BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1228
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1228 (Gipson and Atkins)
As Introduced February 27, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+------------------|
|Higher |12-1 |Medina, Baker, Bloom, |Harper |
|Education | |Chávez, Irwin, | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, Levine, | |
| | |Linder, Low, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+------------------|
|Appropriations |16-1 |Gomez, Bigelow, Bloom, |Jones |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, Weber, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Brings parity to current and former homeless youth to
that of current and former foster youth by requesting and
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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 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 the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act Section 725 (42 United States Code Section
11434a(2)), by at least one of the following: a) A homeless
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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 2) and 3) above.
6)Specifies that numbers 2) and 3) above only apply to the UC if
the Regents, by appropriate resolution, make this 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 (EDC)
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 (EDC 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
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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 so by an appropriate resolution
(EDC 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 United States Code Section 11301, et seq.).
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, costs for this measure would be minor and absorbable to
campuses of the three segments (UC, CSU, and CCC).
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
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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 data
available to date); which, according to NAEHCY, is up 8% 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 (2% in CA vs. 2%
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."
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)
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
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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 necessary 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) of the current legislative
session, which is awaiting a hearing in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee, 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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN:
0000314
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