BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 767
          Author:   Ammiano (D)
          Amended:  4/30/09 in Assembly
          Vote:     27 - Urgency

           
           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM  .:  11-0, 6/16/09
          AYES:  Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,  
          Hollingsworth,
            Kehoe, Oropeza, Pavley, Simitian, Wolk

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  11-0, 6/29/09
          AYES:  Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Leno, Oropeza, Price, Runner,  
            Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Denham, Hancock

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 6/1/09 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Proposition 1C:  Homeless Youth and BEGIN  
          programs

           SOURCE :     Department of Housing and Community Development  



           DIGEST :    This bill extends the setaside of Proposition 1C  
          funds for the Homeless Youth and Building Equity and Growth  
          in Neighborhoods (BEGIN) Programs by two years.  

           ANALYSIS  :    In November 2006, California voters approved  
          Proposition 1C, the $2.85 billion Housing and Emergency  
          Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006.  
                                                           CONTINUED





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          Proposition 1C included $50 million for the Homeless Youth  
          Program, administered by the Department of Housing and  
          Community Development (HCD) as a subcomponent of the  
          omnibus Multifamily Housing Program (MHP).  Under the  
          Homeless Youth Program, HCD funds transitional and  
          permanent housing for homeless and emancipated foster youth  
          tied to supportive services that assist the youth in  
          stabilizing their lives and developing the skills and  
          resources they need to make a successful transition to  
          independent, self-sufficient adulthood.  Proposition 1C  
          sets aside the $50 million for this program for a period of  
          30 months from first availability (which is July 31, 2009).  
           Any funds not encumbered within these 30 months revert for  
          use in MHP, for which homeless youth developments may  
          continue to apply in competition with other non-homeless  
          youth housing.  

          Proposition 1C also included $125 million for the BEGIN  
          Program.  Administered by HCD, BEGIN provides grants to  
          local governments for the provision of downpayment  
          assistance loans to low or moderate income homebuyers who  
          purchase a home in a new development for which the local  
          government has reduced one or more regulatory constraints  
          that impede the development of affordable housing.  These  
          funds are also set aside for 30 months from first  
          availability (which is November 17, 2009).  Any funds not  
          encumbered within these 30 months revert for use in HCD's  
          omnibus homeownership program, the CalHome Program.  

          This bill extends the setaside of Proposition 1C funds for  
          the Homeless Youth and BEGIN Programs by two years.   
          Specifically, this bill:

          1.Provides that any funds not encumbered for the purposes  
            of the Homeless Youth Program by July 31, 2011 shall  
            revert for use in MHP, unless HCD determines that funds  
            should revert sooner due to diminished demand.

          2.Provides that any funds not encumbered for the purposes  
            of the BEGIN Program by November 17, 2011 shall revert  
            for use in the CalHome Program, unless HCD determines  
            that funds should revert sooner due to diminished demand.








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           Comments
           
          Developing housing for homeless youth is challenging, in  
          part due to the limited funding available for necessary  
          supportive services.  Nonetheless, HCD believes, based on  
          conversations with developers who would like to submit new  
          applications and the experience of program staff, that  
          there would be a slow and but relatively steady stream of  
          applications if funding were to remain available under the  
          Homeless Youth setaside.  

          With respect to BEGIN, HCD staff indicates that they have  
          been contacted by many cities, counties and developers  
          interested in submitting applications.  Based on these  
          contacts, HCD anticipates that the remaining $40 million  
          could be awarded by June 30, 2010.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                          Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions                2009-10     2010-11     2011-12    
           Fund  
          Extend program funding Continue authorization of bond  
          expenditures   Bond*
                              on Homeless Youth and BEGIN Programs
                              and delay reversion to MHP and CalHome
                              Programs

          * Delays a shift of unencumbered bond funds (approximately  
          $24 million) for Homeless Youth Program purposes to general  
          purposes within the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Fund, and  
          delays a shift of unencumbered bond funds (approximately  
          $40 million) from the Building Equity and Growth in  
          Neighborhoods Fund to the Self-Help Housing Fund.


           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  7/1/09)

          Department of Housing and Community Development (source)
          Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center







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          Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara
          California Building Industry Association
          California Society of Clinical Social Work
          California Youth Empowerment Network
          City and County of San Francisco, Mayor's Office of Housing
          City of East Palo Alto, Housing Services Department
          Corporation for Supportive Housing
          David & Margaret Youth and Family Services, La Verne
          East Palo Alto Community Alliance and Neighborhood  
          Development                                        
          Organization
          Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
          Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Los Angeles
          Larkin Street Youth Services
          San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
          Western Center on Law and Poverty

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the author's office,  
          demand for both the Homeless Youth and BEGIN programs has  
          been substantial but not sufficient to use all of the  
          available funds within 30 months.  In addition, the current  
          freeze on application and commitment activity for  
          bond-funded programs is effectively truncating the 30 month  
          period, and the turmoil in the financial markets is slowing  
          development activity in general.  As a result,  
          approximately $24 million of Homeless Youth funding is  
          scheduled to revert to MHP on July 31, 2009.   Similarly,  
          $40 million is scheduled to revert from BEGIN to CalHome on  
          August 17, 2009.  Roughly $7.5 million of this BEGIN amount  
          represents pending applications that cannot be funded until  
          the current freeze on award commitments is lifted.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Tom  
            Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan,  
            Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway,  
            Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Duvall,  
            Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes,  
            Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore,  
            Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber,  
            Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue,  
            Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,  
            Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel  







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            Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva,  
            Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,  
            Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, Bass
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Bill Berryhill, Block


          JA:nl  7/1/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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