Creates a housing program for transition aged youth

Existing law establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, formerly known as the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council, and requires the council to set and measure progress toward goals to prevent and end homelessness among youth in California by setting specific, measurable goals aimed at preventing and ending homelessness among youth in the state and defining outcome measures and gathering data related to the goals.

This bill would establish the Transition Aged Youth Housing Program for the purpose of creating housing for transition aged youth under 26 years of age, who have been removed from their homes, are experiencing homelessness unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or are under the jurisdiction of a court, as specified, and would require the council to develop, implement, and administer the program.

This bill would require the council to award grants, in the form of forgivable deferred loans, to local government agencies and nonprofit corporations to defray costs of eligible activities. The bill would define “eligible activities” to include the funding of capital development programs for the development of emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing for transition aged youth, and capital development loans for the conversion of emergency shelters or transitional housing to permanent supportive housing for transition aged youth.

This bill would require the council to develop a program criteria for evaluating applications and require the council to award grants to applicants that best meet the criteria. The bill would require the council to give preference to applications from organizations that have experience providing direct services to transition aged youth, and organizations working in partnership with those that provide direct services to transition aged youth. The bill would require the council to maintain and make available on its internet website specified information, including the number of applications received, the number of applications denied, the name of each recipient of program funds, and the number of new and converted units created for transition aged youth through the program.

This bill would create the Transition Aged Youth Housing Fund within the State Treasury and would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, provide that the moneys in the fund be made available to the council for purposes of the program.