Transitional housing placement providers.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify an effective date, leaving the exact start time of the changes unclear.

Rules for Transitional Housing Providers

AB-1314 updates rules about transitional housing providers to ensure that decisions on living arrangements are made by the program participants and sets new contract requirements between counties and these providers.

What This Bill Does

• Requires all counties and program contracts to ensure that decisions about sharing bedrooms, bathrooms, and units together in transitional housing are led by the program participant and agreed upon with the provider.
• Adds contract requirements if a county works with a transitional housing placement provider. These include rules against terms that make it hard for foster youth to join or stay in programs.

Who It Names or Affects

• Transitional housing providers who help foster children and nonminor dependents transition into adulthood.
• Counties and program contracts working with transitional housing placement providers.

Terms To Know

transitional housing

Temporary living arrangements that help people, especially former foster youth, move towards independent living.

nonminor dependents

Individuals who were in the foster care system and are now over 18 but still receive support from it.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify an effective date, so when exactly these changes will start is unclear.
• It increases duties for counties without providing additional funding to cover those new responsibilities.

Official Summary Text

AB 1314, Ahrens.
Transitional housing placement providers.
Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, requires the State Department of Social Services to license and regulate transitional housing placement providers, which is defined as organizations licensed by the department to provide transitional housing to foster children at least 16 years of age and not more than 18 years of age and to nonminor dependents to promote their transition to adulthood. Existing law requires the department to adopt regulations governing transitional housing placement living arrangement requirements for minors and nonminor dependents, including allowing a participant to share a bedroom or unit with certain other individuals and requiring all counties and program contracts to allow participants and those certain other individuals to share bedrooms, bathrooms, and units together, regardless of gender identity. Under existing law, a violation of
the act is a misdemeanor.
This bill would require all counties and program contracts to also ensure that decisions about sharing bedrooms, bathrooms, and units together are led by the program participant and agreed upon in collaboration with the provider. By increasing county duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires an applicant to obtain certification from a county specifying the population that will be
served by the facility in order to be licensed as a transitional housing placement provider. Existing law requires the certification to confirm that the program includes specified components, depending on the population served.
This bill would specify contract requirements if a county contracts with a transitional housing placement provider, including prohibiting the contract from containing terms that create unreasonable barriers for a qualified foster youth’s admission into or participation in the program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF