Bill Text: CA SCR82 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Concurrent Resolution 82 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2015-09-04 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 159, Statutes of 2015. [SCR82 Detail]

Download: California-2015-SCR82-Chaptered.html

BILL NUMBER: SCR 82	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  159
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  AUGUST 20, 2015
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Senator McGuire

                        JULY 13, 2015

   Relative to California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 82, McGuire. California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
   This measure would proclaim the month of November 2015 as
California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.



   WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth are young people between 12
and 24 years of age who have the least access to essential
opportunities and supports; and
   WHEREAS, The prevalence of runaways and homelessness among youth
is staggering, with studies suggesting that nationally between 1.6
million and 2.8 million youth up to 24 years of age experience
homelessness every year, of which an overrepresentation is, compared
to the general youth population, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender; and
   WHEREAS, Based on national surveys and California's youth
population, an estimated 200,000 youth under 18 years of age, and
thousands more who are 18 to 24 years of age, are homeless for one or
more days each year; and
   WHEREAS, Based on the latest McKinney-Vento report from the
California Department of Education, 297,617 youth in California,
including unaccompanied youth and youth with their families who lack
stable housing, from kindergarten through grade 12 experienced
homelessness at least one day out of the year during the 2013-2014
school year, a 10 percent increase over the previous academic year,
and an 18 percent increase over the previous two years; and
   WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth flee conflict, abuse, neglect,
or, increasingly, poverty in their homes. They have become
disconnected from educational systems and the workforce, and do not
have the skills and financial resources to live on their own. The
factors impacting youth homelessness are complex and differ from
those impacting other homeless populations; and
   WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth who live on the street are
victims of physical abuse, sexual exploitation, and crime in untold
numbers. An estimated 300,000 youth are either victims, or at risk of
becoming victims, of the commercial sexual exploitation of children
each year, of which 60 percent of these victimized children are
homeless; and
   WHEREAS, These youths are on the street because they feel there
are no other options open to them; and
   WHEREAS, The percentage of unaccompanied homeless minors who are
unsheltered in California stands at 79.2 percent, which is the second
highest in the country; and
   WHEREAS, The number of emergency shelter beds available to
homeless youth has dropped from 587 beds in 1990 to 555 beds in 2010,
as of the last comprehensive survey; and
   WHEREAS, Youths who "age out" of the foster care system are at an
increased risk of homelessness, and represent an estimated 20 percent
of the 20,000 youth who leave foster care and are currently
homeless; and
   WHEREAS, Providing safe, stable, and permanent housing for runaway
and homeless youth is a family, community, state, and national
priority; and
   WHEREAS, The future well-being of our state depends on the value
we place on our youth, and, in particular, on our actions to provide
the most vulnerable young people in the state with opportunities to
acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to find and
maintain stable housing and develop into healthy and productive
adults; and
   WHEREAS, The number of effective programs providing services and
support to runaway and homeless youth in California is a fraction of
what is needed to fully address the needs of these young people as
only 20 out of California's 58 counties have programs for runaway and
homeless youth; and
   WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth has operated the
California Youth Crisis Line (1-800-843-5200), 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, for over 27 years as the state's only emergency response
system for youth in crisis; and
   WHEREAS, November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Awareness
Month; and
   WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth, along with other
community-based organizations, providers, and advocates, is
sponsoring California's fifth annual Runaway and Homeless Youth Month
to increase awareness and action on behalf of youth at risk or
currently living on the street; and
   WHEREAS, Awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness and its
causes must be heightened to ensure greater support for effective
programs aimed at preventing homelessness and helping youth remain
off the streets; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the need for
individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments, and
the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless youth in
California; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of
November 2015 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month; and be
it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.