BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2547
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 24, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall Jr., Chair
AB 2547 (Blumenfield) - As Introduced: February 24, 2012
SUBJECT : Homeless youth: Statewide Office of the Homeless
Youth Advocate
SUMMARY : Establishes the Statewide Office of the Homeless Youth
Advocate (HYA) to coordinate state programs, services and
information for homeless youth. Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the HYA within the California Health and Human
Services Agency (HHS) and requires the HYA to:
a) Coordinate services and facilitate collaboration among
state agencies to identify gaps in, remove barriers and
improve access to, and share, information related to
homeless youth;
b) Identify and remove obstacles to the provision of
services to homeless youth;
c) Improve the quality of services provided to homeless
youth; and; and
d) Reduce unnecessary costs associated with the overlapping
of services to homeless youth.
2)Encourages the HYA to work with other state and federal
agencies and departments to meet the goals of the bill,
including HHS, the California Department of Education (CDE),
the Administrative Office of the Courts, nonprofit
organizations, appropriate federal departments and other key
stakeholders.
3)Requires the HYA to:
a) Provide information, coordination assistance, and
technical assistance to reduce unnecessary expenditures
associated with duplicated services and to help improve the
quality of services to homeless youth;
b) Identify procedural and substantive barriers and
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obstacles that inhibit the provision of services to
homeless youth and make recommendations to the entities
listed in the bill necessary to remove obstacles to
services for homeless youth;
c) Obtain information on available funding sources to
assist homeless youth;
d) Work with entities to identify, facilitate and resolve
issues that may inhibit the sharing of information
beneficial to helping homeless youth; and,
e) Provide an annual report to the Governor and the
Legislature on the activities of the HYA, which shall
include:
i) The data CDE collects on homeless youth enrolled in
public schools, the types of homelessness experienced by
youth, and the list of services being provided to
homeless youth; and
ii) The data the United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) annually publishes on the
federally mandated point-in-time county of the homeless
population, including homeless youth.
4)Permits this bill to be implemented only if the Director of
Finance (DOF) makes a determination that there are sufficient
federal, state, or private funds available to support the
activities of the HYA. It specifically:
a) Requires the DOF to make an executive declaration
stating that a determination has been as to whether there
is or is not sufficient funding available to support the
activities of the HYA;
b) Requires the DOF to provide a copy of the executive
declaration to the Legislature, Secretary of State, the
Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly,
and the Legislative Counsel within five days of the
declaration being made;
c) Requires the DOF to publish the declaration on its
website; and
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d) Renders this bill inoperative if the DOF determines that
insufficient funds are available to support the activities
of the HYA.
EXISTING LAW : Requires numerous state agencies and departments
to administer programs and offer services to homeless children
and adults.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the California Research Bureau's (CRB)
Homeless Youth Project (HYP), based upon national survey
estimates and California's youth population, it is estimated
that there are 200,000 youth under the age of 18 and potentially
thousands of persons aged 18 - 24 who are homeless.
Although this is an approximation of the number of homeless
youth in California, the number is likely to be greater given
the difficult challenges involved with the identification of
homeless youth. For purpose of this population, homeless youth
is typically considered to be minors age 17 and under, and 18 -
24-year-olds who are economically and/or emotionally detached
from their families and have an unstable and inadequate living
environment, or are periodically homeless or homeless.
Established by the CRB in 2006 in collaboration with the Council
on Youth Relations (CYR), the HYP is a multi-year research and
policy initiative tasked with highlighting and raising awareness
about the homeless youth population and its challenges, and
presenting solutions to help address California's homeless youth
population.
The causes of youth homelessness are varied and complex. They
range from runaway youth to emancipated youth who have fallen
through the child welfare system, to disengaged youth due to the
lack of an adult figure in their life or a lack of access to
appropriate services. Due to their unique circumstances,
research has shown that homeless youth are at a greater risk of
physical and sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, alcohol and drug
abuse, mental health disabilities, and death. Additionally, the
social, emotional, medical, economic and personal challenges
homeless youth face, when coupled with the lack of effective,
coordinated services to help them find and keep stable housing
as well as reach self-sufficiency, can lead to ongoing and
chronic cycles of homelessness throughout their lifetime.
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Although it seems that it should be reasonably easy to count the
number of state agencies and departments that administer a
program or service for homeless youth, it can vary annually
depending on the availability of funding, grants and other
resources to administer or implement a program. However, it is
generally estimated that there are ten to 12 state agencies and
departments currently operating some level of homeless service.
It is unclear how many of them specifically target or help to
facilitate services for homeless youth; however, in a 2010
survey of local, state and federal programs, the HYP was able to
identify 53 programs that offer just over 1,000 beds for
homeless youth throughout the state. Given that the current
estimate of homeless youth amounts to more than 200,000
individuals, this demonstrates a significant gap between the
size of California's homeless youth population and the number of
programs and services available to meet their needs.
Need for the bill
According to the author, this bill is modeled after the Colorado
Office of Homeless Youth Services, which was created in 2002.
The purpose of this office is to break down barriers that make
it difficult for homeless youth to access services, provide
better collaboration and effective services among multiple
local, state and federal programs, and to institute a proactive
and productive environment to better identify gaps and work in a
more integrated fashion to improve and expand services to a
highly at-risk population.
The author argues that this bill "takes the first step in
addressing this issue (youth homelessness) by creating the
Office of the Homeless Youth Advocate. This office will be
responsible for identifying and breaking down barriers to those
services currently available, facilitating interagency
collaboration, and serving as a resource for homeless youth -
disseminating information about their rights, the services
available, and how to get in touch with local non-profits who
help homeless youth."
RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS
Staff recommends the following technical amendment:
Because the California HHS oversees a majority of state
departments that provide or administer services for the
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homeless, including but not limited to the Departments of
Alcohol and Drug Programs, Child Support Services, Developmental
Services, Health Care Services, Mental Health, Public Health,
and Social Services, it is recommended that bill specify that
the HYA report to the Secretary of the HHS Agency. This will
ensure that the HYA have the necessary access and standing to
effectively coordinate services among the many state agencies
and departments that provide services to homeless youth.
Specifically, amend page two, lines eight through ten to read:
18420. (a) The Statewide Office of the Homeless Youth
Advocate is established within the California Health and
Human Services Agency and shall report directly to the
Secretary of the Health and Human Services Agency. .
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Cal-ACAP)
California Coalition for Youth
California Teachers Association
Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by : Chris Reefe / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089