BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 388
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Ed Chau, Chair
AB 388
Chang - As Amended April 9, 2015
SUBJECT: Housing: homeless veterans: reports
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD), in collaboration with the Department of
Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to include specified information
relating to the effectiveness of the Veterans Housing and
Homeless Prevention (VHHP) Bond Act of 2014 in an annual report.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the annual report to include the following
information:
a) Performance outcome data, which must include:
a. Housing stability information, including:
i. How many tenants maintained housing and
the length of time those tenants spent in housing;
ii. How many tenants move on to other
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housing, excluding tenants who move on for a higher
level of care and those tenants who died during
tenancy.
b. Housing exit information, including:
i. How many tenants left housing;
ii. The dates those tenants left housing;
iii. The reason those tenants left housing;
and
iv. Where tenants who have left housing find
new housing.
a. Tenant satisfaction as measured by a survey;
and
b. Changes in income, benefits, and education.
a) Client data, which may include:
a. Demographic characteristics of the veteran and
his or her family;
b. Educational and employment status of the
veteran; and
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c. Veteran-specific information including
disability ratings, type of discharge, branch, era of
service, and veterans affairs health care eligibility.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the VHHP (Proposition 41), an initiative enacted
by the voters in the June 3, 2014 primary election,
authorizing $600 million in bonds for the acquisition,
construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable
multifamily supportive housing, affordable multifamily
transitional housing, or related facilities for veterans and
their families (Military and Veterans Code Section 998.540, et
seq.).
2)Requires the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), HCD,
and CalVet to work collaboratively to carry out the duties and
functions of the VHHP Act (Military and Veterans Code Section
987.002).
3)Requires HCD to submit an annual report to the Governor and
both houses of the Legislature on the operations and
accomplishments, during the previous fiscal year, of the
housing programs administered by HCD (Health and Safety Code
Section 50408).
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4)Requires HCD's annual report to include, among other things,
an evaluation, in collaboration with CalVet, of any program
established by HCD pursuant to the VHHP Act (Health and Safety
Code Section 50408).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS:
Background:
AB 639 (Perez), Chapter 727, Statutes of 2013, established the
VHHP, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition
41 at the June 3, 2014 primary election. The VHHP restructures
$600 million of the $900 million in bonds approved by the voters
for the CalVet Home Loan Program in 2008 and uses them instead
to fund the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and
preservation of affordable multifamily supportive housing,
affordable multifamily transitional housing, or related
facilities for veterans and their families.
The VHHP tasks HCD with administering the new funding program in
collaboration with CalVet and explicitly restricts the use of
bond proceeds to those housing units designated for veterans and
their families. The focus of the program is on housing for
veterans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness and in
need of services such as mental health counseling, substance
abuse treatment, job training, and physical therapy to address
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injuries.
Existing law requires HCD to submit an annual report to the
Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations
and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the
housing programs administered by HCD. The annual report must
include an evaluation, in collaboration with CalVet, of any
program established by HCD pursuant to the VHHP.
The VHHP Program guidelines require local governments and
non-profits receiving VHHP funds for supportive and/or
transitional housing to report to HCD and/or CalVet on client
data and performance outcome data. Among other things, the
guidelines provide that performance outcome data may include an
array of information, such as "information on housing stability,
housing exit information, tenant satisfaction as measured in a
survey, and changes in income, benefits and education." While
performance outcome and client data are mandatory, there are no
required criteria for what this data must include. AB 388 would
require the inclusion of a specific set of data, partially based
on suggested criteria within the program guidelines, in HCD's
annual report.
Purpose of this bill:
According to the author, "[r]ecent program guidelines
established place reporting requirements on the sponsors of
Proposition 41 housing programs. The content of those reports
is currently permissive and therefore leaves room for these
reports to leave out information measuring the success level of
these programs."
Double-referred : AB 388 was also referred to the Committee on
Veterans Affairs, where it will be heard should it pass out of
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this committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies
Mental Health America of California (MHA)
Steinberg Institute
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Rebecca Rabovsky / H. & C.D. / (916)
319-2085
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