BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1228
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|Author: |Gipson |
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|Version: |February 27, 2015 Hearing Date: |
| | June 24, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: Public postsecondary education: campus housing:
priority for homeless youth
SUMMARY
This bill extends priority for housing at the University of
California, the California State University, and the California
Community Colleges to homeless youth, and requests campuses to
develop plans to ensure that homeless and foster youth have
housing during breaks.
BACKGROUND
Existing federal law, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, defines homeless individuals as an individual or family:
1)Who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
2)With 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, including a car,
park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or
camping ground.
3)Living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter
designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including
hotels and motels paid for by Federal, State, or local
government programs for low-income individuals or by
charitable organizations, congregate shelters, and
transitional housing).
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4)Will imminently lose their housing, including housing they
own, rent, or live in without paying rent, are sharing with
others, and rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by Federal,
State, or local government programs for low-income individuals
or by charitable organizations; has no subsequent residence
identified; and lacks the resources or support networks needed
to obtain other permanent housing.
5)Unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and
youth defined as homeless under other Federal statutes.
(United States Code, Title 42, § 11302)
Existing state law:
1)Requires campuses of the California State University (CSU) and
University of California (UC), to the extent the Regents of
the UC adopt a resolution making this requirement applicable,
and requests campuses of the California Community Colleges
(CCC), in order to ensure current and former foster youth have
stable housing, to give priority for housing these students.
(Education Code § 76010, § 90001.5, and § 92660)
2)Requires campuses of the CSU and UC, and requests campuses of
the CCC, that maintain 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.
(EC § 76010, § 90001.5, and § 92660)
3)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. (EC §
66019.3)
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ANALYSIS
This bill extends priority for housing at the UC, the CSU, and
the CCCs to homeless youth, and requests campuses to develop
plans to ensure that homeless and foster youth have housing
during breaks. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires campuses of the CSU and UC, to the extent the Regents
of the UC adopt a resolution making this requirement
applicable, and requests campuses of the CCC, in order to
ensure current and former homeless youth have stable housing,
to give priority for housing these students.
2)Requires campuses of the CSU and UC, and requests campuses of
the CCC, that maintain 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.
3)Requires campuses of the CSU and UC, and requests campuses of
the CCC, to provide this housing to current and former
homeless and 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.
4)Requests campuses of the CSU, UC, and CCC to develop a plan to
ensure that current and former homeless and foster youth can
access housing resources as needed during and between academic
terms, including during academic and campus breaks.
5)Defines "homeless youth" to mean a student under 25 years of
age, who has been verified as a homeless child or youth at any
time during the prior six years, by at least one of the
following:
a) A homeless services provider, as defined by the Health
and Safety Code.
b) The director, or his or her designee, of a federal TRIO
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program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program.
c) A financial aid administrator.
6)Requests the Regents of the University of California (UC) and
the Trustees of the California State University (CSU) 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.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author, "A report by the
California Homeless Youth Project, More than a Roof: How
California Can End Youth Homelessness, demonstrates that
educational attainment is a key determinant of whether
homeless and foster youth thrive as self-sufficient adults.
Unfortunately, homeless and foster youth face a myriad of
challenges impeding their educational success. For those that
do access higher education, challenges follow them to
university campuses. In addition to lacking parental and
financial support, many live in vehicles or shelters.
Ensuring that their basic housing needs are met will help them
focus on their education, improving graduation rates and
self-sufficiency."
2)Existing resources for students who are homeless. According to
the Assembly Higher Education Committee analysis, campuses of
the UC 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.
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 rooms to its
homeless students. Many CSU campuses have community
partnerships with local entities in order to provide necessary
services and needs for current and former homeless students.
Of the 112 California Community College (CCC) campuses, 11
provide student apartments and/or dormitory rooms that are
either on campus or adjacent to the campus. Currently, there
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is no known explicit policy of the UC, CSU or CCC ensuring
current and former homeless youth have priority in receiving
campus housing.
3)Admissions-by-exemption. Existing law requests the Regents of
the UC and the Trustees of the CSU to explore methods of using
the admissions-by-exemption category to assist the transition
of students who are in foster care into four-year public
institutions of higher education. This bill extends that
request to include students who are homeless. The University
of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU)
may admit students pursuant to admissions-by-exception,
whereby a student who is not academically eligible may be
admitted based upon demonstration of potential for success.
4)TRIO and GEAR UP. This bill defines a homeless youth to include
youth under age 25 who have been identified by the director,
or his or her designee, of a federal TRIO or GEAR UP program.
The federal TRIO programs are outreach and student services
programs designed to identify and provide services for
students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight
programs targeted to serve and assist low-income students,
first-generation college students, and students with
disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from
middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
GEAR UP is a federal grant program designed to increase the number
of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed
in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants
to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty
middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire
cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade
and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are
also used to provide college scholarships to low-income
students.
5)Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, any costs to campuses of the CSU, UC and California
Community College (CCC) will be minor and absorbable.
6)Related legislation. AB 801 (Bloom, 2015) enacts the Success for
Homeless Youth in Higher Education Act, which, among other
things, requires the CSU and CCC, and requests the UC, to
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extend priority enrollment to current and former homeless
youth. AB 801 is pending in this Committee.
SUPPORT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Aspiranet
California Coalition for Youth
California Federation of Teachers
California State Student Association
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Housing California
John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes
Junior League of California, State Public Affairs Committee
Junior League of Orange County
League of California Cities
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
National Center for Youth Law
Public Counsel
University of California Student Association
OPPOSITION
None received.
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