council meetings to report their committee’s activities to the Cal ICH. Additionally, SB 1421 (Jones, Chapter 671, Statutes of 2022) required Cal ICH to appoint an individual with a developmental disability who is currently or has formerly experienced homelessness to the Council’s advisory committee.

The Cal ICH is tasked to continue the work it began as HCFC, which was created by SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016), such as coordinating the state’s response to homelessness, and creating partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, nonprofits, and federal agencies, among others. The Cal ICH is also responsible for administering and distributing funding associated with the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program, through which millions of dollars allocated through the state budget process are provided to local governments and CoCs to address immediate homelessness challenges. Additionally, SB 918 (Wiener, Chapter 841, Statutes of 2018) required the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California, and SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) requires the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California by January 1, 2025.

This bill requires, upon receipt of an appropriation, the Cal ICH to coordinate with CoCs and AAAs to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff in the CoCs and AAAs respective regions. According to the author, this collaboration between the Council, CoCs and AAAs will help to ensure that all service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources, services, and a pathway to gain a permanent housing solution.

Area Agency on Aging (AAA). AAAs are public or private non-profit agencies designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local levels. “Area Agency on Aging” is a generic term—specific names of local AAAs may vary. AAAs are primarily responsible for a geographic area that is either a city, a single county, or a multi-county district. The California Department of Aging contracts with and provides leadership and direction to 33 AAAs that coordinate a wide array of services to older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level and serve as the focal point for local aging concerns. AAAs goal is to make it possible for older individuals to choose the services and living arrangements that suit them best.

Related/Prior Legislation

SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) created the HELP Act and required Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California, as described by January 1, 2025.

SB 1220 (Luz Rivas, Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the HCFC the Cal ICH, named the Secretary of CHHS as a co-chair, reconstituted the Cal ICH membership, required the Cal ICH to meet at least twice yearly with an advisory committee, among other things, as provided.

SB 850 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 48, Statutes of 2018) provided funding for homelessness initiatives, permitted the Governor to appoint up to 17 members to HCFC, including the Secretary BCSH or designee, to serve as chair, a representative from the Department of Transportation and a formerly homeless youth to serve on the Council, as provided.

SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016) created the HCFC to coordinate the state’s response to homelessness, as provided.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriation Committee, the Cal ICH estimates costs for staffing to be $208,000 in the first year and $176,000 annually thereafter (General Fund) to administer the provisions.

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/18/23)

Agency on Aging- Area 4

City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Serving Seniors

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/18/23)

None received

Prepared by: Bridgett Hankerson / HUMAN S. / (916) 651-1524

5/20/23 13:05:20

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 657 (Caballero) - Homelessness services staff training

Bill Summary:

SB 657 would require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), upon an appropriation, to coordinate with the continuums of care (CoCs) and the area agencies on aging (AAAs), to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff.

Fiscal Impact:

The Cal ICH estimates costs for staffing to be $208,000 in the first year and $176,000 annually thereafter (General Fund) to administer the provisions.

Background:

Current law establishes the Cal ICH. The goals for the Cal ICH include, but are not limited to, identification of benefits, resources and services to prevent and end homelessness; creating partnerships among local, state, federal entities to arrive at strategies to end homelessness; coordinating existing homelessness funding; making policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature; and, creating a Homeless Data Integration System. The Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency serve as co-chairs of the council. Existing law requires the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency to provide staff for the council.

There are currently 44 CoCs across California’s 58 counties. CoCs are often led by a county or non-profit organization, though in some cases, they are led by a city, and are composed of a number of representative organizations that serve individuals facing homelessness. These can include nonprofit homeless providers, governments, victim service providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement, among others. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires CoCs to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness and enter it into a database.

AAAs are public or private non-profit agencies designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local levels. AAAs are primarily responsible for a geographic area that is either a city, a single county, or a multi-county district. The California Department of Aging contracts with and provides direction to 33 AAAs that coordinate a wide array of services for older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level and serve as the focal point for local aging concerns.

Proposed Law:

SB 657 would require the Cal ICH, upon appropriation in the budget act, to coordinate with the California CoCs and the AAAs, to partner in their shared regions to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff for the purpose of ensuring that homelessness service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain a permanent housing solution.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOUSING

Senator Scott Wiener, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: SB 657 Hearing Date: 4/24/2023

SUBJECT: Homelessness services staff training

DIGEST: This bill requires Cal-ICH to coordinate the provision of gerontological training to regional homelessness services staff.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Defines continuums of care (CoCs) under federal law as the groups organized to carry out specified responsibilities, including responsibilities related to homelessness, including certain nonprofit entities, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, and advocates. Existing state law also establishes specified grants and programs available to CoCs.
2. Establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to coordinate the State’s response to homelessness using Housing First practices with a number of goals including, but not limited to:
   1. Creating partnerships among various community, regional, state, and federal agencies;
   2. Promoting systems integration to increase efficiency and effectiveness;
   3. Coordinating existing funding and application for competitive funding;
   4. Identifying mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California.
3. Requires the California Department of Aging (CDA) in the California Health and Human Services Agency (Cal-HHS) to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as “area agencies on aging” (AAA) to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. AAAs are required to develop systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments and to function as the community link at the local level for the development of those services.

This bill:

1. Requires Cal-ICH coordinate with California COCs and AAAs to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff upon appropriation by the Legislature.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s statement. “California Seniors are at great risk because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives, find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services staff are an important component of the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis, however the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing loss and memory , and medical issues and all important to know to help seniors to make choices to have them live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services. Having knowledge of regional services and resources is needed to better assist this more vulnerable population experiencing homelessness”.
2. California’s Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. In 2022, Cal-ICH updated their action plan to prevent and end homelessness in California. It identifies 15 objectives and a related 150 activities needed to achieve these goals. Two of these activities encompass the intentions of this bill:
   1. Objective 14—Activity 9: Incorporate a focus on housing status, housing instability, and housing needs within development of standardized tool for assessing needs within Aging and Disability Resource Centers’ (ADRCs’) and Area Agencies on Aging’s programming.
   2. Objective 15—Activity 5: Identify and implement strategies to serve older adults and people with disabilities at risk of experiencing homelessness, including meeting the need for in home supports and access to licensed adult and senior care facilities.
3. Cal-ICH, CoC, and AAA missions in alignment. Cal-ICH, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC), was created to develop policies and identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California while leading and coordinating statewide responses. CoCs coordinate community-based service and funding providers as designated by the Federal government. CDA designates AAAs to administer programs that serve older adults and adults with disabilities including trainings, provision of services, fall prevention, chronic disease self-management and more. This bill appropriately aligns the Cal-ICH coordinating directive with CoCs and AAAs service provision to aging populations at risk of homelessness to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff.
4. What should be prioritized? The lack of affordable housing plays a significant role in causing individuals to become homeless or creates obstacles for individuals experiencing homeless to transition into stable housing. The need for and costs of housing have consistently outpaced the development of affordable housing for over 30 years. As of 2022, working at the minimum wage of $15/hour, Californians have to work 83 hours each week to afford a modest one bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent in California.^[1] Older adults are increasingly living on Social Security and have a fixed income that only increases nominally with a cost-of-living increase of a few percent a year. However, rental costs are increasing at a much higher rate, making it difficult for many seniors to afford them. From 2017 to 2021, California’s overall senior population grew by 7% but the number of people 55 and over who sought homelessness services increased 84%—more than any other age group.^[2] Over 40% of unhoused Californians in adult-only households who came in contact with the homelessness response system in the 2021-22 fiscal year were aged 50 and older.^[3]
5. Allocation required. This bill would require a budget allocation. The author has not communicated an intent to submit a budget request.
6. Double referral. This bill was passed out of the Senate Human Services Committee on April 17, 2023 with a vote of 4-0.

Related Legislation:

AB 1220 (Luz Rivas, Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) — renamed the HCFC to Cal-ICH. It also added members to the Council and created the advisory committee that Cal-ICH must seek guidance from.

SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016) — created the HCFC to oversee implementation of the Housing First guidelines and regulations.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday,

April 19, 2023.)

SUPPORT:

Serving Seniors

OPPOSITION:

None received.

-- END --

1. Out of Reach. National Low Income Housing Coalition. 2022. https://nlihc.org/oor/state/ca ↑

2. BCSH Homeless Data Integration System. 2021. https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/hdis.html ↑

3. Who is experiencing homelessness in California? California Budget and Policy Center. 2023. https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california/ ↑

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Alvarado-Gil, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Subject: Homelessness services staff training

SUMMARY

This bill requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness Council (Cal ICH), upon an appropriation, to coordinate with the continuums of care (CoCs) and the area agencies on aging (AAAs), to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff in their respective regions.

ABSTRACT

Existing Law:

1. Establishes the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate a federal response to homelessness and create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to end homelessness. (42 United States Code (USC) 11311)
2. Defines, in federal statute, the word “homeless” for the purpose of housing assistance, to mean an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as:
   1. A primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;
   2. A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals); or
   3. Exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution. (42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 91.5)
3. Establishes the Cal ICH to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Housing First guidelines and regulations in California, and to identify resources and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California. (WIC 8255 et. seq.)
4. Sets the goals for the Cal ICH including, but not limited to, identification of resources and services to prevent and end homelessness; creating partnerships among local, state, federal entities to arrive at strategies to end homelessness; coordinating existing homelessness funding; making policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature; and, creating a Homeless Data Integration System, as provided. (WIC 8257(b))
5. Defines, in federal statute, “Continuums of Care (CoCs)” means the group organized to carry out the responsibilities required and that is composed of representatives of organizations, including nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly homeless persons to the extent these groups are represented within the geographic area and are available to participate. (24 CFR 578.3)
6. Defines “Area agency on aging” means a private nonprofit or public agency designated by the Department of Aging that works for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area, engages in community planning, coordination, and program development, and through contractual arrangements, provides a broad array of social and nutritional services. (WIC 9006)

This Bill:

1. Requires the Cal ICH, upon the receipt of an appropriation, to coordinate and partner with the California CoCs and the AAAs shared regions and to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff for the purpose of ensuring that homelessness service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources to gain a permanent housing solution.

FISCAL IMPACT

This bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal committee.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Purpose of the Bill:

According to the author, “California Seniors are at great risk of homelessness because of the rapid rise in the cost of housing. Most have worked their entire lives and find it difficult to manage a budget on a limited income. Seniors are estimated to be the fastest-growing group in our nation experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. Homeless shelter and prevention services’ staff are an important component to the success of addressing California’s homeless crisis; however, the majority of the supportive staff are not trained in the issues and concerns of older adults. Training staff to understand the impacts of aging that can affect communication, mobility issues, isolation, hearing and memory loss, and medical issues are all important to know to help seniors live their best life and boost the quality of care for individuals across care services.”

California Homelessness Data

Since 2016, homelessness in America, and particularly in California, has been growing at an increasing rate. Homelessness has been correlated with a number of negative effects, including high rates of chronic disease and acute illness, a broad range of mental health and substance use issues, greater exposure to violence, malnutrition, extreme weather, and criminal charges. The health, personal, and economic challenges that chronically homeless individuals and families face and the lack of effective, coordinated services to address these problems often lead to a cycle of housing instability and health deterioration. Persistent homelessness impedes access to needed health and employment services. Additionally, the conditions of homelessness often make it more difficult to exit homelessness, by creating barriers to the resources necessary to obtain income through training, education, and employment.

Each January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has local community CoCs conduct a Point in Time (PIT) count of people experiencing homelessness. HUD defines homelessness as either “sheltered” or “unsheltered”. Sheltered homelessness is when a person is living in a temporary place, such as a temporary shelter and unsheltered homelessness is living out in the open or in places not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for people (i.e. the streets, vehicles, or parks). The PIT count is required by HUD as a condition of receiving federal funding. According to the 2022 PIT count, 171,521 people experienced homelessness in California, representing 30 percent of the nation’s homelessness population. Additionally, California accounted for 50 percent of all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the nation (115,491 people), more than nine times the number of unsheltered people in the state with the next highest number, Washington (12,668). The PIT count also showed:

• Major city CoCs had the largest percentage of people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered locations, 43 percent, followed by largely rural CoCs, 41 percent.
• In all categories of CoCs, nearly all unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness (88-93 percent) were between the ages of 18 and 24. Largely rural CoCs had the highest percentage of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness under the age of 18 (12 percent).
• Nationwide, between 2020 and 2022, 35 states experienced an increase in the number of individuals with chronic patterns of homelessness, including California with an increase of 18.3 percent (8,948 individuals).

More than two thirds of all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. (72 percent) did so in households without children present

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s disruptions, the January 2021 PIT count efforts were refocused to survey people experiencing sheltered homelessness and a report focused on this was released in February 2022.^[1] HUD cautioned that the 2021 data may not fully represent the number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness due to the Covid-19 pandemic limitations. HUD began requiring counts of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness again in 2022 and released its 2022 PIT count in December 2022. To address changes in the count during the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the data in the 2022 PIT count is averaged across the three year period.

Stakeholders typically feel the annual PIT count is limited, because while these numbers provide a snapshot of the state’s homeless population during a single night, they likely underestimate the scope of the crisis because: (1) the HUD PIT count only measures the homeless population on one day of the year, and (2) it does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness, as some do not wish to be counted, while others cannot be counted because their location is not known to the counters. These shortcomings were further highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic related limitations on data collection efforts and resulting focus on sheltered homelessness in 2021. Additionally, as many of the Covid-19 restrictions on congregate care settings were relaxed in 2022, and later ended in 2023, a continued increase in sheltered homelessness is likely as capacity limitations are lifted at emergency shelters.^[2]

Older Adult Homelessness in California

According to a 2021 report by the Administration for Community Living, 17 percent of people living in the United States were 65 or older in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to 22 percent by 2040.^[3] Adults over the age of 50 are comprising a growing proportion of the number of individual adults experiencing homelessness. As of September 2022, data from the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) showed that of the 272,626 people experiencing homelessness that had contact with the homelessness response system, about 40 percent were individuals aged 50 and older. The inflationary cost pressures of the last two years may have also contributed to the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time. Research by the California Budget Center and others indicates that reasons for the increase in the number of older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time vary, including the series of recessions, financial and medical emergencies later in life, the shortage of affordable housing, difficulties with accessing support and social safety net programs, and insufficient benefit amounts.^[4]

Research has also found that people experiencing homelessness have declining health conditions that in comparable populations of housed people wouldn’t arise for another 10-20 years.^[5] Additionally, older adults may have a disability or underlying health conditions which may require more assistive services to obtain and maintain their housing. The author’s office has noted that some staff at shelters and other homeless service providers may not have the knowledge or capabilities to be able to address the complex needs of older adults. As such, the increasing numbers of older adults experiencing homelessness will have significant implications for the service offerings and practices of the homeless service system going forward.

Continuums of Care

There are currently 44 CoCs across California’s 58 counties. CoCs are often led by a county or non-profit organization, though in some cases, they are led by a city, and are composed of a number of representative organizations that serve individuals facing homelessness. These can include nonprofit homeless providers, governments, victim service providers, hospitals, mental health agencies, affordable housing developers, and law enforcement, among others. HUD requires CoCs to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness and enter it into a database. This is accomplished by using a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which is a local information technology system. Each CoC is responsible for selecting a HMIS software solution that complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS in California is composed of each CoC’s database. HUD requires each CoC’s HMIS to comply with their data collection, management, and reporting standards and also requires CoCs to enter data from both the annual PIT count and annual Housing Inventory Count into HMIS. This data is now complied into the state’s HDIS.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH)

SB 1220 (Rivas, L., Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) to Cal ICH, named the secretaries of BCSH and CHHS as co-chairs of the council, and changed the membership composition from one that included a mix of state and local agencies, persons who previously experienced homelessness, and homeless advocacy groups to one composed of state departments’ and offices’ directorate, including the Departments of Rehabilitation, Aging, Social Services, State Hospitals, and the state’s Medicaid Director.

SB 1220 also added an advisory committee that meets twice a year with the Cal ICH, and is composed of the following members: a survivor of gender-based violence who formerly experienced homelessness; a person with a disability who currently or formerly experienced homelessness; representatives of local agencies or organizations that participate in HUD’s Continuum of Care Program; stakeholders with expertise in solutions to homelessness and best practices from other states; representatives of committees on African Americans, youth, and survivors of gender-based violence; a current or formerly homeless person who lives in California; and a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One advisory committee member will be chosen to participate in the quarterly council meetings to report their committee’s activities to the Cal ICH. Additionally, SB 1421 (Jones, Chapter 671, Statutes of 2022) required Cal ICH to appoint an individual with a developmental disability who is currently or has formerly experienced homelessness to the Council’s advisory committee.

The Cal ICH is tasked to continue the work it began as HCFC, which was created by SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016), such as coordinating the state’s response to homelessness, and creating partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, nonprofits, and federal agencies, among others. The Cal ICH is also responsible for administering and distributing funding associated with the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program, through which millions of dollars allocated through the state budget process are provided to local governments and CoCs to address immediate homelessness challenges. Additionally, SB 918 (Wiener, Chapter 841, Statutes of 2018) required the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California, and SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) requires the Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California by January 1, 2025.

This bill would require, upon receipt of an appropriation, the Cal ICH to coordinate with CoCs and AAAs to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff in the CoCs and AAAs respective regions. According to the author, this collaboration between the Council, CoCs and AAAs will help to ensure that all service providers are well trained and well equipped to assist vulnerable older adults with accessing resources, services, and a pathway to gain a permanent housing solution.

Area Agency on Aging (AAA)

AAAs are public or private non-profit agencies designated by the state to address the needs and concerns of all older persons at the regional and local levels. “Area Agency on Aging” is a generic term—specific names of local AAAs may vary. AAAs are primarily responsible for a geographic area that is either a city, a single county, or a multi-county district. The California Department of Aging contracts with and provides leadership and direction to 33 AAAs that coordinate a wide array of services to older adults and adults with disabilities at the community level and serve as the focal point for local aging concerns. AAAs goal is to make it possible for older individuals to choose the services and living arrangements that suit them best.

Related/Prior Legislation:

SB 914 (Rubio, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2022) creates the HELP Act and requires Cal ICH to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among domestic violence survivors and their children and among unaccompanied women in California, as described by January 1, 2025.

SB 1421 (Jones, Chapter 671, Statutes of 2022) added a currently or formerly homeless person with a developmental disability to Cal ICH’s advisory committee.

SB 1134 (Melendez, 2022) would have added the director of the Department of Developmental Services to the Cal ICH. This bill was later amended out of this Committee’s jurisdiction and subsequently held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 1220 (Luz Rivas, Chapter 398, Statutes of 2021) renamed the HCFC the Cal ICH, named the Secretary of CHHS as a co-chair, reconstituted the Cal ICH membership, required the Cal ICH to meet at least twice yearly with an advisory committee, among other things, as provided.

AB 1845 (Luz Rivas, 2020) would have created the Governor’s Office to End Homelessness under the Direction of the Secretary of Homelessness and would have moved the HCFC from the BCSH Agency into the Governor’s Office to End Homelessness. This bill was vetoed by the Governor.

SB 918 (Wiener, Chapter 841, Statutes of 2018) required Cal ICH to set and measure progress towards goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California, as provided.

SB 850 (Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 48, Statues of 2018) provided funding for homelessness initiatives, permitted the Governor to appoint up to 17 members to HCFC, including the Secretary BCSH or designee, to serve as chair, a representative from the Department of Transportation and a formerly homeless youth to serve on the Council, as provided.

SB 1380 (Mitchell, Chapter 847, Statutes of 2016) created the HCFC to coordinate the state’s response to homelessness, as provided.

COMMENTS

As more older adults are becoming homeless for the first time, homeless providers may face unexpected challenges providing for the complex care and service needs of older adults. This bill would require the Cal ICH, upon the receipt of an appropriation, to coordinate with CoCs and AAAs to provide gerontological training for homelessness services staff in the CoCs and AAAs respective regions. This bill appears to be aligned with the Master Plan on Aging’s Goal Five: Affording Aging, which calls for California to “continue to invest in innovative solutions to prevent older adult homelessness, reduce barriers to accessing housing programs and services, and promote the transition of those experiencing homelessness.”

Homeless services providers may either solely serve youth experiencing homelessness (ages 24 years and under) or adults experiencing homelessness (25 years of age and older). As currently written, the bill does not define “homelessness services staff”. Should the bill pass this committee, the author may wish to define which homeless service providers should receive this training to ensure those who would likely need and benefit from the gerontological training receive it.

POSITIONS

Support:

None received

Oppose:

None received

-- END --

1. The 2021 Report can be found at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/home.html. ↑

2. .The 2022 Report can be found at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar/2022-ahar-part-1-pit-estimates-of-homelessness-in-the-us.html ↑

3. The Administration for Community Living, “2021 Profile of Older Americans”, November 2022 ↑

4. https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california/ and https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/hdis.html ↑

5. The Gerontologist, Volume 57, Issue 4, August 2017, Pages 757–766, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw011 ↑