Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness and requires the council to take various actions to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the No Place Like Home Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

This bill would require the council, by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy in the councils publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would require the strategy to include specified elements, including a homelessness prevention action plan for certain state agencies and evidence-based model homeless prevention practices, as specified. The bill would require the council to review and update the strategy in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would limit each state agencys participation to its existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities.

Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness and requires the council to take various actions to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the No Place Like Home Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

This bill would require the council, by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy in the councils publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would require the strategy to include specified elements, including a homelessness prevention action plan for certain state agencies and evidence-based model homeless prevention practices, as specified. The bill would require the council to review and update the strategy in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would limit each state agencys participation to its existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities.

Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness and requires the council to take various actions to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the No Place Like Home Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

This bill would require the council, by July 1, 2027, 2028, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes in the councils publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would require the strategy to include specified elements, including a homelessness prevention action plan for certain state agencies and evidence-based model homeless prevention practices, as specified. The bill would require the council to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions. in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would limit each state agencys participation to its existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development and requires the department to oversee and implement various housing programs. California Interagency Council on Homelessness and requires the council to take various actions to prevent and end homelessness in California. Existing law establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the No Place Like Home Program and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

This bill would require the department, council, by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes specified elements, including a homelessness prevention action plan for certain state agencies and evidence-based model homeless prevention practices, as specified. The bill would require the department council to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions. The bill would define various terms for these purposes.

Existing law establishes, on July 1, 2026, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency and the Business and Consumer Services Agency, as the successors to the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. Existing law also establishes, on July 1, 2026, the Secretary of Housing and Homelessness.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to address the statewide homelessness epidemic by requiring the California Housing and Homelessness Agency to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy and model homelessness prevention practices.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 1924

Author:(Gabriel and Quirk-Silva)

As Amended Ver:August 13, 2026

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (CAlICH) to by July 1, 2028, develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness preventions strategy as part of the council's publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

Senate Amendments

1. Require CalICH rather than the Department of Housing and Community Development to developer a statewide homelessness prevention strategy.
2. Change the date by which the strategy must be developed by July 1, 2028 rather than July 1, 2027.
3. Make changes to the recommendations CalICH is required to include in the prevention strategy.

COMMENTS

The High Cost of Housing: The high cost of housing is the cause of homelessness in California. Other states with higher rates of overdose but lower costs of housing report much lower rates of homelessness. West Virginia leads overdose deaths per capita but has one of the lowest homelessness rates in the country. A study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that West Virginia has 50 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely-low-income households, more than double the number that California has. A family in West Virginia can afford a two-bedroom rental on less than $17 an hour – the second-lowest figure in the nation. In California a family would need more than $40 per hour to be able to afford an average two-bedroom rental. California needs an additional 2.5 million units of housing to meet the state's need, including 643,352 for very low-income households and 394,910 for lower income households. Since 2018, California has permitted 890,000 units of new housing, with 126,000 of those being low- and very low-income units. The Legislature has passed major legislation in recent years to allow affordable housing to be built on almost any site in the state. However, the lack of housing overall and, in particular, the continued lack of sufficient affordable housing is a problem that is decades in the making. Millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, must make hard decisions about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, child care, and transportation—one in three households in the state doesn't earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Currently, according to HDIS data, for every five individuals who access homelessness services in California, only one is housed each year, leaving four unhoused.

California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH): The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Housing and Homelessness Institute conducted the CASPEH, the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s and the first large-scale representative study to use mixed methods (surveys and in-depth interviews). They administered questionnaires to nearly 3,200 participants and conducted in-depth interviews with 365 participants. Their report provides evidence to help shape the state's policy response to homelessness. The median age of participants was 47 (range 18-89). Participants who report a Black (26%) or Native American or Indigenous identity (12%) were overrepresented compared to the overall California population. Thirty-five percent of participants identified as Latino/x

The report found that people experiencing homelessness in California are Californians. Nine out of ten participants lost their last housing in California; 75% of participants lived in the same county as their last housing.

The median monthly household income in the six months prior to homelessness across all CASPEH participants was $960. Almost all participants met criteria to be considered "extremely low-income" or making less than 30% of the Area Median Income. Participants' inability to afford housing was both the underlying cause of homelessness and the primary barrier to their returning to housing. Evidence and interviews with people who are experiencing homelessness show that a small amount of shallow subsidy could keep people from falling into homelessness. This finding was true throughout California, not only in the high-cost coastal regions.

Homelessness Prevention: Making progress in solving homelessness requires that we reduce the number of people falling into homelessness while simultaneously expanding housing opportunities for those currently experiencing it. Homelessness prevention interventions can include: Short-term and medium-term rental assistance; Emergency Rental assistance;Flexible financial support; Legal services, mediation, and credit repair; Moving costs support, including rental application fees, security and utility deposits; and Housing case management.

Homelessness Prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP Program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness: In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California's youth.

According to the Author

"For each homeless individual who is successfully connected with housing, nearly three access homelessness services for the first time. To make meaningful progress and address California's homelessness epidemic, we can't have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. AB 1924 would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Through stronger guidance and support to those seeking to prevent Californians from becoming unhoused, this legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state's most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources."

Arguments in Support

According to the Steinberg Institute, "AB 1924 offers a thoughtful and necessary shift toward prevention. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, including coordinated action plans across relevant state agencies, identification of evidence-based prevention practices, and accountability measures to track progress. It also calls for targeted interventions such as financial assistance, eviction defense, case management, and predictive data models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness. These provisions reflect best practices and help ensure that state resources are used strategically to reduce inflow into homelessness rather than solely responding after individuals have already lost housing. California cannot end homelessness without preventing it. AB 1924 provides a wise, data-driven framework to better align state agencies, scale what works, and ensure that prevention becomes a central pillar of California's homelessness response. By shifting toward a proactive, coordinated strategy, this bill will help reduce homelessness before it occurs and strengthen our broader efforts to end homelessness statewide."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Assembly committee on Appropriations:

1. HCD estimates ongoing General Fund (GF) costs, likely in the low millions of dollars, for additional staff to perform extensive coordination with other relevant state agencies, create and align best practices and data, and annually update and adjust the strategy to meet current conditions.
2. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), as a relevant state agency under this bill, anticipates additional workload to be absorbable using existing staffing and resources. DHCS anticipates increased administrative burden due to duplicative planning, reporting, and data infrastructure requirements.
3. Costs to additional relevant state agencies are of an unknown amount, but likely minor and absorbable (GF and various special funds).

The Legislative Analyst's Office recently warned of General Fund structural deficits of around $35 billion per year in the 2027-28 fiscal year and ongoing.

VOTES:

ASM HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 12-0-0

YES: Haney, Patterson, Ávila Farías, Caloza, Garcia, Kalra, Lee, Quirk-Silva, Ta, Tangipa, Wicks, Wilson

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 15-0-0

YES: Wicks, Hoover, Aguiar-Curry, Calderon, Caloza, Dixon, Fong, Mark González, Krell, Pacheco, Pellerin, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Ta, Tangipa

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-1-2

YES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zbur, Rivas

NO: DeMaio

ABS, ABST OR NV: Gallagher, Celeste Rodriguez

UPDATED

VERSION: August 13, 2026

CONSULTANT: Lisa Engel / H. & C.D. / (916) 319-2085 FN: 0003840

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 1924

Author: Gabriel (D) and Quirk-Silva (D), et al.

Amended: 8/13/26 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE HOUSING COMMITTEE: 10-0, 6/24/26

AYES: Arreguín, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cortese, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/13/26

AYES: Cervantes, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Dahle, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-1, 5/27/26 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Statewide homelessness prevention strategy

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy within the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) with the purpose of coordinating the state’s response to homelessness by utilizing Housing First practices.
2. Requires agencies and departments administering state programs created on or after July 1, 2017, to incorporate the core components of Housing First.
3. Defines “Housing First” to mean the evidence-based model that uses housing as a tool, rather than a reward, for recovery and that centers on providing or connecting homeless people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Housing First providers offer services as needed and requested on a voluntary basis, and that do not make housing contingent on participation in services.

This bill:

1. Defines “at risk of homelessness” as the presence of multiple evidence-based homelessness risk factors for an individual, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
2. Prior experience of homelessness;
3. Annual income at or below 30% of the area median income (AMI);
4. Experiencing rent burden; and
5. Experiencing other household and social characteristics that are known to elevate the risk of homelessness.
6. Defines “housing stability” as the ability of an individual or family to maintain housing that is consistent, safe, and affordable.
7. Defines “relevant agency” as any state agency or department that affects, or has the potential to affect, housing stability and the prevention of homelessness, including, but not limited to, all of the agencies and departments represented on the executive council.
8. Requires Cal-ICH, by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness that includes, but not be limited to, all of the following:
9. To the extent reasonably feasible using available data and reporting systems, a baseline estimate of first-time experiences of homelessness and an assessment of achievable short- and long-term progress towards reducing entries into homelessness, taking into account available resources, existing activities and authorities, and other factors affecting entries into homelessness.
10. A description of the role of each relevant agency in promoting housing stability and preventing homelessness, limited to the activities, authorities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities of that agency.
11. An inventory of each definition of homelessness prevention employed by each relevant agency and how those definitions differ;
12. The actions each relevant agency is taking to promote housing stability and homelessness prevention, including, but not limited to, the identification of any significant gaps or opportunities to improve coordination and implement those actions.
13. A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency that is developed by Cal-ICH staff and relevant agency, and incorporated into the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, that details specific actions the agency will take, within its existing authority and through its existing activities and resources, to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the anticipated timeline for those actions;
14. Recommendations, as appropriate, for all of the following:

Supporting the coordination and implementation of the homelessness action plans, including conducting an impact assessment of the plans and relevant state-funded activities, benefits, services, grants, employment and training activities, and other interventions in preventing homelessness.

Identifying the highest impact state and local homelessness prevention activities to which new state funding should be devoted, when such funding becomes available.

1. An inventory of state resources currently devoted specifically to preventing homelessness and a description of how the stat resources will work towards preventing homelessness;
2. Identification of and recommendations for best practices in homelessness prevention activities;
3. Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by the department that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
4. Identification of opportunities within existing state activities to intervene when an individual or household faces an imminent risk of losing housing based on evidence-based risk factors, as specified.
5. The use of predictive models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness.
6. The targeting of resources to households most at risk of homelessness.
7. The most effective and efficient interventions to prevent homelessness, as specified.
8. Requires Cal-ICH to offer the model homelessness prevention practices to local activities and propose methods to integrate relevant practices into state agencies and activities.
9. Requires Cal-ICH to review and update the strategy in the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
10. Provides that Cal-ICH and relevant state agencies shall use reasonably available information and data. This bill does not require an agency to conduct new primary data collection, develop a predictive model, establish a new reporting system, or commission a new program evaluation. Relevant agency participation is limited to exiting authority and activities.

Comments

Author’s statement. “For each homeless individual who is successfully connected with housing, nearly three access homelessness services for the first time. To make meaningful progress and address California’s homelessness epidemic, we can’t have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. AB 1924 would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Through stronger guidance and support to those seeking to prevent Californians from becoming unhoused, this legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources”

California Interagency Council on Homelessness. In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

The first Action Plan was adopted by the Council in March 2021 and has been updated annually since. The new Action Plan, adopted December 2024 by the Cal-ICH Council, focuses the Council’s work around bold, measurable goals, the strategic investments that help achieve those goals, and the actions each member department and agency is taking to ensure those investments are effective and coordinated. The 2024 Action Plan is a three-year roadmap for addressing homelessness in California between 2025 and 2027. It is designed to serve as a tool the Council will use to organize and assess its investments, ensuring that efforts are strategic, measurable, and aligned with our shared vision of preventing and ending homelessness. Specifically, the Action Plan outlines Guiding Principles and Commitments to achieve the vision, identifies five Action Plan Goals, identifies Strategic Investments made or administered by the state, and an Implementation Plan for executing the Action Plan. The Action Plan identifies the following goals:

• Help more people leave unsheltered homelessness
• Help more people move into housing
• Ensure people do not experience homelessness again
• Prevent more people from experiencing homelessness
• Create more housing

The Action Plan identifies state administered programs that contribute to one or more of the goals. These include investments from the State general fund or federal passthrough dollars that the State administers, but do not include federal or private dollars that are not administered by the state (i.e. Emergency Housing Vouchers, Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing, etc.) Investments listed were current at the time of the Action Plan’s adoption (December 2024). The investments contribute to the Action Plan Goals by:

• Expanding the supply of permanent, affordable, and supportive housing units for people at-risk and experiencing homelessness.
• Providing rental subsidies and other financial assistance to support more people to move into permanent housing.
• Increasing shelter and interim housing options available in communities to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
• Supporting expanded diversion and prevention services so that people do not become homeless.
• Creating stronger connections to physical and behavioral health care services to support people to thrive.
• Providing access to an array of supportive services that foster housing stability, connect people to benefits, and/or help people to secure employment and achieve their goals.

Senate Appropriations Amendments. Author’s amendments move the prevention strategy to the existing Action Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness by July 1, 2028, instead of July 1, 2027. and limits state agency participation to their existing authority, activities, data, and subject matter responsibilities.

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

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• Staff estimates that Cal-ICH would incur costs of $192,000 in the first year and $180,000 annually ongoing thereafter to develop and update the statewide homelessness prevention strategy for inclusion in its Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, including coordination with relevant agencies to develop homelessness prevention action plans within agencies’ existing resources, making recommendations for supporting the implementation of those action plans and highest impact homelessness prevention activities, and describing how state resources and actions will work towards preventing homelessness, as specified. (General Fund)
  
• Unknown individual agency and overall costs for relevant agencies to work with Cal-ICH staff to develop specified homelessness prevention action plans that detail specific actions each agency will take within its existing authority, activities, and resources to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention. Costs for each individual affected agency are not expected to be significant as implementation appears to utilize existing planning and reporting processes, including Cal-ICH’s existing Action Plan process, and limits agency responsibilities to current programs and expertise. The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) indicates that costs to follow the action plan created in the homelessness prevention strategy would likely be minor and absorbable. (General Fund, various special funds)

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/13/26)

Abundant Housing LA
Active San Gabriel Valley
Aids Healthcare Foundation
Alameda County Board of Supervisors
All Home
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (acce Action)
Amplifi
Ascencia
Bay Area Community Health
Bay Area Community Services
Being Alive - Los Angeles
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Bill Wilson Center
California Coalition for Rural Housing
California Housing Partnership
California Native Vote Project
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
California State Association of Counties
California Yimby
City and County of San Francisco
City of Emeryville 
City of Los Angeles
City of Santa Barbara
City of Santa Monica
Code in Motion by Sparks
Committee on the Shelterless
Community Corp. of Santa Monica
Community Health Project Los Angeles
Community Legal Aid Socal
Community Services Agency
Compass Family Services
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Dap Health
Destination: Home
Disability Rights California
Downtown Women's Center
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
Episcopal Community Services
Eviction Defense Collaborative
Fathers and Mothers Who Care
Golden State YMCA
Homebase
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
Housing California
Housing Matters
Inner City Law Center
Insight Housing
LA Forward Institute
LA Voice
League of California Cities
Legal Aid Association of California
Lifemoves
Long Beach Gray Panthers
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust
Los Angeles Poverty Department
Mayor Todd Gloria, City of San Diego
Mental Health Advocacy Services
Midpen Housing
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Non-profit Housing Association of Northern California
Para Los Ninos
Path
Project Sentinel
Public Advocates
Redefine Alliance
Redf
Restoration Diversion Services
Sacramento Housing Alliance
Safe
Safe Place for Youth
San Francisco Safehouse
Silicon Valley At Home
South County Community Services
South Pasadena Residents for Responsible Growth
Southern California Obtainable Housing
St. Joseph's Family Center
Stories From the Frontline
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy
Sunnyvale Community Services
Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance
Sv@home Action Fund
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
The People Concern
The Sidewalk Project
Union Station Homeless Services
United Way Bay Area
West Valley Community Services
Western Center on Law and Poverty

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/13/26)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-1, 5/27/26

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zbur, Rivas

NOES: DeMaio

NO VOTE RECORDED: Gallagher, Celeste Rodriguez

Prepared by: Alison Hughes / HOUSING / (916) 651-4124

8/17/26 10:43:02

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Sabrina Cervantes, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular Session

AB 1924 (Gabriel) - Statewide homelessness prevention strategy

Bill Summary:

AB 1924 would require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy with specified components by July 1, 2027, and to annually review, update, and publish revisions to the strategy.

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

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on August 13, 2026

Fiscal Impact:

• Staff estimates that Cal-ICH would incur costs of $192,000 in the first year and $180,000 annually ongoing thereafter to develop and update the statewide homelessness prevention strategy for inclusion in its Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (Action Plan), including coordination with relevant agencies to develop homelessness prevention action plans within agencies’ existing resources, making recommendations for supporting the implementation of those action plans and highest impact homelessness prevention activities, and describing how state resources and actions will work towards preventing homelessness, as specified. (General Fund)
  
• Unknown individual agency and overall costs for relevant agencies to work with Cal-ICH staff to develop specified homelessness prevention action plans that detail specific actions each agency will take within its existing authority, activities, and resources to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention. Costs for each individual affected agency are not expected to be significant as implementation appears to utilize existing planning and reporting processes, including Cal-ICH’s existing Action Plan process, and limits agency responsibilities to current programs and expertise. The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) indicates that costs to follow the action plan created in the homelessness prevention strategy would likely be minor and absorbable. (General Fund, various special funds)

Author Amendments:

• Delete the 12 specific state entities from the definition of “relevant agency” and instead include state agencies and departments represented on Cal-ICH’s executive council.
• Delay the deadline to develop the homelessness prevention strategy to July 1, 2028, and require the strategy to be included in Cal-ICH’s Action Plan.
• Make specified changes to the information included in the strategy, including: (1) emphasizing the use of available date and reporting systems, as well as existing agency authority, activities, and resources; (2) adding recommendations for supporting the coordination and implementation of the homelessness prevention action plans and identifying the highest impact state and local homelessness prevention activities, as specified; and (3) deleting the following elements of the strategy:
  • Recommendations for legislation or executive actions to implement homeless prevention action plans.
  • A plan to coordinate and integrate homelessness prevention action plans.
  • A plan to annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the action plans, as specified.
  • A proposal for state resources and actions to prevent homelessness.
  • An annual agenda recommending third-party evaluations of selected local or state homelessness prevention programs, not including action plans, that test the impact of those programs on homelessness prevention.
• Delete the requirement for Cal-ICH to annually review and update the strategy and publish revisions, and instead require Cal-ICH to review and update the strategy in the Action Plan.
• Specify that all of the following apply in implementing this bill:
  • Cal-ICH and relevant agencies must use reasonably available information, research, evaluations, and data, as specified.
  • A relevant agency’s participation is limited to its existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities.
  • A relevant agency must not be required to establish a new program or expand eligibility for, or the scope of, an existing program.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Sabrina Cervantes, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular Session

AB 1924 (Gabriel) - Statewide homelessness prevention strategy

Bill Summary:

AB 1924 would require the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy with specified components by July 1, 2027, and to annually review, update, and publish revisions to the strategy.

Fiscal Impact:

• Staff estimates that Cal-ICH would incur ongoing costs at least in the low- to mid-hundreds of thousands of dollars, and potentially higher, to develop and update the statewide homelessness prevention strategy, including extensive coordination with relevant agencies to develop homelessness prevention action plans and annually evaluating the effectiveness of those plans, as specified. See Staff Comments. (General Plan)
  
• Unknown individual agency and overall costs for relevant agencies to work with Cal-ICH to develop specified homelessness prevention action plans that detail specific actions each agency will take to contribute to homelessness prevention. For instance, the Department of Social Services (CDSS) indicates that it could incur significant costs of over $1 million if it assumes substantial new responsibilities for statewide planning, reporting, data coordination, and interagency engagement, but these costs would be materially lower if implementation utilizes existing planning and reporting processes, including Cal-ICH’s existing Action Plan process, and limits CDSS responsibilities to current programs and expertise. The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) indicates that costs to follow the action plan created in the homelessness prevention strategy would likely be minor and absorbable. (General Fund, various special funds)
  
• The bill could also result in significant unknown cost pressures, to the extent that recommendations to implement homelessness prevention action plans and other relevant agency action items identified in the homelessness prevention strategy include recommendations for new or additional expenditures for homelessness prevention efforts. (General Fund)

Background:

Existing law requires HCD to administer various housing programs. Existing law also establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program, which makes available grant allocations to cities, counties, and continuums of care with flexible funding to prevent and end homelessness in their regions. Homelessness prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

Existing law establishes Cal-ICH (originally the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council, as enacted by SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chap. 847/2016) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness using “Housing First” practices. Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

Cal-ICH annually publishes an Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness (Action Plan) as a three-year roadmap for addressing homelessness in the state that Cal-ICH uses to organize and assess its investments, ensuring that efforts are strategic, measurable, and aligned with our shared vision of preventing and ending homelessness. The most recent Action Plan, published in Deccember of 2024, outlines five measurable goals to drive outcomes and assess progress, including the goal of preventing more people from entering homelessness by increasing access to publicly-funded health and social safety net services for people at-risk of homelessness in order to address health and economic vulnerabilities. The Action Plan identifies state administered programs that contribute to one or more of the goals. These include investments from the State General Fund or federal passthrough dollars that the state administers, but do not include federal or private dollars that are not administered by the state, such as Emergency Housing Vouchers, Housing Choice Vouchers, and public housing.

Proposed Law:

AB 1924 would require Cal-ICH to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy by July 1, 2027 that includes all of the following:

• The identity of each “relevant agency,” defined as any state agency or department that affects, or has the potential to affect, housing stability and the prevention of homelessness, including 12 specified entities.
• An inventory of each definition of homelessness prevention employed by each relevant agency and how those definitions differ.
• The actions each relevant agency is taking to promote housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the gaps in those actions.
• A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency that is developed by Cal-ICH and the relevant agency that details specific actions the agency will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the timeline for those actions, as specified.
• Recommendations for legislation or executive action to implement the homelessness prevention action plans.
• A plan to coordinate and integrate the homelessness prevention action plans.
• A plan to annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the homelessness prevention action plans that includes accountability measures and an assessment of the impact of the action plans on homelessness prevention.
• An inventory of state resources that are currently devoted specifically to preventing homelessness and a proposal for additional state resources and actions to prevent homelessness.
• Statewide homelessness prevention goals and accountability measures.
• An annual agenda recommending third-party evaluations of selected local or state homelessness prevention programs, other than the homelessness prevention action plans, that test the impact of those programs on homelessness prevention.
• Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by Cal-ICH that include all of the following:
  • Identification of persons most at risk of homelessness through evidence-based risk factors, as specified.
  • The use of predictive models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness.
  • The targeting of resources to households most at risk of homelessness.
  • The most effective and efficient interventions to prevent homelessness, as specified.
  • Specific homelessness prevention practices that address the needs of sub-populations.
  • Successful integration of financial, legal, and case management assistance.
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of homelessness prevention strategies on preventing homelessness, including performance metrics.
  • The most effective and efficient means of coordinating state and federal homelessness prevention efforts identified and proposed by Cal-ICH.
  • The most effective and efficient means of coordinating state and local homelessness prevention efforts identified and proposed by Cal-ICH.
  • Evidence-based state and local homelessness prevention programs and systems that have received evaluations validating their effectiveness in preventing homelessness identified by Cal-ICH and recommendations for scaling up those programs and systems to have a broader impact on homelessness prevention.
  • The compilation, acquisition, and use of relevant data necessary to effectuate homelessness prevention, including a universal system of data collection and reporting that facilitates access to data by all participants in a homelessness prevention system.

The bill would also require Cal-ICH to offer the homelessness prevention practices described above as guidance to local programs, and to propose to integrate relevant practices into state agencies and programs. Lastly, the bill would require Cal-ICH to annually review and update the statewide homelessness prevention strategy and publish any revisions.

Staff Comments:

This bill would require Cal-ICH to develop, publish, and annually update a statewide homelessness prevention strategy and identify model homelessness prevention practices. This is intended to bring more focus on proactive prevention measures, which may be more cost effective in the long run, rather than directing resources solely on reactive efforts to move the homeless into stable housing.

Staff notes that one key potential cost driver in the bill is the requirement for Cal-ICH and the 12 specified relevant state agencies to jointly develop homeless prevention action plans that detail specific actions they will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention and timelines for implementing those actions, while considering the specified model practices. The strategy must also include an annual evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of those agency action plans, including accountability measures and assessing the impacts of the action plans on homelessness prevention. These activities create a new oversight role for Cal-ICH over other state agencies who may have an impact on housing stability and the prevention of homelessness through the programs they administer. Evaluating each department’s activities and assessing the impacts of their action plans would likely be time and cost intensive endeavors.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOUSING

Senator Jesse Arreguín, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular

Bill No: AB 1924 Hearing Date: 6/24/2026

SUBJECT: Statewide homelessness prevention strategy

DIGEST: This bill requires the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) with the purpose of coordinating the state’s response to homelessness by utilizing Housing First practices.
2. Requires agencies and departments administering state programs created on or after July 1, 2017, to incorporate the core components of Housing First.
3. Defines “Housing First” to mean the evidence-based model that uses housing as a tool, rather than a reward, for recovery and that centers on providing or connecting homeless people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Housing First providers offer services as needed and requested on a voluntary basis, and that do not make housing contingent on participation in services.
4. Defines, among other things, the “core components of Housing First” to mean:
   1. Acceptance of referrals directly from shelters, street outreach, drop-in centers, and other parts of crisis response systems frequented by vulnerable people experiencing homelessness;
   2. Supportive services that emphasize engagement and problem-solving over therapeutic goals and service plans that are highly tenant-driven without predetermined goals;
   3. Participation in services or program compliance is not a condition of permanent housing tenancy;
   4. Tenants have a lease and all the rights and responsibilities of tenancy, as outlined in California’s Civil, Health and Safety, and Government codes; and
   5. The use of alcohol or drugs in and of itself, without other lease violations, is not a reason for eviction.

This bill:

1. Defines “at risk of homelessness” as the presence of multiple evidence-based homelessness risk factors for an individual, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
2. Prior experience of homelessness;
3. Annual income below 30% of the area median income (AMI);
4. Experiencing rent burden; and
5. Experiencing other household and social characteristics that are known to elevate the risk of homelessness.
6. Defines “housing stability” as the ability of an individual or family to maintain housing that is consistent, safe, and affordable.
7. Defines “relevant agency” as any state agency or department that affects, or has the potential to affect, housing stability and the prevention of homelessness, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
   • 1. Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD);
     2. Cal-ICH
     3. The State Department of Social Services;
     4. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
     5. The Division of Rehabilitative Programs, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
     6. The Office of Youth and Community Restoration, California Health and Human Services Agency;
     7. The California Health and Human Services Agency;
     8. The State Department of Public Health;
     9. The State Department of Health Care Services;
     10. The State Department of State Hospitals;
     11. The Employment Development Department; and
     12. The State Department of Education.
8. Requires Cal-ICH, by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes all of the following:
9. Identification of each relevant agency, and an inventory of each definition of homelessness prevention employed by each relevant agency and how those definitions differ;
10. The actions each relevant agency is taking to promote housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the gaps in those actions;
11. A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency that is developed by Cal-ICH and the relevant agency that details specific actions the agency will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the timeline for those actions;
12. Recommendations for legislation or executive action to implement the homelessness prevention action plans;
13. A plan to coordinate and integrate the homelessness prevention action plans;
    
14. A plan to annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the homelessness prevention action plans that includes, but is not limited to, accountability measures, and an assessment of the impact of the homelessness prevention action plans on homelessness prevention.
    
15. An inventory of state resources currently devoted specifically to preventing homelessness and a proposal for state resources and actions to prevent homelessness in addition to existing resources.
16. Statewide homelessness prevention goals and accountability measures.
17. An annual agenda recommending third-party evaluations of selected local or state homelessness prevention programs other than the homelessness prevention action plans that test the impact of those programs on homelessness prevention;
18. Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by the department that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
19. Identification of persons most at risk of homelessness through evidence-based risk factors, as specified.
20. The use of predictive models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness.
21. The targeting of resources to households most at risk of homelessness.
22. The most effective and efficient interventions to prevent homelessness, as specified.
23. Requires Cal-ICH to offer the model homelessness prevention practices to local programs and propose methods to integrate relevant practices into state agencies and programs.
24. Requires Cal-ICH to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions.

Background

Homelessness: stats and causes. According to the most recent point in time (PIT) count, 187,084 people were experiencing homelessness in California—representing 24% of the nation’s homeless population. Two-thirds of the homeless population in California is unsheltered. Over half (51%) of all unsheltered people in the United States were in California. A lack of affordable housing is the biggest contributor to homelessness. As housing costs continue to rise, rent becomes less affordable for lower-income households, who are forced to live beyond their means (paying more than 30% of income on housing costs) or are pushed out of their homes, leading to rapid increases in homelessness. Variation in rates of homelessness cannot be explained by variation in rates of individual factors such as poverty or mental illness; conversely, cities with higher rents and lower rental vacancy rates (i.e., tighter housing markets) are directly linked to higher per capita rates of homelessness.

The lack of affordable housing plays a significant role in causing individuals to become homeless and 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, a renter has to work 83 hours each week to afford a modest one-bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent in California. The lack of supply is the primary factor underlying California’s housing crunch. To keep up with demand, HCD estimates that California must plan for the development of more than 2.5 million homes over the next eight years, and no less than one million of those homes must meet the needs of lower-income households (more than 640,000 very low-income and 385,000 low-income units are needed). For decades, not enough housing was constructed to meet need, resulting in a severe undersupply of housing. New construction of housing, both single family homes and apartments, continues to lag behind historical averages, and lags further behind the number of new units needed to meet housing demand.

Comments

1. Author’s statement. “For each homeless individual who is successfully connected with housing, nearly three access homelessness services for the first time. To make meaningful progress and address California’s homelessness epidemic, we can’t have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. AB 1924 would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Through stronger guidance and support to those seeking to prevent Californians from becoming unhoused, this legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources”
2. Homelessness Prevention. Making progress in solving homelessness requires that we reduce the number of people falling into homelessness while simultaneously expanding housing opportunities for those currently experiencing it. Homelessness prevention interventions can include:
   

• Short-term and medium-term rental assistance,
• Emergency Rental assistance
• Flexible financial support
• Legal services, mediation, and credit repair
• Moving costs support, including rental application fees, security and utility deposits; and
• Housing case management.

Homelessness Prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP Program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

1. California Interagency Council on Homelessness. In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

The first Action Plan was adopted by the Council in March 2021 and has been updated annually since. The new Action Plan, adopted December 2024 by the Cal-ICH Council, focuses the Council’s work around bold, measurable goals, the strategic investments that help achieve those goals, and the actions each member department and agency is taking to ensure those investments are effective and coordinated. The 2024 Action Plan is a three-year roadmap for addressing homelessness in California between 2025 and 2027. It is designed to serve as a tool the Council will use to organize and assess its investments, ensuring that efforts are strategic, measurable, and aligned with our shared vision of preventing and ending homelessness. Specifically, the Action Plan outlines Guiding Principles and Commitments to achieve the vision, identifies five Action Plan Goals, identifies Strategic Investments made or administered by the state, and an Implementation Plan for executing the Action Plan. The Action Plan identifies the following goals:

• Help more people leave unsheltered homelessness
• Help more people move into housing
• Ensure people do not experience homelessness again
• Prevent more people from experiencing homelessness
• Create more housing

The Action Plan identifies state administered programs that contribute to one or more of the goals. These include investments from the State general fund or federal passthrough dollars that the State administers, but do not include federal or private dollars that are not administered by the state (i.e. Emergency Housing Vouchers, Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing, etc.) Investments listed were current at the time of the Action Plan’s adoption (December 2024). The investments contribute to the Action Plan Goals by:

• Expanding the supply of permanent, affordable, and supportive housing units for people at-risk and experiencing homelessness.
• Providing rental subsidies and other financial assistance to support more people to move into permanent housing.
• Increasing shelter and interim housing options available in communities to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
• Supporting expanded diversion and prevention services so that people do not become homeless.
• Creating stronger connections to physical and behavioral health care services to support people to thrive.
• Providing access to an array of supportive services that foster housing stability, connect people to benefits, and/or help people to secure employment and achieve their goals.

This bill would build upon the current Action Plan by compelling Cal-ICH to develop and issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy by July 1, 2027. The strategy would evaluate all actions taken by state agencies to prevent homelessness and identify the gaps in those actions. Each agency will be given an action plan including specific steps to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, recommendations for the legislature and administration to implement those plans, and methods (goals and accountability measures) for evaluating the efficacy of the actions in the plans. Cal-ICH shall also identify model prevention practices and offer those as guidance to local programs and integrate them into other state agencies and programs.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

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

June 17^th, 2026.)

SUPPORT:

Abundant Housing LA

Active San Gabriel Valley

Aids Healthcare Foundation

Alameda County Board of Supervisors

All Home

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (acce Action)

Amplifi

Ascencia

Bay Area Community Health

Bay Area Community Services

Being Alive - Los Angeles

Bet Tzedek Legal Services

Bill Wilson Center

California Coalition for Rural Housing

California Housing Partnership

California Native Vote Project

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation

California State Association of Counties (CSAC)

California Yimby

City and County of San Francisco

City of Emeryville

City of Los Angeles

City of Santa Barbara

Code in Motion by Sparks

Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)

Community Corp. of Santa Monica

Community Health Project Los Angeles

Community Legal Aid Socal

Community Services Agency

Compass Family Services

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Dap Health

Destination: Home

Disability Rights California

Downtown Women's Center

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant

Episcopal Community Services

Eviction Defense Collaborative

Fathers and Mothers Who Care

Golden State YMCA

Homebase

Homeless Health Care Los Angeles

Housing California

Housing Matters

Inner City Law Center

Insight Housing

LA Forward Institute

LA Voice

League of California Cities

Legal Aid Association of California

Lifemoves

Long Beach Gray Panthers

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

Los Angeles Poverty Department

Mayor Todd Gloria, City of San Diego

Mental Health Advocacy Services

Midpen Housing

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County

Non-profit Housing Association of Northern California

Para Los Ninos

Path

Project Sentinel

Public Advocates

Redefine Alliance

Redf

Restoration Diversion Services

Sacramento Housing Alliance

Safe

Safe Place for Youth

San Francisco Safehouse

Silicon Valley At Home (SV@HOME)

South County Community Services

South Pasadena Residents for Responsible Growth

Southern California Obtainable Housing

St. Joseph's Family Center

Stories From the Frontline

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)

Sunnyvale Community Services

Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance

Sv@home Action Fund

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

The People Concern

The Sidewalk Project

Union Station Homeless Services

United Way Bay Area

West Valley Community Services

Western Center on Law and Poverty

OPPOSITION:

None received.

-- END --

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 1924

Author:(Gabriel and Quirk-Silva)

As Amended Ver:March 9, 2026

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness preventions strategy.

Major Provisions

1. Requires HCD, by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes all of the following:
2. An inventory of each definition of homelessness prevention employed by each relevant agency and how those definitions differ;
3. The actions each relevant agency is taking to promote housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the gaps in those actions;
4. A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency that is developed by HCD and the relevant agency that details specific actions the agency will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the timeline for those actions;
5. Recommendations for legislation or executive action to implement the homelessness prevention action plans;
6. A plan to coordinate and integrate the homelessness prevention action plans;
7. A plan to annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the homelessness prevention action plans;
8. An inventory of state resources currently devoted specifically to preventing homelessness;
9. A proposal for state resources and actions to prevent homelessness in addition to existing resources;
10. Statewide homelessness prevention goals and accountability measures;
11. An annual agenda recommending third-party evaluations of selected local or state homelessness prevention programs other than the homelessness prevention action plans that test the impact of those programs on homelessness prevention; and
12. Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by the department.
13. Requires HCD to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions.

COMMENTS

The High Cost of Housing: The high cost of housing is the cause of homelessness in California. Other states with higher rates of overdose but lower costs of housing report much lower rates of homelessness. West Virginia leads overdose deaths per capita but has one of the lowest homelessness rates in the country. A study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that West Virginia has 50 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely-low-income households, more than double the number that California has. A family in West Virginia can afford a two-bedroom rental on less than $17 an hour – the second-lowest figure in the nation. In California a family would need more than $40 per hour to be able to afford an average two-bedroom rental. California needs an additional 2.5 million units of housing to meet the state's need, including 643,352 for very low-income households and 394,910 for lower income households. Since 2018, California has permitted 890,000 units of new housing, with 126,000 of those being low- and very low-income units. The Legislature has passed major legislation in recent years to allow affordable housing to be built on almost any site in the state. However, the lack of housing overall and, in particular, the continued lack of sufficient affordable housing is a problem that is decades in the making. Millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, must make hard decisions about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, child care, and transportation—one in three households in the state doesn't earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Currently, according to Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) data, for every five individuals who access homelessness services in California, only one is housed each year, leaving four unhoused.

California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH): The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Housing and Homelessness Institute conducted the CASPEH, the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s and the first large-scale representative study to use mixed methods (surveys and in-depth interviews). They administered questionnaires to nearly 3,200 participants and conducted in-depth interviews with 365 participants. Their report provides evidence to help shape the state's policy response to homelessness. The median age of participants was 47 (range 18-89). Participants who report a Black (26%) or Native American or Indigenous identity (12%) were overrepresented compared to the overall California population. 35% of participants identified as Latino/x

The report found that people experiencing homelessness in California are Californians. Nine out of ten participants lost their last housing in California; 75% of participants lived in the same county as their last housing.

The median monthly household income in the six months prior to homelessness across all CASPEH participants was $960. Almost all participants met criteria to be considered "extremely low-income" or making less than 30% of the Area Median Income. Participants' inability to afford housing was both the underlying cause of homelessness and the primary barrier to their returning to housing. Evidence and interviews with people who are experiencing homelessness show that a small amount of shallow subsidy could keep people from falling into homelessness. This finding was true throughout California, not only in the high-cost coastal regions.

Homelessness Prevention: Making progress in solving homelessness requires that we reduce the number of people falling into homelessness while simultaneously expanding housing opportunities for those currently experiencing it. Homelessness prevention interventions can include: Short-term and medium-term rental assistance; Emergency Rental assistance; Flexible financial support; Legal services, mediation, and credit repair; Moving costs support, including rental application fees, security and utility deposits; and Housing case management.

Homelessness Prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP Program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness: In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California's youth.

According to the Author

"For each homeless individual who is successfully connected with housing, nearly three access homelessness services for the first time. To make meaningful progress and address California's homelessness epidemic, we can't have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. AB 1924 would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Through stronger guidance and support to those seeking to prevent Californians from becoming unhoused, this legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state's most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources."

Arguments in Support

According to the Steinberg Institute, "AB 1924 offers a thoughtful and necessary shift toward prevention. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, including coordinated action plans across relevant state agencies, identification of evidence-based prevention practices, and accountability measures to track progress. It also calls for targeted interventions such as financial assistance, eviction defense, case management, and predictive data models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness. These provisions reflect best practices and help ensure that state resources are used strategically to reduce inflow into homelessness rather than solely responding after individuals have already lost housing. California cannot end homelessness without preventing it. AB 1924 provides a wise, data-driven framework to better align state agencies, scale what works, and ensure that prevention becomes a central pillar of California's homelessness response. By shifting toward a proactive, coordinated strategy, this bill will help reduce homelessness before it occurs and strengthen our broader efforts to end homelessness statewide."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Assembly committee on Appropriations:

1. HCD estimates ongoing General Fund (GF) costs, likely in the low millions of dollars, for additional staff to perform extensive coordination with other relevant state agencies, create and align best practices and data, and annually update and adjust the strategy to meet current conditions.
2. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), as a relevant state agency under this bill, anticipates additional workload to be absorbable using existing staffing and resources. DHCS anticipates increased administrative burden due to duplicative planning, reporting, and data infrastructure requirements.
3. Costs to additional relevant state agencies are of an unknown amount, but likely minor and absorbable (GF and various special funds).

The Legislative Analyst's Office recently warned of General Fund structural deficits of around $35 billion per year in the 2027-28 fiscal year and ongoing.

VOTES

ASM HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 12-0-0

YES: Haney, Patterson, Ávila Farías, Caloza, Garcia, Kalra, Lee, Quirk-Silva, Ta, Tangipa, Wicks, Wilson

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 15-0-0

YES: Wicks, Hoover, Aguiar-Curry, Calderon, Caloza, Dixon, Fong, Mark González, Krell, Pacheco, Pellerin, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Ta, Tangipa

UPDATED

VERSION: March 9, 2026

CONSULTANT: Lisa Engel / H. & C.D. / (916) 319-2085 FN: 0002573

Date of Hearing: May 6, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1924

Author:(Gabriel) – As Amended Ver:March 9, 2026

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

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy by July 1, 2027.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires HCD, by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes, among other elements:
2. A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency developed by HCD and the relevant agency that details specific actions the agency will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the timeline for those actions.

Defines “relevant agency” as any state agency or department that affects, or has the potential to affect, housing stability and the prevention of homelessness, and enumerates 12 such agencies.

1. Recommendations for legislation or executive action to implement, coordinate and integrate, and annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of each homelessness prevention action plan, as specified.
2. Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by HCD that include, among other items, identification of persons most at risk of homelessness through evidence-based risk factors and the most effective and efficient interventions to prevent homelessness.
3. Requires HCD to offer the model homelessness prevention practices described above as guidance to local programs and to propose methods to integrate relevant practices into state agencies and programs.
4. Requires HCD to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. HCD estimates ongoing General Fund (GF) costs, likely in the low millions of dollars, for additional staff to perform extensive coordination with other relevant state agencies, create and align best practices and data, and annually update and adjust the strategy to meet current conditions.
2. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), as a relevant state agency under this bill, anticipates additional workload to be absorbable using existing staffing and resources. DHCS anticipates increased administrative burden due to duplicative planning, reporting, and data infrastructure requirements.
3. Costs to additional relevant state agencies are of an unknown amount, but likely minor and absorbable (GF and various special funds).

The Legislative Analyst’s Office recently warned of General Fund structural deficits of around $35 billion per year in the 2027-28 fiscal year and ongoing.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author:

To make meaningful progress and address California’s homelessness epidemic, we can’t have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. [This bill] would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. This legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources.

1. Background. Existing law requires HCD to oversee and implement various housing programs. Existing law also establishes various programs to prevent homelessness or assist persons experiencing homelessness, including the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program. Homelessness prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee, which includes a currently or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

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

Date of Hearing: April 15, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Matt Haney, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1924 (

Author:Gabriel) – As Amended Ver:March 9, 2026

SUBJECT: Statewide homelessness prevention strategy

SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness preventions strategy. Specifically, this bill:

1. Includes the following definitions:
2. “At risk of homelessness” means the presence of multiple evidence-based homelessness risk factors for an individual, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
3. Prior experience of homelessness;
4. Annual income below 30% of the area median income (AMI);
5. Experiencing rent burden; and
6. Experiencing other household and social characteristics that are known to elevate the risk of homelessness.
7. “Housing stability” means the ability of an individual or family to maintain housing that is consistent, safe, and affordable.
8. “Relevant agency” means any state agency or department that affects, or has the potential to affect, housing stability and the prevention of homelessness, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
   • 1. HCD;
     2. The Interagency Council on Homelessness;
     3. The State Department of Social Services;
     4. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
     5. The Division of Rehabilitative Programs, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
     6. The Office of Youth and Community Restoration, California Health and Human Services Agency;
     7. The California Health and Human Services Agency;
     8. The State Department of Public Health;
     9. The State Department of Health Care Services;
     10. The State Department of State Hospitals;
     11. The Employment Development Department; and
     12. The State Department of Education;
9. Requires HCD, by July 1, 2027, to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy that includes all of the following:
10. An inventory of each definition of homelessness prevention employed by each relevant agency and how those definitions differ;
11. The actions each relevant agency is taking to promote housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the gaps in those actions;
12. A homelessness prevention action plan for each relevant agency that is developed by HCD and the relevant agency that details specific actions the agency will take to contribute to housing stability and homelessness prevention, and the timeline for those actions;
13. Recommendations for legislation or executive action to implement the homelessness prevention action plans;
14. A plan to coordinate and integrate the homelessness prevention action plans;
    
15. A plan to annually evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the homelessness prevention action plans that includes, but is not limited to, both of the following:
16. Accountability measures; and
    
17. An assessment of the impact of the homelessness prevention action plans on homelessness prevention.
    
18. An inventory of state resources currently devoted specifically to preventing homelessness;
19. A proposal for state resources and actions to prevent homelessness in addition to existing resources;
20. Statewide homelessness prevention goals and accountability measures;
21. An annual agenda recommending third-party evaluations of selected local or state homelessness prevention programs other than the homelessness prevention action plans that test the impact of those programs on homelessness prevention;
22. Evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices identified or designed and developed by the department that include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
23. Identification of persons most at risk of homelessness through evidence-based risk factors, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
24. Prior experience of homelessness;
25. Annual income below 30 percent of the area median income;
26. Rent burden; and
27. Other household and social characteristics that are known to elevate the risk of homelessness.
28. The use of predictive models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness;
29. The targeting of resources to households most at risk of homelessness;
30. The most effective and efficient interventions to prevent homelessness, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
    1. Financial assistance to increase housing stability, including, but not limited to, the most effective methods of accelerating the delivery of emergency rental assistance;
    2. Eviction defense and holistic legal services to increase housing stability;
    3. Case management to increase housing stability;
    4. Specific homelessness prevention practices that address the needs of subpopulations;
    5. Successful integration of financial, legal, and case management assistance;
    6. Evaluation of the effectiveness of homelessness prevention strategies on preventing homelessness, including performance metrics;
    7. The most effective and efficient means of coordinating state and federal homelessness prevention efforts identified and proposed by the department;
    8. The most effective and efficient means of coordinating state and local homeless prevention efforts identified and proposed by the department;

• 1. Evidence-based state and local homelessness prevention programs and systems that have received evaluations validating their effectiveness in preventing homelessness identified by the department, and recommendations for scaling up those programs and systems to have a broader impact on homelessness prevention; and

• 1. The compilation, acquisition, and use of relevant data necessary to effectuate homelessness prevention, including, but not limited to, a universal system of data collection and reporting that facilitates access to data by all participants in a homelessness prevention system.

1. Requires HCD to do both of the following with the model homelessness prevention practices:
2. Offer them as guidance to local programs; and
3. Propose methods to integrate relevant practices into state agencies and programs.
4. Requires HCD to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH) with the purpose of coordinating the state’s response to homelessness by utilizing Housing First practices. (Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 8255)
2. Requires agencies and departments administering state programs created on or after July 1, 2017, to incorporate the core components of Housing First. (WIC 8255)
3. Defines “Housing First” to mean the evidence-based model that uses housing as a tool, rather than a reward, for recovery and that centers on providing or connecting homeless people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Housing First providers offer services as needed and requested on a voluntary basis, and that do not make housing contingent on participation in services. (WIC 8255)
4. Defines, among other things, the “core components of Housing First” to mean:
   1. Acceptance of referrals directly from shelters, street outreach, drop-in centers, and other parts of crisis response systems frequented by vulnerable people experiencing homelessness;
   2. Supportive services that emphasize engagement and problem-solving over therapeutic goals and service plans that are highly tenant-driven without predetermined goals;
   3. Participation in services or program compliance is not a condition of permanent housing tenancy;
   4. Tenants have a lease and all the rights and responsibilities of tenancy, as outlined in California’s Civil, Health and Safety, and Government codes; and
   5. The use of alcohol or drugs in and of itself, without other lease violations, is not a reason for eviction. (WIC 8255)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.

COMMENTS:

Author’s Statement: According to the author, “For each homeless individual who is successfully connected with housing, nearly three access homelessness services for the first time. To make meaningful progress and address California’s homelessness epidemic, we can’t have more people entering homelessness than exiting it. Prevention is a cost-effective and critical piece of solving this problem. AB 1924 would create a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, along with a collection of evidence-based best practices that can guide programs and agencies that work to stop people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Through stronger guidance and support to those seeking to prevent Californians from becoming unhoused, this legislation will help prevent homelessness before it can occur, better protecting our state’s most vulnerable residents and preserving limited state resources.”

The High Cost of Housing: The high cost of housing is the cause of homelessness in California. Other states with higher rates of overdose but lower costs of housing report much lower rates of homelessness. West Virginia leads overdose deaths per capita but has one of the lowest homelessness rates in the country. A study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that West Virginia has 50 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely-low-income households, more than double the number that California has. A family in West Virginia can afford a two-bedroom rental on less than $17 an hour – the second-lowest figure in the nation. In California a family would need more than $40 per hour to be able to afford an average two-bedroom rental.

California needs an additional 2.5 million units of housing to meet the state’s need, including 643,352 for very low-income households and 394,910 for lower income households. Since 2018, California has permitted 890,000 units of new housing, with 126,000 of those being low- and very low-income units. The Legislature has passed major legislation in recent years to allow affordable housing to be built on almost any site in the state. However, the lack of housing overall and, in particular, the continued lack of sufficient affordable housing is a problem that is decades in the making.

Millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, must make hard decisions about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, child care, and transportation—one in three households in the state doesn't earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Currently, according to HDIS data, for every five individuals who access homelessness services in California, only one is housed each year, leaving four unhoused.

California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH): The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Housing and Homelessness Institute conducted the CASPEH, the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s and the first large-scale representative study to use mixed methods (surveys and in-depth interviews). They administered questionnaires to nearly 3,200 participants and conducted in-depth interviews with 365 participants. Their report provides evidence to help shape the state’s policy response to homelessness. The median age of participants was 47 (range 18-89). Participants who report a Black (26%) or Native American or Indigenous identity (12%) were overrepresented compared to the overall California population. Thirty-five percent of participants identified as Latino/x

The report found that people experiencing homelessness in California are Californians. Nine out of ten participants lost their last housing in California; 75% of participants lived in the same county as their last housing.

The median monthly household income in the six months prior to homelessness across all CASPEH participants was $960. Almost all participants met criteria to be considered “extremely low-income” or making less than 30% of the Area Median Income. Participants’ inability to afford housing was both the underlying cause of homelessness and the primary barrier to their returning to housing. Evidence and interviews with people who are experiencing homelessness show that a small amount of shallow subsidy could keep people from falling into homelessness. This finding was true throughout California, not only in the high-cost coastal regions.

Homelessness Prevention: Making progress in solving homelessness requires that we reduce the number of people falling into homelessness while simultaneously expanding housing opportunities for those currently experiencing it. Homelessness prevention interventions can include:

• Short-term and medium-term rental assistance,
• Emergency Rental assistance
• Flexible financial support
• Legal services, mediation, and credit repair
• Moving costs support, including rental application fees, security and utility deposits; and
• Housing case management.

Homelessness Prevention programs are funded through local sources, through the state HHAP Program, and through federal sources, including the Emergency Solutions Grant Program and the Continuum of Care program. In HHAP Round 5, Prevention and Shelter Diversion programs accounted for roughly 5% of total funds awarded.

California Interagency Council on Homelessness: In 2016, SB 1380 (Mitchell), Chapter 847, created the Homelessness Coordination and Financing Council (HCFC) to coordinate the state's response to homelessness. HCFC was later named the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal-ICH). Cal-ICH is made up of all state agencies or departments that operate programs that provide housing or housing-related services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The council meets quarterly and has an advisory committee which includes a current or formerly homeless youth who lives in California. One of the listed statutory goals of the Council is to prevent and end homelessness among California’s youth.

Arguments in Support: According to the Steinberg Institute, “AB 1924 offers a thoughtful and necessary shift toward prevention. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy, including coordinated action plans across relevant state agencies, identification of evidence-based prevention practices, and accountability measures to track progress. It also calls for targeted interventions such as financial assistance, eviction defense, case management, and predictive data models to identify individuals most at risk of homelessness. These provisions reflect best practices and help ensure that state resources are used strategically to reduce inflow into homelessness rather than solely responding after individuals have already lost housing. California cannot end homelessness without preventing it. AB 1924 provides a wise, data-driven framework to better align state agencies, scale what works, and ensure that prevention becomes a central pillar of California’s homelessness response. By shifting toward a proactive, coordinated strategy, this bill will help reduce homelessness before it occurs and strengthen our broader efforts to end homelessness statewide.”

Arguments in Opposition: None on file.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

All Home (Co-Sponsor)

Inner City Law Center (Co-Sponsor)

Active San Gabriel Valley

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment

Being Alive/people With Aids Action Coalition

Bet Tzedek Legal Services

Community Corp. of Santa Monica

Community Health Project Los Angeles

Compass Family Services

Corporation for Supportive Housing

DAP Health

Destination: Home

Housing California

LA Forward Institute

League of California Cities

MidPen Housing Corporation

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California

Para Los Ninos

Restoration Diversion Services

Safe Place for Youth

Safehouse San Francisco

Steinberg Institute

SV@Home Action Fund

The People Concern

The Sidewalk Project

Union Station Homeless Services

Opposition

None on file.

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