BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 388 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 388 (Chang) As Amended September 4, 2015 Majority vote -------------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |76-0 |(May 28, 2015) |SENATE: |39-0 |(September 9, | | | | | | |2015) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: H. & C.D. 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, including information relating to the effectiveness of assisted projects in helping veterans occupying any supportive housing or transitional housing development that was issued funds pursuant to the VHHP. Specifically, this bill: 1)Provides that the annual report shall include, but is not limited to the following: a) Performance outcome data including, but not limited to, housing stability, housing exit information, and tenant satisfaction, which may be measured by a survey; and AB 388 Page 2 changes in income, benefits, and education. i) "Housing stability" includes, but is not limited to, how many tenants exit transitional housing to permanent housing or maintain permanent housing, and the length of time those tenants spent in assisted units. ii) "Housing exit information" includes, but is not limited to, the following: (1) How many tenants left assisted units; (2) The length of tenancy in assisted units; (3) The reason those tenant left assisted units, when such information is readily obtainable; (4) The housing status of a tenant exiting an assisted unit upon exit when such information is readily obtainable. 1)Client data, which may include, but is not limited to, demographic characteristics of the veteran and his or her family, educational and employment status of the veteran, and veteran-specific information including, but not limited to, disability ratings, type of discharge, branch, era of service, and Veterans Affairs (VA) health care eligibility. The Senate amendments: 1)Require the annual evaluation to include information relating to the effectiveness of assisted programs in helping veterans occupying any supportive housing or transitional housing AB 388 Page 3 development that was issued funds pursuant to the VHHP. 2)Add chaptering out amendments. 3)Make technical, clarifying changes. 4)Add coauthors. FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs. COMMENTS: Background: AB 639 (John A. Pérez), 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 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 AB 388 Page 4 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. On February 18, 2015, HCD adopted its initial program guidelines. 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. This bill 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 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." Analysis Prepared by: Rebecca Rabovsky / H. & C.D. / (916) 319-2085 FN: 0002350 AB 388 Page 5