BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 384
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
SB 384
(Leyva) - As Amended June 30, 2016
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|Policy |Veterans Affairs |Vote:|8 - 0 |
|Committee: | | | |
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| |Housing and Community | |7 - 0 |
| |Development | | |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires that a percentage of state bond funds
allocated annually for purposes of the Veterans Housing and
Homeless Prevention (VHHP) Act of 2014, as determined annually
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by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), the
California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
and the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), be reserved
for housing underserved veterans, defined as those veterans
either experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness at a
disproportionate rate to their veteran or nonveteran
counterparts, as determined by the most recent United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development Annual Homeless
Assessment Report (AHAR) that includes an assessment of veteran
homele s sness, or other similar sources CalVet, HCD, and CalHFA
deem appropriate..
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Increased annual costs of approximately $200,000 (Special
Fund) to CalVet for two staff to establish the program,
annually determine the underserved veteran population, consult
with local agencies, and determine the percentage to reserve
for the purposes specified.
2)Unknown, probably minor, annual cost (Special Fund) to the
Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the
California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) to revise existing
VHHP guidelines.
3)Potential delays in the allocation of VHHP bond revenues for
projects that qualify for funding under the current program
guidelines. This would occur when there are insufficient
applicants to fully allocate reserved funds, in which case the
funds would revert back to the Housing for Veterans Fund for
other authorized VHHP purposes.
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COMMENTS:
1)Background. Current law establishes the VHHP, an initiative
measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 41 at the June 3,
2014, authorizing $600 million in bonds for the acquisition,
construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable
multifamily supportive housing, affordable multifamily
transitional housing, or related facilities for veterans and
their families
CalVet, HCD, and CalHFA are required to work collaboratively
to carry out the duties and functions of the VHHP. HCD
released the first VHHP Program Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA) in February 2015, announcing the availability of
approximately $75 million in VHHP funding. In June 2015, the
administering departments awarded approximately $63 million to
17 approved projects.
The departments solicited public stakeholder input to identify
lessons learned during the first round. In October 2015, in
response to that feedback, the departments revised their
guidelines. The application window for the second NOFA, which
announced a funding availability of $75 million and
incorporated the revised guidelines, closed in mid-December
2015. In April 2016, the administering departments awarded
approximately $116 million to 28 approved projects. As of
June 2016, a total of 31% of VHHP funds have been awarded,
with $390,718,638 in funding remaining.
According to CalVet, female veterans make up 10% of all
veterans nationwide, and 11% of all veterans in California.
There are higher rates of physical and mental health problems
(such as Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and substance abuse)
among female veterans that can be linked to an overall
increase in unemployment and homelessness. Female veterans
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also experience barriers to receiving and utilizing standard
veterans benefits.
2)Purpose. According to the author, the women veteran
population in California is the second largest population of
women veterans in the nation, behind Texas. The author states,
"A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
found that women veterans identifying themselves as homeless
more than doubled, increasing by more than 140% from 2006 to
2010. During the same time frame, there was a 45% increase in
homelessness for male veterans for female veterans, especially
those who have suffered from military sexual trauma, living in
a housing facility that houses mainly men poses serious safety
and health risks. Women do not feel comfortable or safe in
these facilities. Most (about 60%) of transitional housing
facilities do not allow young children. This limitation,
combined with the safety risks of living in male dominated
facilities, makes finding housing for female veterans with
children nearly impossible.
"SB 384 seeks to eliminate some of these barriers by ensuring
that funding is available for housing for underserved veterans
- allowing construction of facilities that serve this
vulnerable population."
SB 384 is intended to ensure that sufficient funding is set
aside each year to address the needs of underserved vulnerable
populations of veterans. The author points to the importance
of meeting the needs of underserved veterans, but there is
nothing under the current VHHP program guidelines that would
prevent the administering agencies from awarding funds to
projects that serve these subpopulations, including women
veterans. Program guidelines already include scoring criteria
to prioritize projects that combine housing and supportive
services, such as job training, mental health, drug treatment,
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case management, care coordination, or physical
rehabilitation.
Analysis Prepared by:Pedro Reyes / APPR. / (916)
319-2081