2007 California Health and Safety Code Chapter 4. California Statewide Supportive Housing Initiative Act

CA Codes (hsc:53250-53315)

53250.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) Decent, affordable housing is an essential human need that
relates directly to families and persons achieving self-sufficiency
and maximizing their independence.
   (b) The presence of homeless persons on our streets and the
existence of unsafe, unsanitary housing constitute conditions that
increase public health and safety problems.
   (c) At least 150,000 people are homeless in California, and
studies indicate that at least one-half are disabled with mental
illness, medical problems, other health conditions, or other special
needs.
   (d) Very low income people with disabilities cycle through costly,
short-term crisis programs, such as hospital emergency rooms,
psychiatric hospitalization, emergency shelters, and jails, and fail
to make a long-term transition to stability and permanent housing.
   (e) Evidence from around the country shows that a significant
percentage of those who are trying to move from welfare to work face
substantial barriers, including mental health and other
health-related disabilities.
   (f) Supportive housing, which blends affordable housing with
necessary support and employment services, has been shown to be
effective in stabilizing tenants so that they regain a stake in the
community.
   (g) Supportive housing has been shown to decrease by 50 percent
the use of emergency medical services and incarceration, reduce
recidivism among substance abusers by more than 50 percent, increase
employment rates by 100 percent, and successfully retain tenants at
rates exceeding 80 percent.
   (h) Supportive housing has previously been developed and operated
primarily with local government, federal government, philanthropic,
and private sector support.
   (i) Supportive housing is currently available to only one or two
of every 10 Californians who could benefit from it.
   (j) By establishing a supportive housing initiative, the state can
leverage substantial local, federal, and private support, reduce
costs, and ensure that existing supportive housing programs are
sustained and that new supportive housing programs are developed.
   (k) It is further the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
chapter to encourage local communities to enter into partnerships
that expand and strengthen supportive housing opportunities for very
low income Californians with disabilities such as mental illness, HIV
and AIDS, chemical dependency, and other chronic health conditions,
or individuals eligible for services provided under the Lanterman
Developmental Disabilities Services Act.
   (l) It is the intent of the Legislature that state funds provide
the incentive and leverage for local governments, the nonprofit
sector, and the private sector to invest resources that expand and
strengthen supportive housing opportunities.
   (m) It is further the intent of the Legislature that local
communities, in their applications for state funding, will identify,
based upon a local assessment of need, both of the following:
   (1) The specific characteristics of those among the target
population that will live in the supportive housing.
   (2) The types of supportive housing arrangements that are most
appropriate.
   (n) It is further the intent of the Legislature that funding
provided for the Statewide Supportive Housing Initiative shall be
used for the array of groups identified in the target population, as
defined in subdivision (d) of Section 53260.



53255.  This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
California Statewide Supportive Housing Initiative Act.



53260.  For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions
apply:
   (a) "Council" means the Supportive Housing Program Council.
   (b) "Lead agency" means the State Department of Mental Health,
which shall be the governmental agency that is primarily responsible
for administering this chapter.
   (c) "Supportive housing" means housing with no limit on length of
stay, that is occupied by the target population, and that is linked
to onsite or offsite services that assist the tenant to retain the
housing, improve his or her health status, maximize their ability to
live and, when possible, to work in the community.  This housing may
include apartments, single-room occupancy residences, or
single-family homes.
   (d) "Target population" means adults with low incomes having one
or more disabilities, including mental illness, HIV or AIDS,
substance abuse, or other chronic health conditions, or individuals
eligible for services provided under the Lanterman Developmental
Disabilities Services Act (Division 4.5 (commencing with Section
4500) of the Welfare and Institutions Code) and may, among other
populations, include families with children, elderly persons, young
adults aging out of the foster care system, individuals exiting from
institutional settings, veterans, or homeless people.



53265.  (a) In order to encourage the integration of housing and
services, it is the intent of the Legislature to promote interagency
coordination and collaboration among not only local private and
public agencies, but also among the state agencies responsible for
the provision of housing and support services to very low income
Californians.
   (b) Therefore, there is hereby established the Supportive Housing
Program Council to assist with the implementation of this chapter.
   (c) Members of the council shall include all of the following:
   (1) The following state officials or their designees.
   (A) The Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency.
   (B) The Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing
Agency.
   (C) The Directors of the State Department of Mental Health, the
State Department of Developmental Services, the State Department of
Social Services, the State Department of Health Services, the
California Department of Aging, the Department of Housing and
Community Development, the State Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs, the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of
Rehabilitation, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and
the Department of Employment Development.
   (2) Three consumer representatives from the target population,
appointed by the Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency, shall
also serve on the council.
   (d) The duties of the council shall include all of the following:

   (1) Developing, promoting, and implementing policy supporting this
chapter.
   (2) Assisting the lead agency in reviewing the requests for grant
applications, reviewing grant applications submitted to the lead
agency, and providing the lead agency with recommendations for
awarding grants pursuant to Section 53275.
   (3) Reviewing input regarding program policy and direction from
individuals and entities with experience with the target population.

   (4) Assisting the lead agency to coordinate programs under this
chapter with special needs housing programs offered by government or
private lenders.
   (5) Assisting the lead agency in fulfilling its responsibilities
under this chapter.
   (6) Providing recommendations to the lead agency regarding this
chapter.
   (7) At the request of the lead agency, assisting agencies in
planning and implementing this chapter including assisting with local
technical assistance.



53270.  The department shall award grants to local government or
private nonprofit agencies for services to the target population in
accordance with this chapter.



53275.  (a) Grants shall be awarded by the lead agency based upon
the recommendations of the council and pursuant to this chapter.  The
lead agency shall issue requests for applications for awarding the
grants, which shall specify maximum dollar amounts for which grants
may be awarded.  The request for applications also shall specify
other criteria, as required by this chapter.  Applicants may apply
for a single supportive housing project, or may submit a single
application for several projects.
   (b) The lead agency shall award grants as follows:
   (1) Grants shall be awarded for up to a three-year period except
for grants from funds transferred to, or administered by, the
Department of Housing and Community Development, and awarded for
housing costs, in which case the grants may be awarded for a period
not to exceed 15 years.  Each award shall be in an amount not to
exceed two million dollars (,000,000) for a single project, or
three million dollars (,000,000) for an application from a single
jurisdiction for several projects at the discretion of the lead
agency, in consultation with the council.  At the discretion of the
lead agency, these grants may include up to twenty-five thousand
dollars (,000) for one-time startup grants which may be used,
among other things, for purchasing equipment or furniture, hiring
staff, designing a program evaluation, or hiring a consultant.
   (2) All grants awarded under this subdivision shall be matched by
the grantee with fifty cents (.50) for each one dollar () awarded
in the first year, one dollar () for each one dollar () awarded
in the second year, and one dollar and fifty cents (.50) for each
one dollar () awarded in the third year and, to the extent that
this funding continues, in subsequent years.  The match shall be
contributed in cash or as services or resources of comparable value.
It is the intent of the Legislature that participants seek and
utilize private funds, or public funds administered by the federal or
local governments for this purpose.
   (3) In order to receive a grant under this chapter, an applicant
shall demonstrate a need for supportive housing for low-income
individuals with special needs and a local commitment to providing
funding for the purpose of developing and operating supportive
housing.
   (c) A local nonprofit agency or local government agency shall be
eligible for a grant under this chapter if it demonstrates in its
program plan that it:
   (1) Meets local priorities for supportive housing as identified in
a publicly adopted planning document, such as the Consolidated Plan
prepared for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the
Continuum of Care Plan, or a local plan for housing services for the
target population.
   (2) Provides evidence that affordable housing linked to services
appropriate to the target population will be made available.
   (3) Has established collaborative agreements with housing and
service programs to deliver the necessary services and housing to the
target population.
   (4) Requests funding supplements and does not supplant existing
funding.



53280.  The lead agency shall give preference to proposals that do
any of the following:
   (a) Provide supportive housing to underserved target groups for
which few alternative resources are available.
   (b) Demonstrate collaborative agreements between entities that
fund and provide local public and private housing services.
   (c) Demonstrate cost avoidance as compared to other housing and
service or institutional options available to the specific target
population.
   (d) Propose to serve the target population with an average income
of not more than 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or
higher at the discretion of the council.
   (e) Demonstrate the capacity and readiness to begin operation of a
supportive housing program within one year of receiving the grant.
   (f) Demonstrate linkages to programs established under the Adult
and Older Adult Mental Health System of Care Act (Part 3 (commencing
with Section 5801) of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code), or other integrated services projects supported with state or
local government funds.


53285.  (a) Each local nonprofit agency, local government agency, or
group of agencies seeking a grant under this chapter shall submit an
application to the lead agency at a time and manner, and with
appropriate information, as the lead agency may reasonably require.
   (b) Each application shall include all of the following:
   (1) A description of the proposed supportive housing, including
the target population or populations to be served, the type of
housing and its location, and the services to be provided.  If the
application includes funding for housing services, a detailed
description of how the funds will be used for operating or leasing
subsidies.
   (2) Documentation of the need for the supportive housing.
   (3) A description of the objectives of the supportive housing, the
amount and sources of required funding, the existing resources to be
used or redirected, the priorities for development and timing of the
supportive housing program, and the procedure for evaluation,
including specific targets and outcome measures, provisions for data
collection and recordkeeping, and the proposed results or outcomes of
the supportive housing.
   (4) Information on the track record and financial status of the
agencies providing the services and the housing.
   (5) A description of technical assistance needs, if any.
   (6) A plan for continuing to carry out the supportive housing
program at the end of the three-year funding period.



53290.  For purposes of this chapter, support services include, but
are not limited to:
   (a) Health care services including immunizations, vision and
hearing tests and services, dental services, physical examinations,
diagnostic and referral services, prenatal care, and nutrition
services.
   (b) Mental health services including, but not limited to, crisis
intervention, assessments, and referrals.
   (c) Substance abuse prevention and treatment services.
   (d) Family support and parenting education.
   (e) Vocational, educational, and employment services, including
tutoring, mentoring, internships, training, and job placement.
   (f) Counseling.
   (g) Case management services.
   (h) Payments for housing costs, including payments for leasing
costs or the operating costs of supportive housing as proposed by the
applicant.
   (i) The costs of evaluation.
   (j) Other services that benefit the target population.



53295.  A grantee may contract with other entities to provide the
services described in Section 53290 to support housing residents.



53300.  (a) No more than 10 percent of the amount appropriated in a
fiscal year for the purposes of this chapter may be used for state
administration of this chapter, including evaluation and technical
assistance.  Technical assistance shall include, but is not limited
to, assisting with collaborations, providing information, and
convening training workshops.  The Legislature shall be notified of
the administrative costs of this program pursuant to Section 28 of
the Budget Act.
   (b) Notwithstanding the allocation of funds in the Budget Act of
2000 for the supportive housing initiative to the local assistance
Item 4440-101-0001, up to 10 percent of the funds may be spent for
administrative costs, as defined in subdivision (a).
   (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the lead agency
shall make all grant awards from funds allocated in the Budget Act of
2001 for the supportive housing initiative no later than June 30,
2002, and shall expend the funds allocated for those grants no later
than June 30, 2005, except for grants awarded for housing costs, as
specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 53275.



53305.  (a) The lead agency shall ensure that adequate resources are
available to conduct an evaluation.  The lead agency shall ensure
that an evaluation of this chapter is conducted and completed as
follows:
   (1) An interim evaluation shall be completed and submitted to the
Legislature at the end of the first 18 months in which grants are
first awarded.
   (2) A final evaluation shall be completed and submitted to the
Legislature within nine months of the end of the three-year grant
period.
   (b) The evaluation shall be based upon the outcomes and
methodologies for measuring success in achieving each proposed
outcome identified by grantees, and shall, at a minimum, include
outcomes related to cost avoidance, housing stability, quality of
services, and the health status of tenants.
   (c) The lead agency or its designee shall provide technical
assistance to local jurisdictions in designing and completing the
evaluation, including identification of a methodology for collecting
the necessary information, and assistance with obtaining that
information from state agencies to the extent necessary.
   (d) The lead agency or its designee shall compile the information
on outcomes from all grantees into a single interim evaluation, and a
single final evaluation.



53310.  The implementation of this chapter is contingent upon the
appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act for that purpose.



53311.  The lead agency shall annually prepare and provide a report
to the Legislature no later than July 1 of each year that describes
all of the following:
   (a) The number of persons housed pursuant to the program.
   (b) The extent of housing stability.
   (c) The demographic characteristics of those housed pursuant to
the program, including veterans, people with mental illness, people
with substance abuse histories, single adults, and families with
children.
   (d) The counties and cities in which the housing is located.
   (e) The changes in income levels of those housed.
   (f) Improvements in health status, to the extent available.




53315.  This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2009, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2009, deletes or extends
that date.