March 14, 2024

The AT HOME (Accountability, Transparency, Housing, Outreach, Mitigation, and Economic Opportunity) plan continues to guide CSAC’s advocacy efforts to address California’s homelessness crisis. Following the successful adoption of various aspects of the Accountability pillar in last year’s homelessness budget trailer bill, this year’s efforts focus more broadly on all pillars of AT HOME and encompass budget advocacy, implementation support, and bill engagement.

CSAC continues to work with counties on their resource and guidance needs for the regional plans and HHAP Round 5 applications that are due at the end of this month. For bills, the CSAC legislative team is engaging on those that align with the AT HOME pillars, including a sponsored bill on Housing and Community Development Department loan forgiveness, SB 1032 (Padilla), that CSAC’s Housing, Land Use, and Transportation (HLT) team is leading. We will have more information to share on the broad AT HOME bill landscape as bills in their spot form are amended and policy hearings get fully underway.

AT HOME Budget Priorities

Support Ongoing Funding for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program: The top homelessness budget priority is ongoing funding for the HHAP program at a level of at least $1 billion per year, which will allow counties to continue successful programs and make long-term investments. The HHAP program is transforming the lives of individuals throughout the state by helping them secure permanent housing and needed services, and continued state investments are needed even in this difficult state budget situation. CSAC recently distributed two letters in support of this budget request that are described and linked below.

• In the coalition letter, CSAC, the League of California Cities, Big City Mayors, and the Bring California Home coalition all came together on a joint budget ask for ongoing HHAP funding. Being able to partner with cities and leading homelessness advocacy organizations strengthens our advocacy efforts and demonstrates the importance of this funding in communities throughout the state. 
• The CSAC Assembly and Senate HHAP budget letters reaffirm the ongoing funding request and outline two additional HHAP funding priorities. CSAC requests that the county-by-county methodology for HHAP allocations be adjusted and not be solely based on the most recent point-in-time (PIT) count to prevent counties that are successfully reducing the number of unhoused individuals from having their allocations significantly reduced which will make it difficult to sustain those investments. The second ask is for a county minimum amount for HHAP grants in recognition that it takes a certain amount of funding to hire staff, stand up programs, and reach large geographic areas. 
• CSAC encourages counties to share support for HHAP funding. HHAP funding will be discussed at the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #5 hearing on April 9 and the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee #4 hearing on April 18. Please email Danielle Bradley at dbradley@counties.org if you would like to receive a template letter or need assistance on submitting letters to the budget committees.

Oppose Governor’s Proposed Cuts to Safety Net Services: CSAC opposes cuts to safety net services that will result in more individuals and families falling further into poverty and at risk of homelessness.

• CalWORKs: The Governor’s Budget proposes over $400 million in cuts to CalWORKs services, including to crisis case management and employment services.
• Family Urgent Response System (FURS) Elimination: The Governor’s Budget proposes to eliminate the FURS program, which provides foster youth and their caregivers with the immediate support they need during times of crisis and links them to supports and services to help stabilize the situation.
• Proposed Elimination of Housing Supports for Foster Youth: The Governor’s Budget proposes to eliminate the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program (HNMP) and halt implementation of the Supervised Independent Living Placements (SILP) payment housing supplement. These two programs help current and former foster youth secure and maintain housing.

Oppose Governor’s Proposed $1.2 billion Reduction for Housing Programs: The Governor’s Budget proposes $1.2 billion in funding reductions for various housing programs that promote affordable housing development and help keep low and very-low-income Californians housed.

CSAC staff will continue to keep counties apprised of the advocacy efforts, including additional opportunities for counties to assist in uplifting the AT HOME plan.