The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee held an
informational hearing titled “Challenges and Opportunities:
Homelessness in California’s Local Communities” yesterday,
hearing testimony from a variety of state and national experts on
the issue, including Yolo County Supervisor Oscar Villegas and
“No Place Like Home” sponsor, former Senator Darrell Steinberg.
Supervisor Villegas testified on the myriad ways in which
counties are involved on the homelessness issue: poverty programs
such as CalWORKs and Medi-Cal, mental health and substance use
disorder programs, public safety impacts, and issues surrounding
housing and the siting of transitional and permanent affordable
or subsidized housing,
He went on to highlight homeless initiatives in Los Angeles and
Placer Counties and presented the lessons learned by Yolo County
during their innovative Bridge to Housing project, which is an
innovative collaboration with the City of West Sacramento to
repurpose existing motel space into permanent supportive housing.
Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and former Senator
Steinberg each also spoke in support of the Senate’s “No Place
Like Home” proposal, which would redirect a portion of Mental
Health Services Act (MHSA, or Proposition 63) funding from
counties to help securitize up to $2 billion in housing bonds.
Under the proposal, cities and counties would compete with each
other for the housing bond funds. The proposal also urges an
increase in the state’s Supplemental Security Income/State
Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) rates, which provide monthly
funding to those who are aged, blind, or disabled. Further, the
proposal affirms support for the existing Housing Support
Program, which is administered by counties within the CalWORKs
program, and a new “Bringing Families Home” program to provide
family housing.
CSAC has not yet developed a position on the “No Place Like Home”
proposal, as details beyond what is presented above are not yet
available. Homelessness has become a top issue within the
Capitol, counties, and with our cities. CSAC will present a CSAC
Institute Emerging Issues course on homelessness issues on April
14, and a homeless issue workshop during the 2016 CSAC
Legislative Conference. Details will be provided as they become
available.
