The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 04242007 - C.28 TO- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS `'' L=_°�_ Contra FROM: Joe Valentine, Director ' Employment & Human Services Department✓/ ; =s Costa o: o+rliatf:+u.:y.� z DATE: April 24, 2007 9 torr--COOK County SUBJECT: Support Assembly Bill 845 SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION SUPPORT Assembly Bill 845 (Bass), which would formally authorize the Governor's proposed $10.6 million mid-year Transitional Housing Program (THP)-Plus allocation. FINANCIAL IMPACT This bill will provide us the ability to receive additional funds for the THP-Plus program and serve more foster youth. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT This legislation impacts Outcome 2: Youth are Healthy and Preparing for Adulthood. BACKGROUND AB 845 will help California's most vulnerable youth make a safe, supported transition from the foster care and probation systems by funding the State's only housing program for former foster and probation youth (THP-Plus) at the level required by the 46 counties (Contra Costa is one of these 46 counties) that have committed to implement the program in the current fiscal year. Together, these 46 counties and their nonprofit partners will provide up to 1,200 otherwise homeless youth with safe, affordable housing and supportive services. Currently, there is $4.8 million in the FY 06-07 State Budget to support this effective program. AB 845 will augment the current year budget for THP-Plus to $15.5 million, ensuring the State of California can meet its commitment to implementing this important program. Additionally, AB 845 fulfills last year's legislative agreement to fund new opportunities for youth as the counties and their partners create them. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: --YES RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE o APPROVE OTHER 3IGNATURE(S): 5 ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE AYES: NOES: SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED: U Contact: Karen Mitchoff,EHSD(3-1676) JOHN CULLEN,C K OF THE BOARD OF Cc: Lara DeLaney,CAO SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR C.Christian c/o CAO BY DEPUTY The Hoard of Supervisors Contra John Cullen Ccunty Administration Building Costa Clerk of the Board 651 Pine Street, Room 106 and Martinez,California 94553 Count CountyAdministrator3 5-19 rator Y (925)335-1900 John Gioia, 15'District Gayle B. Uilkema, 2ntl District Mary N.Piepho, 3n'District Susan A.Bonilla, 4'h District : Federal D.Glover, 51h District The Honorable Karen Bass April 11, 2007 Majority Leader, State Assembly P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0047 VIA FACSIMILE: (916) 319-2147 RE: Support of AB 845: Supported Housing for Former Foster and Probation Youth Clear Majority Leader Bass: Contra Costa County is pleased to support AB 845, an important piece of legislation that will help California's most vulnerable youth make a safe, supported transition from the foster care and probation systems. We are proud of Contra Costa's THP-Plus program. Contracting with a number of community organizations, we provide a variety of housing alternatives to youth. These include shared housing in an actual house; scattered site apartment-setting housing which provide support to maintain these youth in housing after they have completed the program; and housing that provides a higher level of services, including therapeutic options. Each year, over 4,200 youth "emancipate" from the foster system in California when they turn 18 and are no longer age-eligible for services. These youth are at a critical juncture where they can either become homeless and unemployed or productive citizens. Without access to assistance, studies show that youth formerly in the foster care and probation systems experience a host of problems, including violence and crime. AB 845 will ensure that California's foster youth make a safe, supported transition from foster care by funding the State's only housing program for former foster and probation youth (THP-Plus) at the level required by the 46 counties that have committed to implement the program in the current fiscal year. Together, these 46 counties and their nonprofit partners will provide up to 1,200 otherwise homeless youth with safe, affordable housing and supportive services. Currently, there is $4.8 million in the FY 06-07 State Budget to support this effective program. AB 845 Will augment the current year budget for THP-Plus to $15.5 million, ensuring the State of California can meet its commitment to implementing this important program. Additionally, AB 845 fulfills last year's legislative agreement to fund new opportunities for youth as the counties and their partners create 1. =them. I ` Thank u f ur favorable consideration of AB 845. Cor ' Ily, Ma N. o oard of Supervisors ` cc: Members, Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Devekl6pment Assembly Member Mark DeSaulnier Assembly Member Loni Hancock Assembly Member Guy Houston Senator Tom Torlakson Members, Contra Costa Board of Supervisors AMENDED 1N ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2007 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE-2Oo7-08 REGULAR SESSION ASSEMBLY BILL No. 845 Introduced by Assembly Members Bass,Maze,and Sharon Runner February 22, 2007 An act to amend Seetion 1505.2 of the Health and Safi�� Gode, relating to foster .are `eilititl youth, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 845,as amended,Bass. Foster fyouth: transitional housing:funding. 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. The program is funded by a combination offederal,state, and county funds, with moneys from the General Fund being continuously appropriated to pay for the state's share of AFDC-FC costs. 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. Existing law establishes the Transitional Housing for-Foster Youth Fund, which is continuously appropriated for purposes of paying the 98 AB 845 —2— s tate 2—state share of the cost relating to transitional housing services for eligible emancipatedfoster youth. This bill would appropriate $10,525,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Social Services, to fund increased costs on the Transitional Housing.for Foster Youth Program in the 2006-07 fiscal year, in augmentation of a specified provision of the Budget Act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. v provides for the lieenstire and regulation of eomm This bill would make teehnieal, nonsubstantive ehanges to these Vote: m*erity2/3. Appropriation: fieyes. Fiscal committee: rte yes. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of California do enact as follows: 1 SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the 2 following: 3 (a) The transition to young adulthood is never easy, and is 4 particularly dicult for the approximately 4,000 youth who "aged 5 out"of the_foster care system each year. 6 (b) Many of these youth are unable to turn to their-parents or- 7 other family members for,financial or emotional support. 8 (c) Without safe and stable housing,former foster youth are at 9 a higher risk.for homelessness, increased rates of incarceration, 10 reliance on public assistance, and economic hardship. The 11 provision of transitional housing is an important step in 12 ameliorating this risk, by assisting former foster youth to reach 13 their potential to become productive, contributing members of 14 their communities. 15 (d) Transitional housing programs meet a critical basic safety 16 need for foster youth to transition successfully to adulthood. 17 (e) Transitional housing programs offer assistance in the 18 development of education and employment goals to aid youth as 19 thev transition out of the foster-care system. Without this housing 20 assistance, marry former foster youth face insurmountable 21 challenges in securing the necessary education or employment 22 that will lead to permanent housing. 98 -3— AB 845 1 The number of current transitional housing beds is 2 inadequate to serve the statewide need.An increase in funding in 3 the current year would provide for the delivery cif transitional 4 housing services, which could result in more than a 350 percent 5 increase in the number of youth served by this program. The 6 existing Transitional Housing for Foster Youth Program budget 7 funds 167 youth to receive transitional housing services.Additional 8 funding could provide transitional housing for over 500 more 9 emancipatedfoster vouth in the current year. 10 SEC. 2. The sum of ten millionfive hundred twenty five 11 thousand dollars ($10,525,000) is hereby appropriated from the 12 General Fund to the State Department of Social Services,for the 13 purpose of funding increased costs in the Transitional Housing 14 for- Foster Youth Program in the 2006-07 fiscal year dare to 15 increased county interest in the program. This,finding shall be in 16 augmentation of Program 25.30-Children and Adult Services and 17 Licensing of Item 5180-151-0001 of Section 2 of the Budget Act 18 of 2006(Ch. 47. Stats 2006). 19 20 amendeti jre a: 21 22 , 23 the purpose 4 plaeing siblings air half siblings together in f6ster 24 eam.This aethoirization may be granted only if till of the following 25 eanditions 26 (1) The foster f�tnily ho eeiali?ed foster eam home 27 as defined in sttbdi-vision (i) of Seetio� 17719 of the)Melf�t:e and 28 institutions Code. 29 (2) The hame is sttffieienti- size t-ae-ornmodate the needs of 30 all ehildfen in the hame. 31 ' .32 wat:ker has determined that the ehild's needs will be met and has 33 doetimented that determination. ..4....mroar.. . 34 35 to provi - 2 4 !.-- --t:e fof more than eight ehildren only if 36 foster family home speeializes in the eare of sibling groups, 37 plaeement is solely for the pttrpase ofplaeing together one sibling 98 AB 845 —4- 1 4-1 , and all of the above listed 2 eonditions are met. O 98