California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1699

Introduced by Assembly Member Kim

January 25, 2016

An act to amend Sections 13700, 13700.5, 13701, and 13703 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homeless youth, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1699, as introduced, Kim. Homeless youth emergency service projects.

Existing law establishes the Homeless Youth and Exploitation Program, under which homeless youth emergency service projects are established in the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, and the City and County of San Francisco through a grant program to eligible private, nonprofit agencies with a demonstrated record of success in the delivery of services to homeless youth. Under existing law, this program is administered by the Office of Emergency Services. Existing law requires each project to provide specified services, including food and access to overnight shelter, counseling to address immediate emotional crises and problems, and long-term stabilization planning.

This bill would require a homeless youth emergency service project to be established in the County of Orange, and would authorize the Office of Emergency Services to establish additional projects in other counties, with a priority given to underserved counties. The bill would additionally require each project to provide transitional living services, for a period of up to 36 months, with access to education and employment assistance, independent living skill development, and family engagement and interventions. The bill would appropriate $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Emergency Services to provide additional funding for these homeless youth emergency service projects.

Vote: ²⁄₃. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 13700 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code is amended to read:

13700.  

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

begin delete

(a)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 1) end insert  There are homeless minors living on the streets of major
urban centers in this state without adequate food, shelter, health
care, or financial support.

begin delete

(b)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 2) end insert  Many of these homeless youth in these urban centers come
from out-of-city or out-of-county locations.

begin delete

(c)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 3) end insert  The homeless child, in many instances, has a history of
physical or sexual abuse at home, and of having been rejected or
forced out of the parental home.

begin delete

(d)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 4) end insert  While living on the streets, these youth fall prey to drug
abuse, prostitution, and other illegal activities.

begin delete

(e)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 5) end insert  Local public agencies are unable to provide these youth with
an adequate level or range of remedial services.

begin delete

(f)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 6) end insert  These homeless minors are urgently in need of specialized
services to locate them, to assist them with their immediate survival
needs, and to address their long-term need to reunite with their
parents or find a suitable home.

begin delete

(g)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 7) end insert  Two homeless youth emergency service pilot programs, one
in the City of Los Angeles, and one in the City and County of San
Francisco, have demonstrated the need for ongoing programs to
meet the needs of homeless minors and the effectiveness of these
programs in meeting these needs.

begin insert

(8) While critical, immediate crisis intervention does not go far
enough to help these youth make a successful transition to
adulthood. Evidence supports transitional living programs as the
key driver of positive outcomes for homeless youth.

end insert begin delete

The

end delete

begin insert (b) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert purpose of this chapter is therefore to maintain one
homeless youth emergency project in the County of Los Angeles
and one in the City and County of San Francisco, where the
problem is most acute, and to the extent funds are appropriated in
the Budget Act of 1991, to establish additional homeless youth
emergency service pilot projects pursuant to this chapter. It is the
further purpose of this chapter to examine the condition of
homeless youth in major urban areas of this state with populations
of 500,000 or more, as well as other urban, suburban, and rural
areas, and develop a profile of homeless youth in terms of
background and available services, in order to locate these youth,
to provide for their emergency survival needs, and to assist them
in reunification with their parents or in finding a suitable home.

SEC. 2.  

Section 13700.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
is amended to read:

13700.5.  

For purposes of this chapter, “office” means the Office
of begin delete Criminal Justice Planning. end delete begin insert Emergency Services. end insert

SEC. 3.  

Section 13701 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:

13701.  

Each homeless youth project established under this
chapter shall provide services begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert shall include, but are not
limited to, all of the following:

(a) Food and access to an overnight shelter.

(b) Counseling to address immediate emotional crises or
problems.

(c) Outreach services to locate homeless youth and link them
with services, and drop-in facilities to make the services accessible
to the street population.

(d) Screening for basic health needs and referral to public and
private agencies for health care.

(e) Linkage to other services offered by public and private
agencies.

(f) Long-term stabilization planning so that the youth may be
returned to the parental home under circumstances favoring
long-term reunification with the family, or so that the youth can
be suitably placed in a situation outside the family when family
reunification is not possible.

(g) Followup services to ensure that the return to the family or
the placement outside the family is stable.

begin insert

(h) Transitional living services, for a period of up to 36 months,
with access to education and employment assistance, independent
living skill development, and family engagement and interventions.

end insert

SEC. 4.  

Section 13703 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:

13703.  

(a) One homeless youth emergency service project
shall be established in the County of Los Angeles and one shall
be established in the City and County of San Francisco. One
homeless youth emergency service project shall also be established
in the County of San begin delete Diego and end delete begin insert Diego, end insert one shall be established in
the County of Santa begin delete Clara. end delete begin insert Clara, and one shall be established in
the County of Orange. The office may establish additional homeless
youth emergency service projects in other counties, with a priority
given to underserved counties. end insert Each project may have one central
location or may have more than one location in the service area in
order to serve effectively the area population of homeless youth.
Each project shall be operated by an agency in accordance with
the grant award agreement with the office.

(b) The office shall prepare and disseminate a request for
proposals for grantees under this chapter by February 15, 1986.
The office shall enter into grant award agreements, and the
operation of pilot projects shall begin, not later than June 1, 1986.
With respect to projects to be established in the County of San
Diego and the County of Santa Clara, the office shall prepare and
disseminate a request for proposals for grantees under this chapter
by March 31, 1992. The office shall enter into grant award
agreements and the operation of these projects shall begin not later
than July 1, 1992.

(c) An agency eligible to apply for funds under this chapter and
to operate a homeless youth emergency service project shall be a
private, nonprofit agency with a demonstrated record of success
in the delivery of services to homeless youth. The agency selected
for each project shall demonstrate the ability to provide each of
the services described in Section 13701, either directly or under
subcontract with a competent provider. Preference shall be given
to agencies that demonstrate a history of coordination with other
public and private agencies in the service region that provide
services to homeless youth. Preference shall also be given to
agencies that will involve a network of youth-serving agencies in
the delivery of services to homeless youth under this chapter.

SEC. 5.  

The sum of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000)
is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of
Emergency Services to provide additional funding for homeless
youth emergency service projects established pursuant Chapter 6
(commencing with Section 13700) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the
Welfare and Institutions Code.