BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       SCR 160|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SCR 160
          Author:   McGuire (D)
          Introduced:8/1/16  
          Vote:     21  

           SUBJECT:   California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month


          SOURCE:    California Coalition for Youth


          DIGEST:   This resolution designates the month of November 2016  
          as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month and recognizes  
          the need for individuals, schools, communities, businesses,  
          local governments, and the state to take action on behalf of  
          runaway and homeless youth in California.

          ANALYSIS:   This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings:


          1)Runaway and homeless youth are young people 12 to 24 years of  
            age. Studies suggest that nationally between 1.6 and 2.8  
            million youth up to 24 years of age experience homelessness  
            every year.


          2)Runaway and homeless youth flee conflict, abuse, neglect, and,  
            increasingly, poverty in their homes. The factors impacting  
            youth homelessness are complex and differ from those impacting  
            other homeless populations. 


          3)Of the unaccompanied homeless minors in California, 76.3% are  
            unsheltered, which is the second highest percentage in the  








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            country. California has the largest number of homeless youth  
            in any state with 28% of homeless youth in the country located  
            in California. 


          4)Youths who "age out" of the foster care system are at an  
            increased risk of homelessness and represent an estimated 20%  
            of the 20,000 youth who leave foster care and are currently  
            homeless.


          5)Providing safe, stable, and permanent housing for runaway and  
            homeless youth is a family, community, state, and national  
            priority, and homeless youth are considered a unique  
            population in the homeless community by the United States  
            Interagency Council on Homelessness.


          6)The number of effective programs providing services and  
            support to runaway and homeless youth in California is a  
            fraction of what is needed to fully address the needs of these  
            young people.  Only 20 of California's 58 counties have  
            programs for runaway and homeless youth. 


          7)Awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness and its causes  
            must be heightened to ensure greater support for effective  
            programs aimed at preventing homelessness and helping youth  
            remain off the streets.


          This resolution designates November 2016 as California Runaway  
          and Homeless Youth Month; and recognizes the need for  
          individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local  
          governments, and the state to take action on behalf of runaway  
          and homeless youth in California.

          Related/Prior Legislation
          
          SCR 82 (McGuire, Resolution Chapter 159, Statutes of 2015)  
          proclaims the month of November 2015 as California Runaway and  
          Homeless Youth Month.








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          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified8/3/16)


          California Coalition for Youth (source)


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified8/3/16)


          None received





          Prepared by:  Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          8/4/16 12:40:13


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