HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04252006 - C.59 TO' R BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
_ Contra
FROM: Danna Fabella, Interim Director
Employment & Human SeCosta
rvices Department , �z v
DATE: April 25, 2006 `°sra �o;x `� County
SUBJECT: SUPPORT SB 1576 (Mu Tray) — Transitional Housing and Supportive
Services for Former Foster Youth C .
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION: SUPPORT SB 1576 (Murray) —Transitional Housing and Supportive Services for
Former Foster Youth
FINANCIAL IMPACT: SB 1576 would make the Transitional Housing and Supportive Services program
a fully-funded state program. THP currently requires a 60% county match.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT
This action impacts three of the community outcomes: 1) Children Ready for and Succeeding in School;
2) Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood; and 5) Communities are Safe
and Provide a High Quality of Life.
BACKGROUND: SB 1576 would make the Transitional Housing Placement program (THP) a fully-
funded state program. By removing the financial burden on counties, SB 1576 would enable Contra
Costa County to assist more foster youth than it is currently able to as they transition to independence.
Without a support structure to ensure a safe transition from the foster care system to independence,
many of these youth suffer from increased levels of homelessness, unemployment and incarceration. As
an example, unemployment rates for emancipated youth are estimated at 50% while the average earned
income for these youth are $6,000 per year— a number well below the national poverty level of$7,890.
THP currently requires counties to cover 60% of the cost of the program in order to receive the state's
40% matching funds. This financing structure places a disproportionate burden on counties that seek to
aid former foster youth, making access to transitional housing and supportive services more difficult for
some of the most vulnerable in our state. Contra Costa County is nationally recognized for its
outstanding Independent Living SkillslProgram, and THP is part of ILSP. However, we are limited in the
number of THP "slots" we can provide to former foster youth because of financial considerations.
THP is the only state-funded program)that provides former foster youth with housing assistance,
employment training, educational counseling, mental health services, and life skills training for a
maximum of two years. Studies have shown that youth who participate in THP are three times less likely
to be incarcerated, four times less likely to be homeless and two times more likely to complete high
school.
SB 1576 complements item No. 52 of the Board's 2006 State Legislative Platform: "SUPPORT
efforts ... extension of Independent Living Skill services to age 21 ......
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: €S SIGNATURE:
?/ - "'_
✓1'CECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE _OTHER
SIGNATURE(S . -
r�
ACTION OF BOR ON Yl�(I'�S / bCo I APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPE VISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT
COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE
YC UNANIMOUS(ABSENT 1 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE
SHOWN.
AYES: NOES:
ABSENT: ABSTAIN:
ATTESTED:
CONTACT: Karen Mitchoff,EHSD JOHN B.CULLEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVIS RS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY 0 ,DEPUTY
n
N'
SENATE BILL No. 1576
Introduced by Senator Murray
February 2;3, 2006
An act relating to public social services.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1576, as introduced,Murray. Foster care:transitional housing.
Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent
Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) 'program, under which counties
provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified
children in foster care.
Existing law extends eligibility for certain transitional housing
placement program services that are available to foster youth to a
person less than 24 years of age who has emancipated from the foster
care system in a county that has elected to participate in a transitional
housing placement program for youths between 18 and 24 years of
age, provided that the person has not received these services for more
than a total of 24 months.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
to address the transitional housing program for emancipated foster
youths.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact
2 legislation addressing the transitional housing program for
3 emancipated foster youths.
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