CA SB 37

Title: Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act.
Author: Anna Marie Caballero

Summary
SB 37, as amended, Caballero. Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act. Existing law establishes various programs to address homelessness, including requiring the Governor to create an Interagency Council on Homelessness and establishing the Homeless Emergency Aid program for the purpose of providing localities with one-time grant funds to address their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law commits to the Department of Housing and Community Development the administration of various housing assistance programs, including provisions relating to residential hotel rehabilitation and tasks the department, in consultation with each council of governments, with the determination of each region’s existing and projected housing need.This bill would, upon an appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, require the Department of Housing and Community Development, commencing January 1, 2024, to begin developing the Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Program. The bill would require the department, in administering the program, to offer competitive grants to nonprofit community-based organizations, continuums of care, public housing authorities, and area agencies on aging, as specified, to administer a housing subsidy program for older adults and adults with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, as defined.This bill would require the department, in establishing the program guidelines, to prioritize communities in which a higher proportion of renters face severe rental cost burden than the state average. The bill would create the Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Fund from which funds would be allocated by the department to eligible recipients though December 31, 2028, for these purposes.This bill would require an award recipient to use grant funds for specified activities, including housing subsidies up to the amount of reasonable rent until the participant is able to access a longer-term subsidy, no longer requires the housing subsidy, or the specified expenditure period expires and relocation costs if a landlord decides not to continue participating in the program or evicts a tenant, as specified. The bill would authorize a grantee to utilize up to 15% of its allocation for landlord recruitment and tenancy acquisition services, landlord incentives, and housing navigation and tenancy transition services, as defined.This bill would require the department to conduct specified oversight activities, including imposing reporting requirements on award recipients and contracting with an independent evaluator to conduct an interim evaluation of program outcomes and a final report. The bill would require the department to submit those reports to the Legislature, as specified.

Status
Set for hearing January 18.

Bill Documents
CA SB 37 - 01/22/24 - Amended Senate
01/22/24 - CA SB 37 (01/22/24 - Amended Senate)