Unaccompanied homeless pupils: Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on the exact types of services or the amount of funding available for each grant.

Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program

This law creates a grant program to provide temporary housing, basic needs support, financial aid, and educational services for unaccompanied homeless youth aged 16 and 17 who are not in foster care.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program to provide grants for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.
• Requires local educational agencies to apply for 5-year grants to fund transitional housing projects for unaccompanied homeless youth aged 16 and 17 who are not in foster care.
• Specifies that grant funds must be used for referrals to social services, basic needs support, financial aid, and educational support services.
• Gives preference to local educational agencies partnering with experienced nonprofit organizations working with unaccompanied youth.
• Requires local educational agencies receiving grants to submit detailed plans and annual reports on how the funds are spent.

Who It Names or Affects

• Unaccompanied homeless youth aged 16 and 17 who are not in foster care.
• Local educational agencies applying for grant funding.
• Nonprofit organizations partnering with local educational agencies to support unaccompanied youth.

Terms To Know

Unaccompanied Youth

Homeless young people aged 16 and 17 who are not in foster care.

Grant Program

A program funded by the government that gives money to organizations for specific purposes, like providing housing or services.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much funding will be available for each grant.
• It is unclear what metrics local educational agencies must use to measure progress towards program goals.

Official Summary Text

AB 673, as amended, Jackson.
Unaccompanied homeless pupils: Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program.
Existing law states the intent of the Legislature to ensure that all pupils in foster care and those who are homeless, as defined, have a meaningful opportunity to meet the challenging state pupil academic achievement standards to which all pupils are held. Existing law requires educators, county placing agencies, care providers, advocates, and the juvenile courts to work together to maintain stable school placements and to ensure that each pupil is placed in the least restrictive educational programs, and has access to the academic resources, services, and extracurricular and enrichment activities that are available to all pupils, as provided.
This bill would require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the State Department of Social
Services and county offices of education,
Services,
to administer competitive grants as part of a pilot program, to be known as the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program, for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide
temporary housing to reduce absenteeism, improve graduation rates, and provide pupils with a stable learning environment. The bill would require 5-year grants to be awarded to local educational
agencies to fund transitional housing projects for unaccompanied homeless youth who are 16 and 17 years of
age and who are not in foster care. The bill would
supports necessary to improve school attendance, pupil engagement, pupil graduation rates, and pupil wellbeing for unaccompanied youth, as defined, who are 16 and 17 years of age, including connecting youth with resources to find stable housing. The bill would require 5-year grants to be awarded to local educational agencies to support unaccompanied youth, and would
require grant funds to be used for, among other things, referrals to existing social services support systems,
provision of
and providing
basic needs
supports, financial support,
supports
and educational support services, as specified. The bill would
also
require funding preference under the program to be given to local educational agencies that
partner with nonprofit organizations
that demonstrate certain characteristics, as provided.
have significant experience working with unaccompanied youth and existing partnerships with certain entities, as specified. The bill would require local educational agencies applying for grant funds under the program to submit an application that includes, among other things, a
detailed plan describing how grant funds will be used to identify eligible pupils, the types of supports to be provided based on the eligible uses of grant funds, and the methods and metrics
the local educational agency will use to measure progress towards program goals.
The bill would require local educational agencies awarded grant funds under the program to submit annual reports to the department that include, among other things, a description of the expenditure of funds and the number and characteristics of unaccompanied
homeless
youth served.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF