Code Section

16523.  

For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Child welfare services” means either of the following:

(1) The same meaning as defined in Section 16501, including those services provided by a tribe, or tribal entity or agency.

(2) Child welfare services provided by a tribe, or tribal entity or agency, in accordance with tribal law or custom, if the tribe, or tribal entity or agency, provides at least one of the services described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 16501.

(b) “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.

(c) “Eligible family” means any individual or family that, at a minimum, meets all of the following conditions:

(1) Receives child welfare services at the time eligibility is determined.

(2) Is homeless, is at risk of homelessness, or is in a living situation that cannot accommodate the child or multiple children in the home, which may include, but is not limited to, individuals who have not yet received an eviction notice.

(3) Voluntarily agrees to participate in the program.

(4) Either of the following:

(A) Has been determined appropriate for reunification of a child to a biological parent or guardian by the county human services agency or tribe handling the case, the court with jurisdiction over the child, or both.

(B) A child or children in the family is or are at risk of foster care placement, and the county human services agency or tribe determines that safe and stable housing for the family will prevent the need for the child’s or children’s removal from the parent or guardian.

(d) “Homeless” means any of the following:

(1) An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

(2) An individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including, but not limited to, a car, park, abandoned building, bus station, train station, airport, or camping ground.

(3) An individual or family living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements, including hotels or motels paid for by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations, congregate shelters, or transitional housing.

(4) An individual who resided in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where the individual temporarily resided.

(5) An individual or family who will imminently lose their housing, including, but not limited to, housing they own, rent, or live in without paying rent, are sharing with others, or rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals or by charitable organizations, if any of the following criteria are met:

(A) The primary nighttime residence will be lost within 14 days, as evidenced by any of the following:

(i) A court order resulting from an eviction action that notifies the individual or family that they must leave within 14 days.

(ii) The individual or family having a primary nighttime residence that is a room in a hotel or motel and where they lack the resources necessary to reside there for more than 14 days.

(iii) Credible evidence indicating that the owner or renter of the housing will not allow the individual or family to stay for more than 14 days, and any oral statement from an individual or family seeking homeless assistance that is found to be credible shall be considered credible evidence for purposes of this clause.

(B) The individual or family has no subsequent residence identified.

(C) The individual or family lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing.

(6) Unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth defined as homeless under any other federal statute, as of the effective date of this program, who meet all of the following:

(A) Have experienced a long-term period without living independently in permanent housing.

(B) Have experienced persistent instability as measured by frequent moves over that long-term period.

(C) Can be expected to continue in that status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse, the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or multiple barriers to employment.

(7) An individual or family who meets all of the following:

(A) Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or family member, including a child, that has either taken place within the individual’s or family’s primary nighttime residence or has made the individual or family afraid to return to their primary nighttime residence.

(B) Has no other residence.

(C) Lacks the resources or support networks, including, but not limited to, family, friends, or faith-based or other social networks, to obtain other permanent housing.

(e) “Homelessness” means the status of being homeless, as defined in subdivision (d).

(f) “Permanent housing” means a place to live without a predetermined limit on the length of stay, subject to landlord-tenant laws pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1940) of Title 5 of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code.

(g) “Program” means the Bringing Families Home Program established pursuant to this article.

(h)  “Supportive housing” has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 50675.14 of the Health and Safety Code, except that the program is not restricted to serving only projects with five or more units.