Bill Text: CA AB1499 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1499

Bill Title: Social services: Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1499 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1499-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 18, 2023

Amended IN Assembly March 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1499

Introduced by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan

February 17, 2023

An act to add Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 18050) to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to social services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1499, as amended, Bauer-Kahan. Social services: Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and requires the department to administer various housing programs.

Existing law requires agencies and departments administering state programs to collaborate with the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to adopt guidelines and regulations that incorporate core components of housing ~~policy.~~ policy, including Housing First.

Existing law contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services for persons with mental health disorders in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs.

This bill would require, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish and administer a grant program to allow local jurisdictions to implement programs to support those individuals who are most at risk for hospital and jail visits. The bill would award the grants to 10 unspecified counties. The bill would require the funds be used to bolster existing efforts to identify the most vulnerable individuals, offer additional support, and fund interventions for those individuals based on the individual’s needs, as identified. the Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program to provide grants to counties currently enrolled in the Data Driver Recovery Project for the innovative identification and intervention of frequent utilizers, as defined, and to aid in providing those individuals with services. This bill would require a grant recipient to meet specified criteria, including an expressed intent in coordinating with fellow counties to share data in order to identify frequent utilizers. The bill would require an applicant to the program to provide a proposal containing specified information, including a viable plan to identify frequent utilizers and performance metrics and goals the applicant seeks to achieve through the program.

The bill would require the department to score applicants to the program competitively according to specified criteria. The bill would require a grant recipient to use prearrest diversion when applicable and provide other services to vulnerable individuals to promote anti-recidivism, among others. The bill would require the department to distribute funds allocated to a grant recipient for a term of 3 years, subject to automatic renewal. The bill would also require a grant recipient to then execute contracts with community-based organizations to provide services to frequent utilizers.
The bill would require a grant recipient to submit an annual report to the department on specified information, including the types of services provided to frequent utilizers and whether the grant recipient met the performance metrics identified in their application.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares that the Department of Housing and Community Development, with its expertise in overseeing grant programs for housing and services, counties and continuums of care, and community-based organizations with experience providing housing and services, is an appropriate entity to administer programs offering innovative or evidence-based housing and services interventions to frequent utilizers.

SEC. 2.

Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 18050) is added to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

CHAPTER 1.5. Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program
18050.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Applicant” means a county enrolled in the Data Driven Recovery Project that has applied to receive funds under the program.
(b) “Frequent utilizer” means a highly vulnerable person who cycles repeatedly through multiple systems, including jails, emergency rooms, shelters, and other public systems due to underlying behavioral health, housing, and other needs.
(c) “Community-based organization” means a mission-driven nonprofit organization that qualifies for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(d) “Continuum of care” means a group organized to provide services under this chapter that is composed of representatives of organizations, including nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly homeless persons to the extent these groups are represented within the geographic area and are available to participate.
(e) “County” includes a city that is also a county or cities working with counties to apply for grant funds and are enrolled in the Data Driven Recovery Project.
(f) “Data Driven Recovery Project” means the 10 counties working to link criminal justice and behavioral health data to better understand the mental health needs of people in the criminal justice system. The project includes the Counties of Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Marin, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Yolo.
(g) “Department” means the Department of Housing and Community Development, unless otherwise identified.
(h) “Grant recipient” means a county that is enrolled in the Data Driven Recovery Project and who’s grant application was approved by the department.
(i) “Housing First” has the same meaning as in Section 8255 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(j) “Program” means the Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program established under this chapter.
18051.
Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose, the department shall create the Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program. The program shall provide grants to applicants for the innovative identification and intervention of frequent utilizers in their county and to aid in providing those individuals with necessary social services. The department shall do all of the following:
(a) Establish a process in which counties currently enrolled in the Data Driven Recovery Project may apply to receive a grant under this chapter.
(b) Establish protocols to identify highly vulnerable, frequent utilizers.
(c) Issue guidelines establishing the grant program.
(d) Issue a notice of the funding available to a county after a grant has been awarded.
(e) Grant three-year renewable grants to applicants based on a competitive scoring process using specified criteria.
18052.
A grant recipient awarded a grant under this chapter shall meet both of the following criteria:
(a) Has expressed intent in coordinating with fellow counties when it comes to data sharing in order to identify frequent utilizers.
(b) Has built a network of agencies that provide services to frequent utilizers.
18053.
An applicant to the grant program shall submit a proposal to the department for the three-year renewable grant. The proposal shall contain all of the following:
(a) A viable plan to identify frequent utilizers with services based on evidence-based practices that will address potential issues, including, but not limited to, recidivism rates, behavioral health, and emergency health care systems.
(b) Performance metrics and goals the applicant seeks to achieve through this program.
(c) A description of the applicant’s experience in successfully administering or overseeing, or the ability to successfully administer or oversee, the activities the applicant plans to fund through the program.
18054.
Scoring criteria for an applicant shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(a) County need, which includes consideration of the number of frequent utilizers and their cost to the community in which the applicant will be serving eligible participants.
(b) Experience in providing, or demonstrated ability to provide, evidence-based identification and intervention services to frequent utilizers.
(c) The extent of the individual county’s coordination and collaboration with other counties in the state, the homeless continuum of care covering the geographic area, and community-based organizations with a history of serving frequent utilizers.
(d) Experience using Housing First core components to address the needs of the eligible population.
(e) Partnerships and contractual agreements demonstrating an ability of the applicant to administer or partner to administer funding for evidence-based services interventions, including, but not limited to, rental assistance.
(f) Demonstrated commitment to address the needs of frequent utilizers through existing programs or programs planned to be implemented within 12 months.
(g) Proposed use of funds and the extent to which the proposed use will lead to overall reductions in cost for human services and need for human services in a specified area, including, but not limited to, homelessness, recidivism, and behavioral health issues.
18055.
A grant recipient shall engage in prearrest diversion when applicable, provide universal screening for mental health and substance use disorders and assisted outpatient treatment when applicable, and provide any other service that supports highly vulnerable individuals to promote anti-recidivism, assistance with behavioral health, and prearrest diversion that are offered through a trauma-informed, culturally competent approach.
18056.
(a) The department shall distribute funds allocated to grant recipients for a term of three years, subject to automatic renewal. The grant recipient shall then execute contracts with community-based organizations to provide necessary services for frequent utilizers. After a grant issued by the department has expired, any funds not expended for eligible activities shall revert to the department for use for the program.
(b) A grant recipient shall submit to the department an annual report on a form issued by the department, pertaining to the recipient’s program or project selection process, contract expenditures, and progress toward meeting state and local goals, as demonstrated by the performance measures set forth in the application. A grant recipient shall, along with any other data as required by the department, report all of the following on an annual basis:
(1) The number of frequent utilizers served.
(2) The types of services that were provided to frequent utilizers.
(3) Whether the grant recipient met performance metrics identified in their application.
(4) Whether the grant recipient and the providers they contracted with are adhering to the core components of Housing First.
(5) The outcomes for frequent utilizers to the extent the data is available, including, but not limited to, permanent housing status, the status of any mental health treatments received, and recidivism rates.

SECTION 1.Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 18050) is added to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
1.5.Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program
18050.
(a)Upon an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, the Department of Housing and Community Development shall establish and administer a grant program to allow local jurisdictions to implement programs to support those individuals who are most at risk for hospital and jail visits.
(b)Grants made pursuant to this section shall be made to the Counties of ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, and ____, that are currently in the process of identifying the individuals who most frequently use social services, including, but not limited to, homeless services, mental health services, hospitals, shelters, and jails.
(c)Grants made pursuant to this section shall be used to bolster existing efforts to identify the most vulnerable individuals, offer additional support, and fund interventions for those individuals based on the individual’s needs, as identified.