BILL NUMBER: AB 870	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 30, 2015
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Cooley

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2015

   An act to add Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15290) to Part
6.6 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to
housing, and making an appropriation therefor.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 870, as amended, Cooley. Homelessness: rapid 
re-housing.   rehousing.
   Existing federal law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009, allocated, until September 30, 2011, $1.5 billion to the
federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for the
Homelessness Prevention Fund, to be used for homelessness prevention
and rapid rehousing. Existing law, the California Work Opportunity
and Responsibility to Kids Act, provides housing supports to
individuals if the administering county determines that the
individual or his or her family is experiencing homelessness or
housing instability that would be a barrier to self-sufficiency or
child well-being and declares that it is the intent of the
Legislature that housing supports utilize evidence-based models,
including those established in the federal Department of Housing and
Urban Development's Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

   This bill would establish a pilot program within the Department of
Housing and Community Development for awarding grants to counties
that operate a rapid rehousing program. The bill would require the
department to select 4 counties to receive these grant funds, giving
priority to counties with existing programs that have demonstrated
effectiveness in providing supporting housing for homeless
individuals and veterans. This bill would continuously appropriate $1
million  each year  from the General Fund to the department
and require the department to distribute $250,000 of this money to
each of the 4 counties.
   Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. 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 the following:
   (a) In 2013, the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) reported that California has nearly 40,000
chronically homeless persons, which is 36 percent of the total
chronically homeless population of the United States. This is due in
large part to an insufficient amount of affordable housing in
California.
   (b) HUD also reported that there are over 15,000 homeless veterans
in California.
   (c) Several studies, including one by the Journal of the American
Medical Association, have demonstrated that it is far more cost
effective and efficient to provide the homeless with permanent,
supportive housing through "rapid rehousing" and "housing first"
initiatives. These measures also reduce the cost to governments of
funding shelters and emergency services.
  SEC. 2.  Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 15290) is added to Part
6.6 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:
      CHAPTER 1.  RAPID RE-HOUSING PILOT PROGRAM


   15290.  For the purposes of this chapter, the following
definitions shall apply: 
   (a) "Chronically homeless" means a homeless individual with a
condition limiting his or her activities of daily living who has been
continuously homeless for a year or more, or had at least four
episodes of homelessness in the past three years.  
   (b) 
    (a) "Department" means the Department of Housing and
Community Development. 
   (c) 
    (b)  "Homeless" has the same meaning as defined in
Section 91.5 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

   (d) 
    (c)  "Pilot program" means the program established
pursuant to this chapter for distributing funds to counties.
   15290.5.  (a) There is hereby established a pilot program in the
department for awarding grants to counties that operate a rapid
rehousing program. The department shall administer the pilot program.

   (b) The department shall select four counties to participate in
the pilot program. The department shall select counties by giving
priority to those counties with existing rapid rehousing programs
that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing  supporting
  supportive  housing  and homelessness
prevention  for  homeless  individuals and
veterans of the United States military experiencing homelessness.
   15291.  Notwithstanding Section 13340, the sum of one million
dollars ($1,000,000) is hereby continuously appropriated, without
regard to fiscal years, from the General Fund each year to the
department, exclusively to be distributed to the counties selected
pursuant to Section 15290.5. The department shall distribute two
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) of the money received
pursuant to this section each year to each of the four counties.