Homeless Youth Act Of 2018 - - CA Welfare And Institutions

Section § 8259

This section explains the challenges faced by runaway and homeless youth aged 12 to 24, highlighting that California has one of the highest rates of youth homelessness. Many of these young people are from minority groups, including LGBTQ+ youth.

The lack of services like shelters and mental health support in most counties is a significant issue contributing to this problem. Additionally, young homeless people are at higher risk of substance abuse due to previous trauma.

Proposition 64, which legalized adult marijuana use, presents a chance to fund programs to aid these youths. The Homeless Youth Act of 2018 was created to improve support services and housing opportunities for these young people.

The Legislature finds and declares as follows:

(a) Runaway and homeless youth are young people 12 to 24 years of age, inclusive, who have the least access to essential opportunities and supports.

(b) The prevalence of runaways and homelessness among youth is staggering. Studies suggest that between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth up to 24 years of age in the United States experience homelessness every year. A disproportionate number of young people experiencing homelessness are youth of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

(c) California has the second highest rate of unsheltered young people experiencing homelessness in the nation, and the number is growing.

(d) Thirty-one percent of all young people experiencing homelessness in the United States live in California, yet two-thirds of the state’s counties lack basic services for young people experiencing homelessness, including shelter, mental and behavioral services, family maintenance and strengthening, and substance abuse treatment programs.

(e) Research indicates that young people experiencing homelessness are more likely to have used or to begin using drugs and alcohol due to their experiences of trauma and abuse prior to becoming homeless or as a result of homelessness, including commercial sexual exploitation.

(f) With the adoption by the voters of Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, there is an opportunity for new funding to support various programs and services for young people experiencing homelessness, including those with substance use disorders.

(g) In furthering the goal to prevent youth homelessness, the Legislature has created the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 to improve prevention and early intervention support services, low barrier and diverse housing opportunities, and posthousing and followup services for young people experiencing homelessness, including those with substance use disorders.

runaway youth homeless youth youth homelessness LGBTQ+ youth homelessness minority youth homelessness California youth homelessness youth shelters mental health services substance use disorders Proposition 64 funding Homeless Youth Act of 2018 trauma and drug use youth support services youth housing opportunities commercial sexual exploitation

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 841, Sec. 3. (SB 918) Effective January 1, 2019.)

Section § 8260

This section outlines definitions for terms used in the Homeless Youth Act of 2018. It defines "Act" as the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 and explains that "continuum of care" refers to a concept described in federal regulations. The term "Council" is the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. Lastly, "homeless youth" refers to unaccompanied individuals between the ages of 12 and 24 who are experiencing homelessness, according to federal law. This also includes youth who are pregnant or parenting.

The following definitions apply for purposes of this chapter:

(a) “Act” means the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 enacted by this chapter.

(b) “Continuum of care” has the same meaning as defined in Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(c) “Council” means the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council as described in Section 8257.

(d) “Homeless youth” means an unaccompanied youth between 12 and 24 years of age, inclusive, who is experiencing homelessness, as defined in subsection (2) of Section 725 of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11434a(2)). “Homeless youth” includes unaccompanied youth who are pregnant or parenting.

Homeless Youth Act of 2018 homeless youth definition California Interagency Council on Homelessness unaccompanied youth pregnant or parenting youth McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act youth homelessness 12 to 24 years age group Council on Homelessness federal definition of homelessness

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 398, Sec. 6. (AB 1220) Effective January 1, 2022.)

Section § 8261

This law tasks a council with creating and assessing goals to tackle youth homelessness in California. It requires the setting of clear goals, such as reducing the number and duration of homelessness experiences, and improving service access for homeless youth. The council must also track progress using data, which will require collaboration with state and county agencies, as well as adherence to privacy laws. Agencies receiving state funding for related programs must share certain data. Moreover, the council will work with various stakeholders to align funding, policies, and practices geared toward those experiencing homelessness and will support service providers in expanding their capacities, especially where services are lacking.

(a) The council shall set and measure progress towards goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California by doing both of the following:

(1) Setting specific, measurable goals aimed at preventing and ending homelessness among youth in the state. These goals shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) Measurably decreasing the number of young people experiencing homelessness in the state.

(B) Measurably increasing permanency rates among young people experiencing homelessness by decreasing the length and occurrences of young people experiencing homelessness caused by a youth’s separation from family or a legal guardian.

(D) Decreasing barriers to services through promoting cross-systems partnerships to expedite access to services, including social services, child welfare services, regional center services, and mental health services.

(2) Defining outcome measures and gathering data related to the goals.

(A) The council shall develop and collect data on county-level and statewide measures, including, but not limited to, the number of young people experiencing homelessness in California and their dependency status, delinquency status, family reunification status, housing status, program participation, and runaway status.

(B) Data collection and sharing among state and county agencies and service providers shall be a condition upon the receipt of any state funding for programs related to youth homelessness and its prevention. All recipients shall be required to share with the council any relevant data from their Homeless Management Information Systems. Data collection and sharing pursuant to this chapter shall be conducted and maintained in accordance with all applicable state and federal privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations.

(C) The council shall seek data from any and all relevant sources, including the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), if available, in order to meet the requirements of this section.

(D) Providers of data shall do either of the following:

(i) Redact the names, dates of birth, and addresses of victims of domestic violence, as defined in Section 6211 of the Family Code, prior to reporting data to the council.

(ii) Obtain informed consent from a victim of domestic violence, as defined in Section 6211 of the Family Code and in accordance with all applicable state and federal confidentiality laws, before disclosing confidential information about that individual pursuant to this section.

(b) In order to coordinate a spectrum of funding, policy, and practice efforts related to young people experiencing homelessness, the council shall do both of the following:

(1) Coordinate with young people experiencing homelessness, the State Department of Social Services, other appropriate state and county agencies and departments, and other stakeholders to inform policy, practices, and programs.

(2) To the extent that funding is made available, provide technical assistance and program development support to increase capacity among new and existing service providers to best meet statewide needs, particularly in areas where services for young people experiencing homelessness have not been established, and provide support to service providers in making evidence-informed and data-driven decisions.

youth homelessness prevention data collection cross-systems partnerships family separation homelessness homelessness duration reduction service access barriers state and county agency collaboration Homeless Management Information Systems privacy and confidentiality laws domestic violence victim data youth policy coordination service provider capacity building technical assistance for providers evidence-informed decisions stakeholder coordination

(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 50, Sec. 18. (AB 169) Effective July 2, 2024.)