BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1228
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Date of Hearing: April 21, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 1228
(Gipson and Atkins) - As Introduced February 27, 2015
SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: campus housing:
priority for homeless youth
SUMMARY: Brings parity to current and former homeless youth to
that of current and former foster youth by requesting and
requiring, as specified, California's public postsecondary
institutions, to, among other things, provide priority campus
housing to current and former homeless youth, as defined.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requests the University of California (UC) Regents and the
California State University (CSU) Trustees to explore methods
of using the admissions-by-exemption category to assist the
transition of students who are homeless into four-year public
institutions of higher education.
2)Requests California Community Colleges (CCC), in order to
ensure current and former homeless youth have stable housing,
to give priority for housing these students; requests a CCC
campus that maintains student housing facilities open for
occupation during school breaks, or on a year-round basis, to
give first priority to current and former homeless youth for
residence in the housing facilities that are open for
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uninterrupted year-round occupation and provide this housing
to current and former homeless and/or foster youth at no extra
cost during the academic or campus breaks, and next give
priority to current and former homeless youth for housing that
is open for occupation during the most days in the calendar
year.
3)Requests a campus of a CCC to develop a plan to ensure that
current and former foster and homeless youth can access
housing resources as needed during and between academic terms,
including during academic and campus breaks.
4)Defines "homeless youth" to mean a student under 25 years of
age, who has been verified, in the case of a former homeless
youth at any time during the prior six years, as a homeless
child or youth as defined in Section 725 of the federal
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Section
11434a(2)), by at least one of the following:
a) A homeless services provider, as specified;
b) The director, or his or her designee, of a federal TRIO
program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs program; and,
c) A financial aid administrator.
5)Requires the CSU and UC to adhere to numbers two and three
above.
6)Specifies that numbers two and three above only apply to the
UC if the Regents, by appropriate resolution, make this
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section applicable.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requests the UC Regents and the CSU Trustees to explore
methods of using the admissions-by-exemption category to
assist the transition of students in foster care into
four-year public institutions of higher education (Education
Code Section 66019.3).
2)Ensures that current and former foster youth who are students
at the campuses of the CCC have stable housing, by requesting
a CCC campus to give priority for housing to current and
former foster youth. Additionally, requests a CCC campus that
maintains student housing facilities open for occupation
during school breaks, or on a year-round basis, to give first
priority to current and former foster youth for residence in
the housing facilities that are open for uninterrupted
year-round occupation, and next give priority to current and
former foster youth for housing that is open for occupation
during the most days in the calendar year (EC Section 76010).
3)Ensures that current and former foster youth who are students
at campuses of the CSU and UC have stable housing, by
requiring a CSU and UC campus that maintains student housing
facilities to give priority to current and former foster
youth. Additionally, a CSU and UC that maintains student
housing facilities open for occupation during school breaks,
or on a year-round basis, shall first give priority to current
or former foster youth for residence in the housing facilities
that are open for uninterrupted year-round occupation, and
next give priority to current or former foster youth for
housing that is open for occupation during the most days in
the calendar year. Specifies that the UC shall adhere to said
requirements to the extent that the UC Regents approve to do
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so by an appropriate resolution (EC Sections 90001.5 and
92660).
FEDERAL LAW: Defines the term "homeless children and youth" to
mean individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence, as specified, including, but not limited
to, the following: 1) children and youth who are sharing the
housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic
hardship, or a similar reason; 2) are living in motels, hotels,
trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative
adequate accommodations; 3) are living in emergency or
transitional shelters; 4) are abandoned in hospitals; 5) are
awaiting foster care placement; 6) have a primary nighttime
residence that is a public or private place not designed for or
ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human
beings; and, 7) are living in cars, parks, public spaces,
abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations,
or similar settings (42 U.S.C. Section 11301, et seq.).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: Background. According to the National Association
for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY),
college homelessness is a serious issue that is often
overlooked; there exists an assumption that if someone is
homeless, he/she is so focused on basic needs like food and
shelter that school is not a concern. However, NAEHCY contends
that for homeless youth, education is the answer to providing
homeless youth means to be able to enter into the work force,
earn a living, and no longer be homeless.
To note, there is no concrete estimate for the number of
homeless college students nationwide, but 58,158 college
applicants indicated that they were homeless on federal
financial aid forms for the 2012-13 academic year (most recent
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data available to date); which, according to NAEHCY, is up eight
percent from 53,705 in the previous year, according to federal
data. NAEHCY argues that the number is likely understated,
since some students may be staying in a car, relatives' or
fellow classmates' couches, or motels, and do not realize they
are technically homeless, or do not want to admit to it.
Additionally, California has the highest rate of homeless youth
in the nation and twice the rate of homeless students as the
national average (four percent in CA vs. two percent
nationally).
Purpose of this measure. According to the author, housing
proves to be a regular barrier to homeless youth succeeding in
college. The author states, "This bill will help prioritize
homeless youth for on-campus housing but also make such housing
available to them during academic breaks to help prevent other
problems from arising in the student's life that distracts them
from succeeding in their educational pursuits."
Federal TRIO programs. TRIO programs are federal outreach and
student services programs designed to identify and provide
services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO
includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income
individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals
with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from
middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.
Existing resources available to homeless students. UC. UC
campuses work with current and former homeless students by
providing them with emergency financial support, temporary
housing, food, and connecting them with community resources.
Each campus has case managers or social workers in place to work
with these students and assist in their transition. The UC
system has a global food initiative that includes food security
for low-income students. Additionally, UC at Los Angeles (UCLA)
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administers a program focused on assisting current and former
homeless youth that has received nationwide attention. UCLA's
program provides food vouchers and free stays in vacant
dormitory rooms to its homeless students. UC at Davis and San
Diego also operate food pantries. To note, presently, there is
no known explicit UC policy to ensuring current and former
homeless youth have priority in receiving campus housing.
CSU. Many CSU campuses have community partnerships with local
entities in order to provide necessarily services and needs for
current and former homeless students. To note, presently, there
is no known explicit CSU policy to ensuring current and former
homeless youth have priority in receiving campus housing
CCC. Currently of the 112 campuses, 11 campuses provide student
apartments and/or dormitory rooms that are either on campus or
adjacent to the campus. To note, presently, there is no known
explicit CCC policy to ensuring current and former homeless
youth have priority in receiving campus housing.
Related legislation. AB 801 (Bloom), which will be heard by
this Committee today, would enact the Success for Homeless Youth
in Higher Education Act, which among other things, would extend
priority enrollment with respect to the CSU and CCC to current
and former homeless youth, as defined.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
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California Coalition for Youth
Housing California (sponsor)
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
Public Counsel's Children's Rights Project
State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues of
California
1 Individual
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
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