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SB-1353 Homeless population census information: collection and reporting.(2021-2022)

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Date Published: 04/18/2022 02:00 PM
SB1353:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  April 18, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1353

Introduced by Senator Wilk
(Coauthors: Senators Grove, Jones, Nielsen, and Ochoa Bogh)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Choi, Lackey, Nguyen, Seyarto, and Smith)

February 18, 2022

An act to add and repeal Section 8257.3 to of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to homelessness.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1353, as amended, Wilk. Homeless population census information: collection and reporting.
(1) Existing law creates the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (council) and requires departments administering state programs created on or after July 1, 2017, to collaborate with the council for the purpose of adopting guidelines and regulations to incorporate core components of Housing First. Existing law defines “Housing First” as an evidence-based model that uses housing as a tool, rather than a reward, for recovery and that centers on providing or connecting homeless people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Under existing law, Housing First providers offer services as needed and requested on a voluntary basis and do not make housing contingent on participation in services.
This bill would require a local government entity, as defined, to develop and maintain a publicly available internet website homelessness dashboard for prescribed purposes. The bill would require a local government entity to collect specified homeless population census information for its jurisdiction, report that information to the council, and make it publicly available by posting it on its homelessness dashboard. The bill would require a local government entity to report and post this information, as specified, on a quarterly basis. The bill would require a local government entity to annually report to the council entity to provide specified homelessness information for its jurisdiction to the council by January 1, 2025, including expenditures on homelessness programs and efforts provided to homeless persons within its jurisdiction, as well as related information regarding the funding of these services, and to post that information to its homelessness dashboard. services. The bill would specify how a local government would meet this requirement.
This bill would require the council to develop and maintain a publicly available internet website homelessness dashboard for prescribed purposes. The bill would require the council to annually report to the Legislature, and annually post to its homelessness dashboard, information related to programs that state and local governments have the state has undertaken to reduce homelessness in California, including federal funding for state and local programs. programs by January 1, 2026. The bill would require a state agency or office responsible for these programs to report data related to the programs, in a form prescribed by the council, to the council no later than June 30 of each year. January 1, 2025. The bill would require the council to perform a specified assessment of the success or failure of funded and implemented programs addressing homelessness. The bill would also require local government entities to perform their own assessments in this regard and to report those assessments to the council.
This bill would express that it is the intent of the Legislature that continuums of care collaborate with local government entities, state agencies, and the council to help collect the required information.
The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2027.
By increasing the duties of local government entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 8257.3 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

8257.3.
 (a) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Council” means the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
(2) “Homelessness dashboard” means an internet web page that provides an easily understood display of data regarding homelessness as described by this section that is maintained on an entity’s or the council’s internet website.
(3) “Local government entity” means a city or a county.
(b) A local government entity shall collect, at the minimum, the following homeless population census provide the following homelessness information for its jurisdiction for purposes of reporting it to the council and making it publicly available as required by this section: by January 1, 2025:

(1)The homeless population increase or decrease within the jurisdiction with a year-over-year comparison.

(1) A year-over-year comparison of the homeless population within the jurisdiction for 2023 and 2024.
(2) Changes in demographics Demographics and geographic locations of the homeless population, which include all of the following:
(A) Age and gender.
(B) Criminal justice history, including arrests, jail time and probation.
(C) Medical information, including chronic medical conditions and medical diagnoses and how many persons are afflicted with mental health or substance abuse problems.
(D) Homeless population use of health care and emergency services, including emergency medical services, hospital admissions, and emergency room visits.
(E) Homeless population mental health inpatient and outpatient visits, including the use of substance abuse disorder services and treatment.
(F) Homeless population use of public assistance services and food stamps.

(3)

(G) The number of homeless persons who are no longer unsheltered, and their current status, including whether sheltered, permanently housed, in treatment, reunited with family, employed, or no longer in the area.

(4)(A)

(H) The number of homeless persons who died while homeless and identification of how they died, including whether by exposure, illness, accident, violence, or overdose, and how many died while in a care facility, including a hospital.

(B)

(I) The number of children born to homeless mothers.

(5)

(J) The backgrounds of the newly homeless persons, including how did the recently homeless become homeless and where did they reside before becoming homeless.

(6)

(K) The number of homeless persons who are veterans, as well as the number of veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, and the number of individuals who are connected to veterans’ administration health care or other federal services.

(7)

(L) The number of homeless persons who are domestic violence victims.

(8)

(M) The number of homeless persons who are foster youth or former foster youth.

(9)

(N) The length of time homeless persons have been homeless, measured in increments of six months or less, six months to one year, one year to two years, and more than two years.

(c)(1)A local government entity shall develop and maintain a publicly available internet website homelessness dashboard, which shall be prominently displayed and easily accessible by the public. A local government entity shall post on that dashboard the homeless population census information collected pursuant to subdivision (b) quarterly, no later than March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year. The homeless population census information posted shall be deidentified, population aggregate level data.

(2)A local government entity shall report the homeless population census data described in subdivision (b) to the council quarterly, no later than March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year.

(d)(1)A local government entity shall annually report, by no later than March 31 of each year, to the council all expenditures on homelessness programs and efforts, including, but not limited to, street cleaning, law enforcement, shelters, medical treatment, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment provided to homeless persons within its jurisdiction. The local government entity shall report and list the sources of the fund amounts used for these expenditure, separated into federal, state, and local source categories, and shall include any funds allocated by a county to a city. The local government entity shall report and post current year funding for homelessness programs and efforts as budgeted and how much was spent in the prior year. Information on prior years shall be maintained in an easily accessible archive.

(2)A local government entity shall post the information described in paragraph (1) to its homelessness dashboard.

(e)A local government entity shall annually report to the council and annually post to its homelessness dashboard a data-driven assessment of the success or failure of funded and implemented state and local programs addressing homelessness. The assessment of homelessness program effectiveness shall include the following points:

(1)Description of all programs targeting homelessness, and their goals in reducing homelessness.

(2)Description of expenditures on each homelessness program.

(3)Data on each homelessness program’s results in reducing homelessness.

(4)An overall assessment of how the homelessness programs, together, reduce homelessness within jurisdictions of local governments.

(3) All of the local government entity’s expenditures on homelessness programs and efforts, including, but not limited to, street cleaning, law enforcement, shelters, medical treatment, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment provided to homeless persons. The local government entity shall report and list the sources of the fund amounts used for these expenditures, separated into federal, state, and local source categories.
(c) For the purposes of subdivision (b), a local government entity meets the requirement to provide the homelessness information, if it does any of the following:
(1) Provides the council with the requested information.
(2) Provides a statement to the council explaining why it does not have access to the requested information.
(3) Provides a statement to the council that providing the information would impose an undue burden on the local government entity without additional resources, including an estimate of the additional resources necessary for it to provide the requested information.

(f)

(d) (1) The council shall develop and maintain a publicly available internet website homelessness dashboard, which shall be prominently displayed and easily accessible by the public, for purposes of this subdivision.
(2) The council shall annually report to the Legislature, and annually post to its homelessness dashboard, the following information related by January 1, 2026:
(A) The information it receives from local government entities pursuant to subdivision (b).
(B) Information related to programs that state and local government entities have undertaken to reduce homelessness in California, including federal funding for state and local programs. Any state agency or office responsible for these programs shall report data related to the programs, in a form prescribed by the council, to the council no later than June 30 of each year. This information shall also beposted to the council’s homelessness dashboard. by January 1, 2025.
(3) The council shall annually report to the Legislature, and annually post to its homelessness dashboard, a data-driven assessment of the success or failure of funded and implemented state and local programs addressing homelessness. homelessness by January 1, 2026. The assessment of homelessness program effectiveness shall include all of the following points:
(A) Descriptions of each program targeting homelessness, and their goals in reducing homelessness.
(B) Descriptions of expenditures on each homelessness program.
(C) Data on each homelessness program’s results in reducing homelessness.
(D) An overall assessment of how the homelessness programs, together, reduce homelessness within jurisdictions of local governments.
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that continuums of care collaborate with local government entities, state agencies, and the council to help collect the information included in this section.

(g)

(f) Any report to the Legislature required by this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 2.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.