BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 866|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 866
Author: Roth (D)
Amended: 3/14/16
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 4-0, 4/12/16
AYES: Nielsen, Hueso, Allen, Roth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Nguyen
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/9/16
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza, Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bates
SUBJECT: Veterans housing
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: 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 veterans and their children in women-only
facilities in limited instances, as specified.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Enacts the VHHP, also known as Proposition 41, which
authorizes the issuance of $600 million in general obligation
bonds to provide multifamily housing to veterans pursuant to
the VHHP.
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2)Requires specified state departments to collaborate in
establishing and implementing VHHP housing programs that focus
on veterans at risk for homelessness or experiencing temporary
or chronic homelessness. (Department of Housing and Community
(HCD), Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet, California
Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA))
3)Requires the departments, 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.
4)Prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national
origin/ancestry, familial status (households with children
under age 18), source of income, disability, and age.
This bill:
1)Establishes the "Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act
of 2016: Proposition 41 Expenditures: Military Sexual Trauma."
2)Defines, for specified purposes, "women-only facilities" as
those that may house and provide services to female veterans
only and their children, and shall not house or provide
services to any adult who is not a dependent of a female
veteran.
3)Provides that a housing developer or service provider - that
receives VHHP bond moneys - may provide housing or services to
female veterans and their children in women-only facilities in
limited instances, specifically when a female veteran:
a) Has 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 (B) is seeking the housing
or services as a result of being a victim of sexual abuse
or domestic violence; or
b) Is seeking the housing or services as a result of being
a victim of sexual abuse or domestic violence.
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4)Provides that a housing developer or service provider that
provides housing or services to female veterans in women-only
facilities pursuant to paragraph (1) shall ensure that the
housing or services shall provide supportive housing or
services with a focus on, among others, treating the effects
of military sexual abuse, trauma, or intimidation in a
gender-specific manner.
5)Makes legislative findings and declarations:
a) The significant number of women veterans, as a
percentage of all veterans, and also as California's share
of the nation's total population of women veterans.
b) The statistical percentage of women veterans who have
experienced military sexual trauma (MST).
c) The life-changing consequences of MST on victims,
including, for example, the increased risks post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) of becoming homeless following
separation from the military.
d) The need to ensure that women veterans, particularly
those who have suffered MST and its negative consequences,
receive women-centered treatment, which has been
demonstrated to be "the most important factor contributing
to their comfort" with federal veterans' benefit services.
e) Providing gender-specific treatment and housing,
pursuant to this act:
i) Serves a compelling state interest, which interest
is providing the best possible treatment to female
veterans, who have served our country and who now face
additional hurdles that disproportionately affect female
veterans over male veterans.
ii) Is substantially related to the achievement of those
objectives.
Background
Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program. In
November 2014, voters approved the VHHP Bond Act of 2014, also
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known as Proposition 41, which authorized the issuance of $600
million under AB 639 (J. Perez, Chapter 727, Statutes of 2013).
The VHHP Program requires CalHFA, HCD, and CalVet to establish
and implement a program that focuses on veterans at risk of
homelessness or experiencing temporary or chronic homelessness.
This 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.
More specifically, the program is intended to:
Leverage public, private, and nonprofit funding sources;
Prioritize projects that combine housing and supportive
services, including but not limited to: job training, mental
health, drug treatment, case management, care coordination, or
physical rehabilitation; and
Ensure that program guidelines and terms provide requirements
or scoring criteria to advance applicants with that combine
permanent or transitional housing, or both, with supportive
services for veterans, or for partnering with housing
developers or service providers that offer housing or services
to veterans.
Unique Needs of Women Veterans. 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% 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
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population.
In a recent white paper ("Women Veterans Must Have Equal Access
to Veteran-Only Permanent Housing Facilities under the Fair
Housing Laws," March 2016), the California Women's Law Center
stated:
"Veteran-only supportive housing facilities are intended to
couple access to medical and social services with permanent
housing solutions, serving an essential function in helping
veterans who have encountered difficulty adjusting to
civilian life get back on their feet. Many veterans are
confronted with mental and physical health issues resulting
from their military service. For example, many women
veterans who were the victims of military sexual trauma
(MST) suffer from PTSD and other related disabilities.
Supportive housing is intended to serve all veterans and to
accommodate and serve veterans with disabilities, among
others.
Women veterans, however, are deterred from seeking
veteran-only housing or are effectively being denied equal
opportunity to use and enjoy such facilities because of
conditions such as MST-related PTSD. These disabilities are
exacerbated when women veterans who suffered MST are
required to live in an environment that triggers their
experience of being in the male-dominated military where
they were assaulted or harassed. Women veterans have
legitimate concerns about their mental and physical
well-being living in such facilities because veteran-only
housing providers fail to make gender-specific
accommodations for MST-related disabilities."
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 384 (Leyva, 2016) in order to help meet the specific housing
needs of underserved veterans, sets aside a percentage of any
state funds being used to acquire, construct, rehabilitate or
preserve multifamily housing units for underserved veterans.
(Pending Assembly Veterans Affairs)
AB 639 (J. Pérez, Chapter 727, Statutes of 2013), authorized
issuance of $600 million in general obligation (GO) bonds to
fund the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and
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preservation of multifamily supportive housing, affordable
transitional housing, affordable rental housing, and related
facilities for veterans and their families, and was approved by
the voters at the June, 2014, statewide election.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
The HCD does not anticipate a significant fiscal impact.
The CalVet estimates negligible costs to implement this bill.
SUPPORT: (Verified5/10/16)
American GI Forum of California
American Legion - Department of California
AMVETS - Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
League of California Cities
National Association of Social Workers
Vietnam Veterans of American - California State Council
OPPOSITION: (Verified5/10/16)
None received
Prepared by:Wade Teasdale / V.A. / (916) 651-1503
5/11/16 15:12:38
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