Housing: Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program: youth-specific processes and coordinated entry systems.

Budget Housing Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Ramos
Last action: 2026-02-02
Official status: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact nature of the youth-specific assessment tool and housing inventory is not detailed in the official summary.

Housing Help for Youth: Special Processes and Support

This law requires local housing groups to create special processes and support systems for homeless youth when applying for government funds starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year.

What This Bill Does

Requires local housing groups, upon appropriation and beginning with the 2026–27 fiscal year, to annually certify that they have a process specifically designed for homeless youth within their coordinated entry system.
Needs these groups to implement a specific assessment tool tailored to understand the needs of homeless youth when assessing their situation.
Requires local housing groups to establish or identify an advisory body composed of young people with lived experience of homelessness, which must be consulted regularly.
Asks these groups to document in their applications how they plan to help homeless youth and what kind of housing is available for them.

Who It Names or Affects

Local housing groups that apply for government funds to help the homeless starting from the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Homeless youth who will benefit from special processes and support systems.

Terms To Know

Continuum of Care: A system that provides a range of services to help people find housing, such as shelters, transitional homes, and permanent housing.
Coordinated Entry System: A process used by local groups to quickly assess the needs of homeless individuals and connect them with appropriate housing and support services.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies when there is funding available from the government starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
It does not specify how much money will be given for these youth-specific programs.

Bill History

2026-02-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
2026-01-31 California Legislative Information
Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
In committee: Held under submission.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-28 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.
2025-03-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended.
2025-03-26 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (March 26).
2025-02-10 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and HUM. S.
2025-01-16 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee February 15.
2025-01-15 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 249, as amended, Ramos.
Housing: Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program: youth-specific processes and coordinated entry systems.
Existing law requires the Governor to create the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council, renamed the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, to, among other things, identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed to prevent and end homelessness in California and to serve as a statewide facilitator, coordinator, and policy development resource on ending homelessness in California. Existing law establishes the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program, administered by the Interagency Council on Homelessness, with respect to rounds 1 through 5, inclusive, of the program, and Department of Housing and Community Development (department), with respect to round 6 of the program, for the purpose of providing jurisdictions, as defined, with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address
their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law requires the department, upon appropriation, to distribute certain amounts, as specified, for purposes of round 6 of the program. Existing law requires an applicant to submit an application containing specified information in order to apply for a program allocation. Existing law requires an applicant to use at least 10% of specified funds allocated for services for homeless youth populations.
This bill would require a continuum of care, upon appropriation and beginning with the 2026–27 fiscal year, to annually certify that they create or maintain a youth-specific process with their respective coordinated entry system, as specified, implement a youth-specific assessment tool, create a body or identify an existing body composed of youth with lived experience of homelessness that the continuum of care and other Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention
Program
program
grantees must consult with regularly, and
create
identify
an array of youth-specific housing inventory. The bill would require the continuum of care to document in their application how the housing assessment is youth-specific and their prioritization policy if the continuum of care states they already maintain a youth-specific coordinated entry system.
The bill would also make findings and declarations related to youth-specific programs and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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