BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session SB 866 (Roth) - Veterans housing ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: March 14, 2016 |Policy Vote: V.A. 4 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: May 9, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: This bill authorizes a housing developer or service provider that receives bond moneys under the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 (VHHP) to provide housing or services to female veterans and their children in women-only facilities in limited instances, as specified. Fiscal Impact: The Department of Housing and Community does not anticipate a significant fiscal impact. The Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) estimates negligible costs to implement this bill. Background: In November 2014, voters approved the VHHP Bond Act, also known as Proposition 41, which authorized the issuance of $600 SB 866 (Roth) Page 1 of ? million in general obligation bonds to provide multifamily housing to veterans. The program will fund the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable multifamily supportive housing, affordable transitional housing, affordable rental housing, or related facilities for veterans and their families to allow veterans to access and maintain housing stability. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the California Housing Finance Agency to collaborate in establishing and implementing VHHP housing programs that focus on veterans at risk for homelessness or experiencing temporary or chronic homelessness. These departments are, to the extent feasible, to prioritize VHHP projects that combine housing and supportive services including, but not limited to, job training, mental health and drug treatment, case management, care coordination, or physical rehabilitation. A recent report by the federal Government Accountability Office found that women veterans identifying themselves as homeless more than doubled, increasing by more than 140 percent from 2006 to 2010. During the same time, there was a 45 percent increase in homelessness for male veterans. According to the author, the VA has reported that approximately 1 in 4 female veterans report experiences military sexual trauma (MST). Concern for their own safety often leads women, especially those who have suffered from MST, to be deterred from accessing the housing and supportive services they need and deserve. California must ensure that women-centered treatment is available under the housing built with Proposition 41 bonds. Existing law prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin/ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, and age. This law may hinder the ability to deliver women-centric housing and treatment under the VHHP program. SB 866 (Roth) Page 2 of ? Proposed Law: This bill authorizes a housing developer or service provider that receives bond moneys under the VHHP to provide housing or services to female veterans and their children in women-only facilities in limited instances in which a female veteran has either (1) suffered any form of sexual abuse, trauma, or intimidation or harassment while serving in the military and is seeking treatment for that sexual abuse, trauma, or intimidation or harassment, or (2) is seeking the housing or services as a result of being a victim of sexual abuse or domestic violence. Housing or services provided, as described above, are required to have a focus on treating the effects of military sexual trauma, or intimidation in a gender-specific manner. Related Legislation: SB 384 (Leyva, 2015) in order to help meet the specific housing needs of underserved veterans, sets aside a percentage of any funds being used to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, or preserve multifamily housing units for underserved veterans. SB 384 is pending in the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. AB 639 (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2013) authorizes issuance of $600 million in general obligation bonds to fund the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of multifamily supportive housing, affordable transitional housing, affordable rental housing, and related facilities for veterans and their families, if approved by voters. Staff Comments: According to the Department of Housing and Community, the VHHP program already allows and accommodates requests for funding women-only housing for applicants housing veterans with specific needs, if the applicant can demonstrate that such a restriction does not violate fair housing law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. This bill is, in part, an attempt to address the concerns that existing anti-discrimination law may hinder the ability to deliver women-centric housing and treatment under the VHHP SB 866 (Roth) Page 3 of ? program by authorizing the existence of these types of homes in limited instances. The Women's Law Center argues military sexual trauma victims who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health illness qualify as "disabled" under the fair housing laws and are entitled to their protections. However, to the extent an application for women-only facilities is submitted, the Department of Housing and Community would likely conduct a review by legal staff to ensure compliance with fair housing laws, which is consistent with current practice without the enactment of this bill. Therefore, it is unlikely that this bill would result in significant workload to the department that is beyond what already exists under current law. The department indicates that no funding requests for women-only housing have been received out of the 45 projects awarded to date. These projects comprise of 3,345 rental housing units, of which over 1,500 are VHHP units. -- END --