2005 California Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 1787-1789.5 Article 5.4. Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project ...

1787.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) A tremendous percentage of juveniles who commit status
offenses including, but not limited to, running away, school truancy
and incorrigibility, ultimately enter the juvenile justice system for
subsequently engaging in delinquent, otherwise criminal behavior.
   (b) In 1990, it was estimated that 48,629 youths ran away from
their homes in California.
   (c) In 1989, 776 runaway youths served by 33 nonprofit
youth-runaway shelters in California, surveyed during a one-month
period, identified one or more of the following as a problem:
    (1) Family crisis .......................       73%
    (2) School problems .....................       63%
    (3) Victims of crime/abuse ..............       57%
    (4) Homeless/runaway ....................       55%
    (5) Substance abuse .....................       43%
    (6) Delinquent behavior .................       26%
    (7) Other ...............................        9%
   (d) It is estimated that 43 emergency shelters presently serve
runaway youths as well as homeless youths and adults in California.
   (e) It is estimated that 10 transitional living facilities are
operated presently in California to provide youths with independent
living skills, employment skills, and home responsibilities.
   (f) It is conservatively projected that by the year 2000 there
will be a deficit of 1,222 emergency shelter beds and 930 long-term
beds statewide.
   (g) Resources for runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth and their
families are severely inadequate to meet their needs.
   (h) The Counties of Fresno, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Solano
either (1) do not provide temporary or long-term shelter services or
family crises services to runaway, homeless, and nonrunaway youth,
or (2) do provide such services but at levels which substantially
fail to meet the need.
   The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to establish three-year
pilot projects in San Joaquin Central Valley, in the northern region
of California, and in the southern region of California, whereby
each project will provide temporary shelter services, transitional
living shelter services, and low-cost family crisis resolution
services based on a sliding fee scale to runaway youth, nonrunaway
youth, and their working families.  It is the intent of this chapter
that services will be provided to prevent at-risk youth from engaging
in delinquent and criminal behavior and to reduce the numbers of
at-risk families from engaging in neglectful, abusive, and criminal
behavior.
1788.  Each Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project established
under this article shall provide services which shall include, but
not be limited to, all of the following:
   (a) Temporary shelter and related services to runaway youth.  The
services shall include:
   (1) Food and access to overnight shelter for no more than 14 days.
   (2) Counseling and referrals to services which address immediate
emotional needs or problems.
   (3) Screening for basic health needs and referral to public and
private health providers for health care.  Shelters that are not
equipped to house a youth with substance abuse problems shall refer
that youth to an appropriate clinic or facility.  The shelter shall
monitor the youth's progress and assist the youth with services upon
his or her release from the substance abuse facility.
   (4) Long-term planning so that the youth may be returned to the
home of the parent or guardian under conditions which favor long-term
reunification with the family, or so the youth can be suitably
placed in a situation outside of the parental or guardian home when
such reunification is not possible.
   (5) Outreach services and activities to locate runaway youth and
to link them with project services.
   (b) Family crisis resolution services to runaway and nonrunaway
youth and their families which shall include:
   (1) Parent training.
   (2) Family counseling.
   (3) Services designed to reunify youth and their families.
   (4) Referral to other services offered in the community by public
and private agencies.
   (5) Long-term planning so that the youth may be returned to the
home of the parent or guardian under conditions which favor long-term
reunification with the family, or so the youth can be suitably
placed in a situation outside of the parental or guardian home when
such reunification is not possible.
   (6) Followup services to ensure that the return to the parent or
guardian or the placement outside of the parental or guardian home is
stable.
   (7) Outreach services and activities to locate runaway and
nonrunaway youth and to link them with project services.
   (c) Transitional living services shall include:
   (1) Long-term shelter.
   (2) Independent living skill services.
   (3) Preemployment and employment skills training.
   (4) Home responsibilities training.
   (d) Where appropriate and necessary, some of the services
identified under this section must also be provided in the local
community and in the home of project clients.  Projects shall notify
parents that their children are staying at a project site consistent
with state and federal parent notification requirements.
1789.  (a) A Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project shall be
established in one or more counties in the San Joaquin Central
Valley, in one or more counties in the northern region of California,
and in one or more counties in the southern region of California.
Each project may have one central location, or more than one site, in
order to effectively serve the target population.
   (b) The Office of Criminal Justice Planning shall prepare and
disseminate a request for proposals to prospective grantees under
this chapter within four months after this chapter has been approved
and enacted by the Legislature.  The Office of Criminal Justice
Planning shall enter into grant award agreements for a period of no
less than three years, and the operation of projects shall begin no
later than four months after grant award agreements are entered into
between the Office of Criminal Justice Planning and the grantee.
Grants shall be awarded based on the quality of the proposal, the
documented need for services in regard to runaway youth, and to
organizations, as specified in subdivision (d) of this section, in
localities that receive a disproportionately low share of existing
federal and state support for youth shelter programs.
   (c) The Office of Criminal Justice Planning shall require
applicants to identify, in their applications, measurable outcomes by
which the Office of Criminal Justice Planning will measure the
success of the applicant's project.  These measurable outcomes shall
include, but not be limited to, the number of clients served and the
percentage of clients who are successfully returned to the home of a
parent or guardian or to an alternate living condition when
reunification is not possible.
   (d) Only private, nonprofit organizations shall be eligible to
apply for funds under this chapter to operate a Runaway Youth and
Families in Crisis Project, and these organizations shall be required
to annually contribute a local match of at least 15 percent in cash
or in-kind contribution to the project during the term of the grant
award agreement.  Preference shall be given to organizations that
demonstrate a record of providing effective services to runaway youth
or families in crisis for at least three years, successfully
operating a youth shelter for runaway and homeless youth, or
successfully operating a transitional living facility for runaway and
homeless youth who do not receive transitional living services
through the juvenile justice system.  Additional weight shall also be
given to those organizations that demonstrate a history of
collaborating with other agencies and individuals in providing such
services.  Priority shall be given to organizations with existing
facilities.  Preference shall also be given to organizations that
demonstrate the ability to progressively decrease their reliance on
resources provided under this chapter and to operate this project
beyond the period that the organization receives funds under this
chapter.
1789.5.  The Office of Criminal Justice Planning shall monitor and
evaluate the projects established under this article, and shall
report to the Legislature after the first and third year of the
program's operation the results of its evaluation.  In addition, each
project shall be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of its
programs and services.