BILL NUMBER: AB 1167 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fong
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
An act to add Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8260) to Division
8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homelessness.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1167, as introduced, Fong. Homelessness: Interagency Council on
Homelessness.
Under existing law, several agencies have prescribed
responsibilities relating to homeless persons.
This bill would create the California Interagency Council on
Homelessness. This bill would provide that the council be composed of
specified members and would require the council to perform various
duties, including providing a state plan to end homelessness, updated
every 2 years. This bill would require the council to seek all
available federal funding for purposes of funding the council and its
activities.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) California has the highest rate of homelessness and the
highest ratio of homeless people per resident, with 360,000 people
sleeping on the streets or in shelters on any given night.
(b) Homelessness is traumatic for those who suffer it, often
leading to separated families, exacerbation of health conditions, a
rise in avoidable emergency room use, social and academic delays
among children, and greater likelihood of incarceration.
(c) Many people who lack permanent shelter and the ability to
access regular support ricochet through separate and expensive public
systems: overburdened corrections systems, overcrowded hospital
emergency rooms, mental health programs, substance abuse treatment
and detox facilities, shelters, and emergency housing. As a result,
people experiencing chronic homelessness use a disproportionate share
of state and local services.
(d) Innovative approaches across the nation and within California
show promise for reducing homelessness and the resulting impact on
state services.
(e) Changing the system and reducing homelessness requires
coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local
governments, as well as private sector organizations.
(f) Creation of a statewide coordinating council is an important
and effective tool in supporting initiatives to end homelessness in
California.
(g) Creation of a statewide coordinating council will stem
avoidable costs of maintaining the number of homeless persons and
will, therefore, result in reducing avoidable costs to multiple
programs.
(h) Homelessness affects multiple systems in California at a very
high public cost, including housing, mental health and substance
abuse, education, corrections, foster care, health care, and veterans
services. Reducing homelessness would produce cost savings for all
these systems. The state adopted a Ten-Year Chronic Homelessness
Action Plan in February 2010, but has no mechanism in place to assess
progress or hold state agencies accountable to the action steps in
the plan. A codified, structured interagency council on homelessness
would help fill this gap.
(i) In November 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger created the Governor'
s Chronic Homelessness Initiative, which included plans to form an
interagency coordinating council to reduce homelessness. The
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency's 2005-10 Consolidated
Plan further indicates the importance of an interagency council on
homelessness. Despite these intentions, a council has not met
regularly or publicly since the Governor adopted his Chronic
Homelessness Initiative.
(j) California must give priority to developing consolidated,
coordinated, and cooperative approaches to issues of homelessness,
including, but not limited to, specific issues addressing homeless
youth, families, veterans, parolees, victims of domestic violence,
people with substance abuse or other mental health disorders, people
experiencing chronic homelessness, seniors, and disabled people.
(k) Working within current costs, a revitalized Interagency
Council on Homelessness will reduce duplication of efforts and the
costs of homelessness and will redirect resources to more effective
approaches, developing a more integrated system and eliminating
fragmentation. Other states have created interagency councils without
initial investment of resources.
(l) California is not accessing all of the federal funds for
homelessness that it should due to a lack of coordination among some
agencies. For example, 30 other states apply for funds through the
federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act programs. Application
for these funds could total millions of dollars, and requires state
agency collaboration.
SEC. 2. Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8260) is added to
Division 8 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
CHAPTER 7. CALIFORNIA INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS
8260. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions
shall apply:
(a) "Council" means the California Interagency Council on
Homelessness.
(b) "Stakeholder organization" means a nonprofit or faith-based
organization whose primary mission is to prevent or end homelessness,
to provide services or health care to people who are homeless, or to
create housing for people who are homeless.
8261. (a) There is hereby created in state government the
California Interagency Council on Homelessness with a mission to
construct cross-agency and community cooperation in responding to
homelessness, and to identify and apply for increased federal funding
to respond to homelessness.
(b) The Governor shall designate a lead agency or representative
from the Governor's staff to direct the work of the council.
(c) The council shall seek all available federal funding,
including, but not limited to, grant and technical assistance funds
under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
Sec. 11301 et seq.), for purposes of funding the council and its
activities.
(d) Membership of the council shall include all of the following:
(1) At least one representative with decisionmaking authority from
each of the following:
(A) The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
(B) The Department of Housing and Community Development.
(C) The State Department of Mental Health.
(D) The State Department of Social Services.
(E) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Two representatives among local law enforcement, county or
city government, or organizations representing these interests. One
representative appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one
representative appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(3) Representatives of two stakeholder organizations, with one to
be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly and the other to be
appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(4) Two people who have experienced homelessness, with one to be
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly and the other to be
appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(e) The council may, at its discretion, invite stakeholders,
people who have experienced homelessness, members of philanthropic
communities, and experts to participate in meetings or provide
information to the council.
(f) The Governor shall appoint a chairperson and vice chairperson
from among the members of the council. Within current costs, the
council may establish working groups, task forces, or other
structures from within its membership or with outside members to
assist it in its work. Working groups, task forces, or other
structures established by the council shall determine their own
meeting schedules.
(g) Members of the council shall serve without compensation,
except that consumer representatives shall receive minimal
compensation if private funds are available. State funds shall not be
used to compensate members of the council.
8262. (a) The council shall do all of the following:
(1) Hold public meetings at least once every quarter.
(2) Provide a state plan to end homelessness, updated every two
years, and submit this plan to the Speaker of the Assembly and the
Senate Committee on Rules.
(b) The council may, but is not required to, do all of the
following:
(1) Act as the lead for coordinating and planning the state's
response to homelessness if necessary as a requirement to apply for
federal funding sources.
(2) Discuss potential mechanisms for streamlining the
administration of programs across agencies and jurisdictions to
reduce duplication, consolidate availability of services, and ease
clients' access to services.
(3) Discuss potential mechanisms for streamlining funding of
homelessness programs to leverage existing resources more
effectively.
(4) Solicit input and suggestions from stakeholders, the business
community, the concerned public, and other governmental agencies on
the most effective strategies to address homelessness.
(5) Identify best practices from other states in combating
homelessness.
(6) Identify private and public funding partnerships.
(c) The council may engage or accept the services of agency
personnel, contract with nonprofit organizations, or employ council
staff to operate, manage, or conduct the business of the council,
only if these services are provided by private, philanthropic, or
other nonstate funding resources available for that purpose or the
Legislature makes a future appropriation for that purpose.
8263. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the council
shall operate within the current budget of each department and agency
represented. Each department and agency shall cooperate with the
council and furnish it with information and assistance that is
necessary or useful to further the purposes of this chapter.