Fiscal Year 2022–2023 Action Plan Implementation Progress Report

Implementation Progress Report for Fiscal Year 22-23 November 2023 California Interagency Council on Homelessness Member Composition Lourdes M. Castro Ramírez (Co-Chair) Dr. Mark Ghaly (Co-Chair) Secretary, California Business, Consumer Services Secretary, California Health and Human Services and Housing Agency Agency Tomás J. Aragón Tomiquia Moss State Public Health Officer and Director, Founder & Chief Executive, All Home (appointed by California Department of Public Health the Senate Rules Committee) Stephanie Clendenin Tim Rainey Director, California Department of State Hospitals Executive Director, California Workforce Development Board Jacey Cooper Nancee Robles State Medicaid Director and Chief Deputy Executive Director, California Tax Credit Allocation Director of Health Care Programs, California Committee Department of Health Care Services Susan DeMarois Rebecca Ruan-O'Shaughnessy Director, California Department of Aging Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Support, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Kim Johnson Lindsey Sin Director, California Department of Social Services Secretary, California Department Veterans Affairs Tiena Johnson Hall Tony Tavares Executive Director, California Housing Finance Director, California Department of Transportation Agency Veronica Lewis Gustavo Velasquez Director, Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Director, California Department of Housing and Care System (appointed by Speaker of the Community Development Jeff Macomber Nancy Ward Secretary, California Department of Corrections Director, California Governor’s Office of Emergency and Rehabilitation Services William McGee Joe Xavier Administrator, Integrated Student Support and Director, California Department of Rehabilitation Programs Office, California Department of Education Cal ICH appreciates the time and effort put forth by staff from the 18 departments required to report activities for FY 22-23, providing updates and information to include in this report. Cal ICH staff deeply involved in the creation of this report included Nykole Sakihara, Cody Zeger, Giselle Sanchez, Claire Bannerman, Sydney Bennet, and many others. We also offer thanks to Cal ICH consultant Matthew Doherty for his contributions to this report. Table of Contents Action Plan Development and Reporting ......................................................... 1 Vision and Intent of the Action Plan ............................................................................................................. 1 Development of the Action Plan .................................................................................................................. 2 Driving Progress Across Five Action Areas ................................................................................................... 3 Focus and Structure of this Implementation Progress Report ................................................................... 5 Key Measures for Defining and Assessing Progress ....................................... 11 Fiscal Year 22-23 Key Measures ................................................................................................................... 12 Comparison to National and Regional Data and Trends ....................................................................... 20 Implementation Progress Reporting ................................................................ 21 Action Area 1. Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent and End Homelessness in California .................. 22 Action Area 2. Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness ............................................................................................................................... 51 Action Area 3. Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim Housing ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 Action Area 4. Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Permanent Housing in Our Communities ......... 67 Attachment A: Action Plan Objectives ........................................................... 93 Attachment B: Baseline Measures Methodology ........................................... 95 Attachment C: Acronyms Used in this Report............................................... 101 Action Plan Development and Reporting Vision and Intent of the Action Plan On any given night, more than 171,500 people were experiencing homelessness in California—representing more than one-quarter of all people experiencing homelessness in the United States.1 Making significant progress in preventing and ending homelessness across the state requires sustained and focused efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. Through the Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California, first adopted in March 2021, and updated in September 2022 and again in September 2023, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH)—the State’s interagency council on homelessness— pursues a vision for the State’s work to prevent and end homelessness that features: • Increased leadership from the state for identifying and supporting both short-term interventions and long-term solutions; • Purposeful, action-oriented coordination and alignment across State agencies and programs; and • Stronger, collaborative partnerships with public and private partners in communities. The Action Plan orients the State’s efforts to drive purposeful, meaningful, and measurable progress toward preventing and ending homelessness in California. This effort is motivated by a vision of a future in which homelessness in California is: rare, because it is prevented whenever possible; brief, ended quickly whenever it does occur, through a focus on Housing First approaches and housing outcomes; and a one-time experience, ended successfully the first time, so that no Californians experience homelessness repeatedly. The implementation of the Action Plan is aligned with several key principles and practices, including: ✓ Advancing trauma-informed care and ✓ Pursuing racial equity and justice; person-centered services; ✓ Creating solutions for the full diversity of ✓ Aligning health, housing, and homelessness people experiencing homelessness; strategies; and ✓ Seeking and valuing the expertise of ✓ Increasing Access to Resources for people with lived experiences of California’s Tribal Communities. homelessness; ✓ Strengthening Housing First approaches; ✓ Balancing crisis response and permanent housing solutions; 1 Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress” 1 Development of the Action Plan This Implementation Progress Report is focused on the implementation of the Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness during Fiscal Year 2022-2023 (FY 22-23). The development and updating of the Action Plan has been led by Cal ICH staff and consultant Matthew Doherty, under the guidance and direction of the Council, and deeply informed by planning conversations with State staff and input discussions with external stakeholders. The initial planning process began in July 2020, including extensive conversations with Council Members as well as external input from a variety of stakeholders. Over the course of five regular and special Council meetings, the Council developed the Plan’s Action Areas and Objectives. Additionally, it identified current and planned Activities across all participating State departments and agencies. Priorities for additional State activities based on external stakeholder conversations were also discussed and included. The Council adopted its first Action Plan during its March 2021 meeting. Cal ICH staff initiated the FY 22-23 update of the Action Plan at the Council’s January 2022 meeting. Staff then held planning conversations with partners from each Council member department and agency, as well as two virtual input sessions and discussions with local advisory bodies of people with lived expertise. The Council discussed priorities for the updated Action Plan at its May 2022 meeting, and the updated Plan was adopted by the Council during the September 2022 Council meeting. The updated Action Plan and summary materials are available at https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html. Note: This report focuses on the implementation of the Action Plan during FY 22-23, therefore it references the document and content that was adopted in September 2022. There is a more recent update to the Action Plan that the Council adopted in September 2023, and the Implementation Progress Report for FY 23-24 will focus on the implementation of that updated Plan. 2 Driving Progress Across Five Action Areas Implementation of the Action Plan drives progress across five distinct, but interrelated and complementary action areas, inclusive of the full range of activities necessary to prevent and end homelessness. ACTION AREA 1 Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent and End Homelessness in California Objectives and Activities focus on pursuing racial equity in response to homelessness and housing instability; engagement and partnership with people with lived expertise from experiences of homelessness; support of interjurisdictional and regional planning; partnerships to strengthen outcomes related to education, employment, income, and assets; disaster preparedness and response; and communications and public awareness. ACTION AREA 2 Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness Objectives and Activities focus on addressing health and safety needs and increasing access to State-supported services and programs for people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. ACTION AREA 3 Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim Housing Objectives and Activities focus on expanding the supply of safe, housing-placement focused sheltering and interim housing models and addressing health and services needs of people staying within such programs. ACTION AREA 4 Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Permanent Housing in Our Communities Objectives and Activities focus on strengthening Housing First approaches and expanding permanent housing opportunities through development strategies, short- and long-term rental assistance, and other rehousing activities. ACTION AREA 5 Preventing Californians from Experiencing the Crisis of Homelessness Objectives and Activities focus on reducing entries into homelessness as people exit and/or receive services through State-funded programs and systems and enhancing communities’ capacity to provide targeted homelessness prevention and diversion services and assistance. 3 Each Action Area contains multiple Objectives, totaling fifteen Objectives to be prioritized and pursued. Each Objective further details multiple Activities that one or more departments have committed to pursuing in order to drive progress toward the overall goal of preventing and ending homelessness. There are a total of 151 distinct Activities over three fiscal years, each of which contains: • Activity reference numbers, arranged by Action Area, Objective, and Activity Number • A description of the Activity to be implemented; • The lead department(s) responsible for implementing each Activity; • The collaborating department(s) deeply involved in implementing each Activity; • Timeframes for each Activity; and • Performance measurements that will be used to assess progress and impact, including process measures, output measures, and, when possible, outcome measures. The Action Plan identifies Objectives, Activities, and performance Measures from FY 20-21 through FY 22-23. It is not intended to be inclusive of every strategic activity or investment that State agencies or the Council will undertake, but instead seeks to focus on the highest-priority strategies and efforts that will have the greatest impact. Performance measures can include: • Process Measures focused on assessing if activities have been implemented as intended; • Output Measures focused on documenting the amount or scale of actions taken; and • Outcome Measures focused on the results or impacts of the activities. For more information, please refer to Attachment A in this report for a list of all the Action Plan’s objectives, Attachment B for a list of all of the FY 22-23 activities included, and the complete Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California in effect for FY 22-23 and the focus of this Progress Report. 4 Focus and Structure of this Implementation Progress Report Driving progress to prevent and end homelessness—and toward more racially equitable outcomes—requires multi-pronged, multi-year strategies across sectors and systems. These must be supported by data analyses, performance measures, and metrics that help assess, refine, and revise those strategies. The development and adoption of the Action Plan responded to those needs and represents a commitment to a sharpened focus on performance measurement, data, and analysis. Cal ICH reports annually on progress made toward the implementation of the Action Plan. The FY 21-22 Implementation Progress Report focused on reporting progress related to activities that were expected to be implemented during FY 21-22. This progress report will focus on activities projected to be implemented during FY 22-23. This report is organized into the following sections: • Highlights from FY 22-23 Implementation Progress describes several specific, high-impact accomplishments by Council member agencies and departments during FY 22-23. • Key Measures for Defining and Assessing Progress collects baseline data for key measures regarding homelessness in California that were identified within the Action Plan for Cal ICH to regularly analyze, review, and report on publicly. This section also includes a comparison with national and regional trends as well as an equity analysis of certain key measures. • Implementation Progress Reporting documents the progress that agencies and departments have made implementing each Action Plan activity. This section is organized by the Action Plan’s five action areas and fifteen objectives, but only includes activities expected to be implemented during FY 22-23. Further, each activity is accompanied by one or more icons that communicate the nature of the activity being implemented. The Council updated the Action Plan at the beginning of FY 23-24 to make slight modifications to the Plan’s Objectives and to identify additional specific Activities to be implemented during FY 23-24. The next annual progress report will focus on the implementation of that updated Plan. 5 Highlights from FY 22-23 Implementation Progress This section highlights key efforts and achievements of State agencies and departments during FY 22-23, organized by the Plan’s five Action Areas. The activities below are only a portion of the work completed during FY 22-23, but illustrate the breadth and depth of the State’s work to implement the Action Plan and to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. A fuller accounting of the State’s activities is provided in the Implementation Progress Reporting section of this report. ACTION AREA 1 Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent and End Homelessness in California • Numerous agencies took concrete steps and decisions; collecting and analyzing to ensure that Tribal entities have more data from the Homeless Management equitable access to State funding and to Information System (HMIS) and partner with Tribal communities to Coordinated Entry System (CES) to address capacity challenges, including: identify racial disparities; and identifying Cal ICH’s Tribal Liaison contacted all 109 and implementing Racial Equity California Federally Recognized Tribes to Improvement Projects over a 12-month receive feedback on the Tribal HHAP time period. program; CDSS launched a • CDPH reported that 16 Community Based comprehensive Technical Assistance Organizations across California are (TA) initiative in partnership with Change implementing the Peer Health Well Project, to provide eligible tribal Ambassador program to increase ability grantees direct and intensive support in of people experiencing homelessness to a wide range of areas; HCD provided access testing, vaccinations, and technical assistance and training for its treatment for COVID‐19 and a Peer various programs, including Homekey, Ambassador toolkit was developed by ESG and ESG-CV, CDBG-CV, and CDPH subcontractor Homebase. released its first ever Tribal-specific NOFA; and DHCS continued to implement its • Cal ICH developed and released a Tribal Engagement Plan, hosting Request for Proposal (RFP) for the quarterly meetings and its DHCS Tribal establishment of a Lived Experience Advisory Process outlined in the Medi-Cal Advisory Board (LEAB) and the eleven State Plan. selected LEAB members will begin onboarding during Q2 of FY 23-24. • Cal ICH in collaboration with Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) provided • As part of the Prison to Employment racial equity focused technical Initiative, CDCR, in collaboration with assistance to communities including: Mother Lode Job Center, implemented a developing strategies for embedding pilot project at Sierra Conservation equity-based decision-making processes Center establishing California Workforce within policymaking, funding process 6 Development Board case management stakeholders, works with individuals who services for individuals within one year of are unhoused and want to find release, and continued to develop employment. partnerships with state agencies, large • CDSS implemented the Guaranteed employers, including in the construction Income Pilot focused on populations and manufacturing trades, and non- facing key life transitions that puts them profit organizations to provide at higher risk for adverse outcomes: employment opportunities and resources pregnant people; and youth aging out of to individuals transitioning from CDCR’s extended foster care. The pilot seeks to institutions. use guaranteed income (GI) as a tool to • DOR developed a video series advance equity and change the highlighting models across the state economic landscape for these where DOR rapidly engages participants populations by providing unconditional, on their road to employment, including a regular cash payments for a specific video focused on how DOR, in period intended to support the basic partnership with community needs of the recipients. ACTION AREA 2 Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness • Cal ICH released multiple rounds of Diego that gave headquarters staff, awards through the Encampment district encampment coordinators, and Resolution Funding (ERF) Program, external partners the opportunity to supporting person-centered, housing- strategize and exchange information. focused approaches to addressing both • In July 2022, the Co-Chairs of the the needs of people experiencing Interagency Council issued a letter to unsheltered homelessness and the city mayors, county supervisors, impact of encampments on Continuums of Care leaders, and Public communities and providing nearly $250 Housing Authority directors promoting million in funding awards to more than 30 information about state funding communities. programs and encouraging applications • Caltrans updated its policies and from California communities to federal trainings to better reflect the funding opportunities, including the department’s holistic approach to Special Notice of Funding Opportunity to addressing homelessness and Address Unsheltered and Rural encampments on the state Right of Way, Homelessness. developed an Encampment • BCSH, in partnership with CalOES, Coordinator Reference Guide to serve CalHHS, DMV, and county government, as an in-depth internal manual with and in coordination with community- updated guidance and best practices, based nonprofits outreach teams, and held the first-ever statewide engaged with people experiencing Encampment Training Academy in San 7 homelessness at five encampment sites Inside Safe interim housing hotel sites, in Los Angeles, connecting people to and organized four housing fairs, and government documentation, including facilitating open-house viewings with California ID cards and birth certificates, community landlords with available units. and government benefits and services. Following this successful pilot, the team served formerly unsheltered people at ACTION AREA 3 Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim Housing • Through the Homekey program’s Round Reentry for expanded Diversion and 2, nine sites were acquired and Community-Based Restoration services, rehabilitated to serve as interim housing which will expand the number of beds in projects with a total of 415 new interim the Los Angeles program from 515 to units, bringing the total for the Homekey 1,334 beds over five years, serving program to 27 interim projects and 1,370 defendants experiencing homelessness units through the end of FY 22-23. at the time of their arrest and securing a permanent supportive housing upon • DHCS implemented the new Behavioral discharge. Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program, through which 53 counties are receiving • DOR has developed collaborative over $900 million in funding to address working relationships throughout the the immediate housing and treatment state with county coordinated entry needs of people experiencing programs, agencies providing unsheltered homelessness with serious emergency shelter and transitional behavioral health conditions by housing, and other community-based providing time-limited operational organizations to receive referrals and supports in various bridge housing provide DOR services. settings. • California Office of Emergency Services • HCD’s ESG-CV program supported (Cal OES) administered six grant 38,984 persons in emergency shelter and programs, with approximately 165 served 16,004 persons through Street subrecipients, with the primary purpose Outreach and HCD’s Pet Assistance and of providing shelter and housing services Support (PAS) program served 476 to victims of crime, providing more than individuals and 518 pets across at least 45,750 nights of shelter and more than 58 different shelters by providing pet 194,000 nights of transitional housing and owners with behavioral support, providing emergency shelter and spay/neuter services, and vaccinations, housing assistance to more than 5,200 as well as food, kennels and supplies for youth, and stabilization planning to more their animals. than 5,400 youth. • DSH executed a new contract with the Los Angeles Office of Diversion and 8 ACTION AREA 4 Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Permanent Housing in Our Communities • HCD administered the Homekey • CDCR’s Division of Rehabilitative program to expand housing for persons Programs (DRP) distributed guidelines experiencing homelessness or at risk of that assist the Specialized Treatment for homelessness and during FY 22-23, Optimized Programming (STOP) twenty permanent and interim-to- contractors with implementing Housing permanent projects were completed First Requirements, contract language and leased up with new tenants. 886 was also changed to reflect Housing First permanent supportive housing units were expectations, and developed guidelines produced and made available through on expectations on how to meet the Homekey Round 2 program, housing Housing First requirements. 1,152 individuals. • HCD administered the last planned round • The California Tax Credit Allocation of No Place Like Home (NPLH) awards Committee (CTCAC) continued to until additional new funding becomes provide priority for projects serving available. Overall, it is anticipated that people experiencing homelessness in approximately 7,852 NPLH-assisted units both the federal 9% and 4% low-income will be produced and FY 22-23 tenant housing tax credit applications. In 2022 outcome data will be available in the awards were made that will create 2,080 NPLH Annual Report to be released later units for those experiencing 2023. homelessness. • HCD facilitated 196 exempt surplus land • Cal ICH continues to include Housing dispositions and 121 standard surplus First requirements in the NOFA and land dispositions, resulting so far in a guidance for all Cal ICH-administered pipeline of 5,656 total proposed housing grants and is working to identify the units, of which 3,753 (approximately 67%) barriers faced in implementing Housing will be affordable to households at 80 First at both the state and local-levels in percent area median income or below. order to better support the effective administration of programs administering programs effectively. 9 ACTION AREA 5 Preventing Californians from Experiencing the Crisis of Homelessness • DHCS launched the PATH Round 2 • In FY 22-23, DSH activated 35 Early application which provides support for Access and Stabilization Services (EASS) the California Department of Corrections programs during the course of the year, and Rehabilitation, County Social and a total of 1,440 Incompetent to Services Department, County Stand Trial (IST) patients were served by Correctional Facilities, and County the program during that time, providing Probation Facilities to develop and treatment and medication supports at implement new processes in support of the earliest point possible for individuals the Inmate Pre-Release Application in jail who are deemed IST to facilitate Mandate and PATH Justice Involved stabilization and increase opportunities Round 3 applications were due on July for diversion. 31, 2023. • CWDB’s Prison to Employment (P2E) 2.0 • CDCR strengthened the pre-release program launched near the end of FY process such that the Division of Adult 22-23 and WWDB is working with external Parole Operations (DAPO) Community evaluators, to ensure adequate data Transition Program now provides housing collection and the eventual rigorous referrals to the Specialized Treatment for analysis of that data. Optimized Programming (STOP) network, • DOR is piloting an employment services who then secures community-based program in one Central Valley prison housing options, as appropriate. where DOR counselors are working with • CDA continues to engage ADRC and 79 individuals with disabilities prior to Area Agency on Aging partners to exiting the prison system to prepare identify promising approaches for them for meaningful employment as they helping older adults and people with transition back into the community. disabilities access the information they need to make informed choices about their long-term services and supports need, including housing and to identify promising approaches for transitioning people to settings of their choice, including individuals at-risk of homelessness. 10 Key Measures for Defining and Assessing Progress Cal ICH uses data from a variety of sources to regularly analyze, review, report upon, and publicly share key measures regarding homelessness in California. This serves to assess the impact of federal, state, and local efforts; document and analyze racial inequities; and refine this Plan’s objectives and activities. The September 2023 update to the Action Plan aligned Key Measures with the California System Performance Measures (CA SPMs), pursuant to Health and Safety Code §50220.7, that help the state and local jurisdictions, including HHAP grantees, assess their progress toward preventing and ending homelessness. The measures below have been updated to match these new measures and differ from prior years’ measures. The charts below use the most recent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point-in-Time (PIT) Counts as well as data from the Cal ICH Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) to document baseline data for key measures, comparing these to national and regional trends, and providing an analysis of racial and ethnic disparities where data is available. The detailed reporting below relies primarily on HDIS data. Cal ICH acknowledges the limitations in HDIS data, including the lack of data for Tribal communities. For more information on the methodology used in this summary, see Attachment C. Key Measures from Action Plan Measure 1a: The number of Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness, including Veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families with children, adults, and unaccompanied youth. Measure 1b: The number of Californians experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness at a point in time, including Veterans, people experiencing chronic homelessness, families with children, adults, and unaccompanied youth. Measure 2: The number of Californians experiencing homelessness while accessing services for the first time each year. Measure 3: The number of Californians successfully exiting homelessness into permanent housing each year. Measure 4: The average length of time Californians are remaining homeless while accessing services. Measure 5: The percent of Californians returning to homelessness after exiting homelessness to permanent housing each year. Measure 6: The number of Californians successfully placed from street outreach into emergency shelter, transitional, or permanent housing each year. Student Measure: The number of children and youth experiencing homelessness during the school year in California, including unaccompanied youth. 11 FY 22-23 Quick Facts • Throughout FY 22-23, CoCs in California reported serving a total of 349,497 individuals experiencing homelessness. Of those, 128,865 people were in residential settings only, 131,620 people were in non-residential settings only, and 89,012 people were in both types of settings. A total of 72,241 people successfully exited homelessness to permanent housing during the fiscal year. • The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress estimated that over 171,500 people were experiencing homelessness on any given night throughout the State of California. • Last, while the national number of people experiencing homelessness on any given night has declined by about 10% since 2007, California’s has increased by over 23%. Fiscal Year 22-23 Key Measures Measure 1a: The number of Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness (over the course of a year) This measure includes people in adult-only households, people in families with children, and people in child-only households. A person is counted in multiple household types if they are part of different households while accessing services during the report period. Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness hold a diverse set of characteristics, some of which are reflected in the “populations of interest” chart below. A person may be counted in multiple populations of interest. Source: HDIS. 349,497 Californians Accessed Services While Experiencing Homelessness in FY 2022-2023 Number of Californians Accessing Number of Californians Accessing Services Services While Experiencing While Experiencing Homelessness, by Homelessness, by Household Type Population of Interest 248,201 101,218 96,944 22,595 17,115 4,494 15,673 Unaccompanied Unaccompanied Veterans People Minors (Under 18 Transition Age Experiencing Years Old) Youth (18-24 Chronic Adult-Only Families with Child-Only Years Old) Homelessness Children 12 Californians Accessing Services While Experiencing Homelessness, Rate by Race & Ethnicity All People Accessing Services 89 While Experiencing Homelessness This chart shows the number of Californians in Black, African American, or 410 each race and ethnicity group who are African American Indian, Alaska Native, or accessing services while experiencing 325 Indigenous homelessness, relative to their share of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 288 California’s overall population. Out of every 10,000 people in California, 89 accessed White 95 services while experiencing homelessness Multiple Races 33 during FY 2022-2023, meaning 0.89% of all Californians accessed services while Asian or Asian American 12 experiencing homelessness. Sources: HDIS and Not Hispanic/Latinx 87 American Community Survey (2021). Hispanic/Latinx 82 Measure 1b: The number of Californians experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness at a point in time. Source: HUD 2022 PIT Count 171,500 Californians Experienced Homelessness at a Point in Time in 2022 Of these individuals, approximately 67% were unsheltered. This unsheltered rate is higher than that of the country overall (40%) as well as other western states like Arizona (59%), Oregon (61%), and Washington (50%). Over 30% identified as Black or African American. This represents a significant disparity given the overall population identifying as Black or African American in California is 5.7%. Over 70% of Veterans and Unaccompanied Youth experiencing homelessness are living unsheltered on any given night throughout the State of California. Note: New PIT data is not available for this reporting period. The number above represents the 2022 PIT Count. Cal ICH recognizes the importance of the PIT Count as it relates to federal funding and its inherent flaws when trying to accurately capture the number of people experiencing homelessness. In an effort to focus on the state of homelessness in California, Cal ICH is utilizing HDIS for in depth analysis. Measure 2: The number of Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness for the first time each year. This measure includes people who accessed housing and/or services while experiencing homelessness during FY 2022- 2023, but had not accessed housing and/or services while experiencing homelessness during the prior two years. Source: HDIS. 184,339 Californians Experienced Homelessness while Accessing Services for the First Time in FY 2022-2023 13 Number of Californians Experiencing Homelessness by Prior Experience Continuously experiencing homelessness: Experiencing (Continuous, New, or Returning) homelessness while accessing services at the beginning of FY 2022- 2023. Newly experiencing homelessness: Experiencing homelessness 84,785 80,373 while accessing housing and/or services during FY 2022-2023, but did not experience homelessness while accessing housing and/or Continuously services during the prior two years. Newly Returning Returning to homelessness: Experiencing homelessness while accessing services during FY 2022-2023, and had previously 184,339 experienced homelessness while accessing services during the prior two years. Measure 3: The number of Californians successfully exiting homelessness into permanent housing each year. This measure includes people who have exited homelessness by moving into permanent housing, or by transitioning from unsheltered homelessness into a temporary sheltered setting such as an emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing. Source: HDIS. 72,241 Californians Successfully Exited Homelessness in FY 2022-2023 Californians Successfully Exiting Homelessness into Permanent Housing, Percent by Race & Ethnicity These charts show the racial and ethnic composition of Californians who successfully exited homelessness into permanent housing, compared to the racial and ethnic compositions of all Californians who experienced homelessness while accessing services in FY 2022-2023. Source: HDIS. Californians Experiencing Californians Exiting to Californians Experiencing Californians Exiting to Homelessness Permanent Housing Homelessness Permanent Housing 1.2% 1.3% 2.0% 2.0% 3.4% 3.3% 4.0% 4.6% 26.2% 30.1% 59.3% 59.9% 55.8% 54.5% 36.4% 38.5% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Asian or Asian American Hispanic/Latinx Not Hispanic/Latinx American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous Multiple Races Black, African American, or African White 14 Measure 4: The average length of time Californians are remaining homeless while accessing services. This measure shows how many days that people experienced homelessness while accessing different types of homelessness services, including days in sheltered situations (such as emergency shelter and transitional housing) and days in unsheltered situations (but still receiving services). Source: HDIS. Californians Remained Homeless While Accessing Services for 154 Days on average in FY 2022-2023 Measure 5: The percent of Californians returning to homelessness after exiting homelessness to permanent housing each year. This measure shows the percentage of people who returned to homelessness within six months of exiting homelessness to permanent housing (out of all people who exited homelessness to permanent housing during the first six months of the report period). Returns are measured based on people accessing services while experiencing homelessness. Source: HDIS. 9% of Californians Returned to Homelessness in FY 2022-2023 After Exiting to Permanent Housing Percent of Californians who Return to Homelessness after Exiting to Permanent Housing, by Race & Ethnicity All Californians Who Returned to Homelessness After Exiting to Permanent Housing 9.1% This chart shows the percentage Asian or Asian American 11.7% of people who accessed homelessness services within six American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous 11.1% months of exiting homelessness Black, African American, or African 9.7% to permanent housing (out of all Multiple Races 9.4% people who exited homelessness to permanent housing during White 8.9% the first six months of the report Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 6.5% period). Source: HDIS. Not Hispanic/Latinx 9.7% Hispanic/Latinx 8.3% Measure 6: The number of Californians successfully placed from street outreach into emergency shelter, transitional housing, or permanent housing each year. This measure includes people who received services from a street outreach program, and then moved directly into a successful placement. Successful placements can include emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing, or a permanent housing destination. Source: HDIS. 11,748 Californians Were Successfully Placed from Street Outreach into an Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, or Permanent Housing in FY 2022-2023 Student Measure: The number of children and youth experiencing homelessness during the school year in California, including unaccompanied youth. 15 This measure includes students who were identified as experiencing homelessness at any point during the 2021-2022 school year. Please refer to the “Methodology” section for more details about the broader definition of homelessness used to identify students. “Unaccompanied students” or “unaccompanied youth” include any students who were identified as homeless and were not in the direct care of their parent or guardian at any point in time during the school year. Source: California Department of Education DataQuest. % of Students Experiencing Homelessness who are Unaccompanied 3.2% Out of 6,064,658 students enrolled in Grades K-12 during Unaccompanied the 2021-2022 school year, students 224,191 Students Experienced Homelessness 7,163 Students were Unaccompanied Youth All other students experiencing 96.8% homelessness Students experiencing homelessness in California, percent by race and ethnicity. This chart shows the racial and ethnic composition of all students who were experiencing homelessness, as well as the racial and ethnic composition of unaccompanied students, next to the racial and ethnic composition of all students enrolled during the 2021-2022 school year. Source: California Department of Education DataQuest. 0.5% 2.3% 0.4% All Students 5.2% 9.5% 55.8% 21.0% 4.3% 0.8% 1.2% 0.6% All Students Experiencing 7.9% 2.8% 73.1% 9.8% 2.9% Homelessness 2.2% 0.6% 0.6% Unaccompanied 10.2% 1.9% 58.6% 20.1% 4.3% Students African American American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Filipino Hispanic or Latino Pacific Islander White Two or More Races Measure 7: Comparison of these measures for each racial and ethnic group. This set of measures shows the performance in Measures 1 through 6 for each racial and ethnic group, side by side. Source: HDIS and HUD 2022 PIT Count. # Accessing Average # # Experiencing # Experiencing # Exiting to # Successfully Services while of Days % Returning to Homelessness Homelessness Permanent Placed from Race or Ethnicity Experiencing Remaining Homelessness at a Point in for the First Housing Street Outreach Homelessness Homeless (M5) Time (M1b) Time (M2) (M3) (M6) (M1a) (M4) All Californians 349,497 171,521 184,339 72,241 154 9.1% 11,748 American Indian, Alaska Native, or 11,728 7,210 6,162 2,353 152 11.1% 560 Indigenous Asian or Asian 6,876 4,003 3,830 1,417 176 11.7% 212 American Black, African 91,547 52,110 44,649 21,767 168 9.7% 2,752 American, or African Multiple Races 13,865 11,763 6,641 3,341 172 9.4% 433 16 Native Hawaiian or 4,275 2,492 2,135 912 193 6.5% 153 Pacific Islander White 194,866 93,943 101,167 39,390 154 8.9% 7,244 Hispanic/Latinx 127,197 63,556 69,224 27,797 153 8.3% 4,350 Not Hispanic/Latinx 207,351 107,965 102,773 43,293 162 9.7% 7,269 Equity Analysis The response to homelessness requires a commitment to addressing and reducing the racial inequities among people experiencing homelessness, how they are served, and their outcomes achieved within the homelessness response system. HDIS enables Cal ICH to analyze data across all racial and ethnic groups experiencing homelessness in California for all Key Measures. This disaggregation provides additional insights into racial and ethnic disparities across the population of people experiencing homelessness overall, those served in residential and non-residential settings, and those going through the events described in the Key Measures section above. According to HDIS, people who are Black, African American, or African remain overrepresented in the population of people experiencing homelessness in California. Out of every 10,000 Black, African American, or African Californians, 410 accessed services while experiencing homelessness, compared to 89 people out of every 10,000 Californians of any race. Other overrepresented groups include people who are American Indian, Alaska Native or Indigenous, and people who are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Average Number of Days Californians Remain The disparity for Black, Indigenous, Homeless, by Race & Ethnicity People of Color (BIPOC) can also be seen in the average length of time All People Accessing Services While 154 remaining homeless while accessing Experiencing Homelessness services as shown in the chart to the Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 193 left. While the average for all people experiencing homelessness was 154 Asian or Asian American 176 days, people who identify as Native Multiple Races 172 Hawaiian or Pacific Islander had an average of 193 days, over one month Black, African American, or African 168 longer than the total population. White 154 People who identify as Asian or Asian American and those who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous 152 multiple races also experience homelessness for a longer period of Not Hispanic/Latinx 162 time on average. For almost every Hispanic/Latinx 153 non-white race category, the average number of days was longer than the averages for both the total population and the population of people who identify as white, with the exception of the population of people who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. However, due to several factors including inaccurate categorization, lack of culturally-informed data collection methods, and exclusion of data about services provided by Tribes that do not report data to HMIS, this metric and other metrics that use HDIS data do not accurately reflect the realities for American Indian, Alaska Native and Indigenous people who are experiencing homelessness. When examining the service settings in which people experiencing homelessness were served, there is little to no disparity in whether people are served in residential settings, non-residential settings, or both. Among all Californians served, people were just as likely to be served in non- 17 residential settings only (38%) compared to residential settings only (37%). The greatest divergence from the service settings for all Californians is for people who identify as multiple races, with a lower percentage of people served in non-residential settings only (28%), a higher % of people of each race or ethnicity who were served in each type of setting All Californians Experiencing Homelessness 38% 25% 37% White 38% 26% 36% Asian or Asian American 37% 27% 36% American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous 36% 30% 34% Black, African American, or African 34% 26% 40% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 33% 30% 37% Multiple Races 28% 29% 43% Hispanic/Latinx 36% 25% 39% Not Hispanic/Latinx 37% 27% 36% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Served in non-residential settings only Served in both residential and non-residential settings Served in residential settings only percentage of people served in both non-residential and residential settings (29%) and a higher percentage of people served in residential settings only (43%). People who identify as Black, African American or African are also more likely to be served in residential settings only (40%), while American Indian, Alaska Native or Indigenous people are less likely to be served in residential settings only (34%). There is also a notably large % of people of each race or ethnicity who are newly, share of people who are continuously, or returning to homelessness “newly” experiencing homelessness, compared to All Californians Experiencing Homelessness 53% 23% 24% those continuously or Asian 56% 24% 20% returning to homelessness, which speaks to the need for American Indian or Alaska Native 53% 23% 24% additional or more robust White 52% 23% 25% prevention services. Across all Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 50% 27% 23% populations, people were Black or African American 49% 25% 26% more likely to be newly Multiple Races 48% 26% 23% entering the system than they were to be continuous Hispanic/Latino 54% 23% 23% participants or returning to Non-Hispanic/ Non-Latino 50% 24% 26% homelessness, with at least 0% 50% 100% half of most populations newly accessing Californians Newly Experiencing Homelessness homelessness services. There Californians Continuously Experiencing Homelessness are slight disparities in the Californians Returning to Homelessness percentage of Asian or Asian Americans newly experiencing homelessness (56%) compared to all Californians (53%), while those who identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (27%), Black, African American or African (25%), or multi-racial (26%) are more likely to be continuously experiencing homelessness than the total population of Californians continuously experiencing homelessness (23%). These differences in experiences of homelessness between people from different racial and ethnic groups underscore the importance of racial and ethnic data collection to help inform future 18 programming and reduce disparities. There is more work to be done to prevent people from entering homelessness, to equitably serve people while they experience homelessness, and to support people in exiting homelessness to reduce the chance that they'll return. Tribal and Native American Representation There is also disparate representation of Indigenous and Native American populations among those experiencing homelessness, inclusive of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Indigenous peoples. The data does not accurately capture the number of individuals experiencing homelessness within unsheltered and sheltered settings, nor the depth of the disparity. The data available regarding Indigenous populations is not accurate for various reasons, one being that not all of California’s 109 Federally Recognized Tribes and those in their communities are included in the PIT Counts, and another being that HDIS generally does not include data on services provided by Tribes. Additionally, when urban Indigenous people attempt to seek services, they are often classified as mixed race, due to the impacts of colonization and acculturation. Indigenous and Native American individuals are sometimes denied services and told to seek services from their Tribe, regardless of whether their Tribe is in the state, or has services to provide them. Furthermore, they may not be forthcoming as to their Tribal ancestry, due to the historic way government has mistreated Native American individuals and other Indigenous populations, and for other reasons. Finally, there are often errors in survey wording, design, and administration as it relates to the Indigenous and California Tribes that leads to inaccuracy in data collection. In one example, data from the 2019 needs assessment conducted by the California Coalition for Rural Housing and Rural Community Assistance Corporation, with support from the CA Department of Housing and Community Development, estimated that the American Indian population experiences homelessness at least 4x the rate of the general population. Information from the needs assessment and from a year of Tribal engagement and consultation with Tribes and Tribal Partners in California highlights how chronically underserved and mischaracterized this population is and makes clear the need to work more closely with Tribes, Tribal Entities, and other partners to gather a more accurate understanding of homelessness among all Indigenous populations. 19 Comparison to National and Regional Data and Trends Note: This analysis utilizes the 2022 HUD Point in Time Count, therefore, this section reflects no changes from the FY21-22 report as no new PIT data has been collected for this reporting period. Percent Change in Population of People Experiencing Percent Change in Population of People Experiencing Homelessness, 2012 to 2022 Homelessness, Pre-Pandemic to Now (2020 to 2022) U.S., California, and select West Coast states U.S., California, and select West Coast states Source: HUD 2022 and 2012 PIT Counts Source: HUD 2022 and 2020 PIT Counts US CA OR WA NV AZ US CA OR WA NV AZ 30% 19% 19% 17% 12% 12% 9% 9% 6% -9% -12% 0.3% California has had a unique trajectory in its effort to end homelessness compared to those of neighboring states and the US in general. California is the state with the highest total number of people experiencing homelessness – with Californians making up roughly 50% of the total unsheltered population in the US. Additionally, Californians are experiencing the highest rate of homelessness, with 44 out of every 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the state (Oregon follows closely behind with 42 out of every 10,000)2. However, despite a 30% increase in homelessness over the last decade, most recently, California has seen slower growth than its neighbors. Since 2020, before the start of the COVID- 19 pandemic, California had the slowest rate of growth compared to neighboring states. This could be a result of the urgency with which the state acted to help people experiencing unsheltered homelessness during the pandemic as well as the measures to keep people in their homes—whether through rental assistance, eviction moratoriums, or some combination. 2 Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress 20 Implementation Progress Reporting The reporting of implementation progress in this section is organized by the Action Plan’s five action areas and fifteen objectives, and only includes progress reporting for activities which were to be implemented during FY 22-23. See Attachment B for details on each activity to be implemented in FY 22-23, and the Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California for a complete list of activities to be implemented through FY 22-23. See Attachment D for a list of acronyms commonly referred to throughout this section. In August 2023, Cal ICH reached out to staff from Council member agencies and departments for updates on their FY 22-23 activities. Departments were asked to report data specifically for FY 22-23 whenever possible. However, if this information was not yet available, agencies and departments provided the most current data or noted when FY 22-23 data will be available. To help communicate the nature of the activities being implemented, each activity is coded with one or more of the following icons: Activities Focused on Addressing Racial Equity: This icon denotes activities with an explicit focus on addressing racial equity within State and local efforts to prevent and end homelessness. Activities Documenting and Strengthening the Impact of State Programs: This icon denotes activities related to strengthening the implementation and impact of State and Federal funding, programs, and policies. As described within the Action Plan, during FY 22-23, State agencies and departments will set targets for many of these activities and future reports will assess progress toward those goals. Activities Providing Technical Assistance, Training, and Guidance: This icon denotes activities offering technical assistance, training, or guidance to assist community partners as they implement programs to address homelessness. 21 ACTION AREA 1 Action Area 1. Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent and End Homelessness in California ACTION AREA 1 Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent and End Homelessness in California This Action Area includes activities focused on pursuing racial equity in response to homelessness and housing instability; engagement and partnership with people with lived expertise from experiences of homelessness; supporting interjurisdictional and regional planning; partnerships to strengthen outcomes related to education and employment; public health and disaster preparedness and response; and communications and public awareness.  Objective 1: Strengthen racial equity-focused activities of State agencies and of local agencies and organizations receiving State funding for homelessness services and housing activities. Cal ICH in collaboration with Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) continued to provide racial equity focused technical assistance to communities including: ▪ Developing strategies for embedding equity-based decision-making processes within policymaking, funding process and decisions, and across homelessness response systems. ▪ Collecting and analyzing data from the HMIS and CES to identify racial disparities throughout the State’s homelessness service-delivery system Activity 1: Provide and and target crisis response, diversion, and prevention activities more coordinate technical effectively. assistance focused on racial equity to ▪ Partnering with public health agencies to assess intersection between support equitable racial inequities in homelessness and in impact of public health crises. access and outcomes ▪ Utilizing a racial equity analysis tool for local homelessness service- within State-funded delivery system’s budgetary, programmatic, and policy decisions. programs, and to strengthen In March 2023, Cal ICH in coordination with TAC introduced the California coordinated entry Racial Equity Action Lab (CA REAL) Phase 2. Building off CA REAL Phase 1 systems, prioritization which helped communities analyze data and set goals to assist underserved policies, and targeting and disproportionately impacted populations, CA REAL Phase 2 assists strategies in order to grantees in identifying and implementing a Racial Equity Improvement address disparities in Projects over a 12-month time period. 32 HHAP grantees participated. access to services and resources. HCD has provided Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV) focused racial equity technical assistance that includes more than 15 webinars, 3 technical assistance engagements, and is finalizing the development of the Best Practices to Advance Racial Equity. HCD is also developing a Racial Equity toolkit for non-entitlement jurisdictions and HCD to use in advancing racial equity in the delivery of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. 22 ACTION AREA 1 HCD’s Division of State Financial Assistance (DSFA) staff also have provided TA to emerging developers and tribal entities, assisting in answering questions and providing guidance for applying to affordable housing financing programs which offer funding for affordable multifamily housing developments, including supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. State agencies increased their efforts to enhance Tribal Organizations access to homelessness and housing program and resources during FY 21- 22. Examples include: ▪ The Cal ICH Tribal Liaison contacted all 109 California Federally Recognized Tribes to receive feedback on the Tribal HHAP program and build strong relationships. Tribal Liaison also attended 14 tribal engagements and hosted or co-hosted 10 listening sessions with tribes to receive feedback in order adapt program guidelines and strengthen relationships. As a result, 3 program and policy items were updated to include tribal feedback and input, including the Tribal HHAP – 1 allocation formula, the Tribal HHAP – 2 NOFA, and its application. ▪ In May and June 2023, a series of engagements were held with BCSH and the leaders of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Chicken Ranch Band of Me Wuk Indians, and Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians to hear from Tribal leaders about their successes, progress and Activity 2: Provide challenges with the Tribal Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention technical assistance and (Tribal HHAP) program. These visits were opportunities to strengthen the training opportunities, government-to-government relationship with California Tribes and lift-up and adapt program success stories and best practices by Tribes in addressing housing guidelines and insecurity and homelessness. guidance, to enhance Tribal Organizations’ ▪ HCD has provided technical assistance and training for its various access to State programs homelessness and • Homekey (HK) Tribal Program coordinated and hosted 12 in-person, housing programs and lessons learned sessions, July through November 2022, to identify resources. barriers that California Tribes experienced in Homekey 2.0. The HK Tribal Program also hosted four in-person NOFA workshops with California Tribes, January – February 2023 to allow input and gain feedback on draft NOFA. • HCD has provided ESG and ESG-CV focused tribal nations technical assistance that includes more than 10 webinars, 12 technical assistance engagements and the creation of the Tribal Nations Engagement Handbook which will be published in the next few months. • HCD’s Division of Federal Financial Assistance (DFFA) Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) team and tribal consultant have worked very closely with tribes to remove barriers to implementation. All HCD CDBG-CV program staff received tribal competency training provided by the tribal consultant. • Technical assistance and training were provided to tribes on federal requirements including procurement, Davis Bacon, Section 3 and other CDBG requirements. TA also assisted tribes with the 23 ACTION AREA 1 development of Scopes of Work for contracts and Requests for Proposals to facilitate project implementation. • HCD’s DSFA staff attended the Pala/BCSH/HCD: Building Partnerships Event on May 26, 2023, to increase coordination with Tribal communities, broaden understanding of barriers and receive input from local entities on tribal housing needs. ▪ CDSS launched a comprehensive Technical Assistance (TA) initiative in partnership with Change Well Project, to provide eligible tribal grantees direct and intensive support in areas related to integrating housing and homelessness programs, as well as disability benefits advocacy, outreach, family support resources through a data informed racial equity lens. • TA is being provided to Tribes who expressed readiness for support staff and will require support with drafting job positions, descriptions, budgeting, and hiring. Change Well Project has established Action Items for each Tribal entity. • Per the December 2022 End-of-Year Report by Change Well, Change Well reported that 23 Tribal communities were provided in- depth technical assistance by end of the 2022 calendar year. Per Change Well Project’s June 2023 monthly activity report, 13 Tribal communities are receiving technical assistance for BFH, Home Safe, and/or HDAP programs. ▪ Through an All County Welfare Director Letter (ACWDL) dated September 21, 2022, CDSS informed counties and continuing Tribes of FY 22-23 total funding available and a breakdown of funding for FY 22-23 Tribal Set-Aside funds: • Home Safe: $5.0 million • Bringing Families Home (BFH): $5.0 million • Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP): $7.5 million As of April 2023, 25 tribal entities requested and were awarded funding of $35 million to establish 62 new tribal housing and homelessness programs. In FY 22-23, a total of 26 eligible tribal grantees (an increase from 3 tribal grantees) were awarded funding for the following HHD programs: • Home Safe: 23 Tribes and Tribal entities. • BFH: 25 Tribes and Tribal entities. • HDAP: 17 Tribes and Tribal entities. • Community Care Expansion (CCE): 1 Tribal entity. • Project Roomkey (PRK): As of FY 22-23, two Tribal communities continue to operate Project Roomkey. ▪ Other CDSS Tribal Engagement Highlights for FY 22-23 included: • CDSS presented on housing and homelessness regulation development in May FY 22-23 Tribal Consultation 24 ACTION AREA 1 • CDSS also hosted six Tribal Listening Sessions throughout FY 22-23 regarding program opportunities, regulations, and more. • CDSS staff have attended training events to obtain more knowledge and expertise with respect to Tribal engagement. ▪ In accordance with the DHCS Tribal Engagement Plan, DHCS hosts regularly scheduled meetings on a quarterly basis. These meetings allow for ongoing engagement with tribes and Indian health representatives on DHCS initiatives during development as well as other DHCS activities. • These meetings are in addition to the existing DHCS Tribal Advisory Process outlined in the Medi-Cal State Plan. As part of this process DHCS also hosts a quarterly webinar on State Plan Amendments, Waivers, and Demonstration projects to allow tribal partners to provide immediate feedback on these proposals. ▪ DHCS is in the process of reinstating the American Indian Health Policy Panel (AIHPP) to provide on-going policy guidance to the department, assist in development of meeting agendas, and facilitate further engagement with Tribes and Indian health program representatives. ▪ CDA hired its first Tribal Engagement Manager and will be developing a strategy for outreach and engagement with California based Tribal partners. ▪ DOR has collaborative local relationships with four Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR) programs (Pinoleville Pomo Nation, Fort Mojave, Sycuan Inter, Hoopa Yurok), serving tribal communities within their respective areas to support employment outcomes. ▪ CTCAC updated regulations in July 2022 increasing the Native American apportionment of annual federal tax credits available to $1,500,000. Cal ICH continued to incorporate a focus on racial equity data, analysis, goals and planned activities within applications for State homelessness and housing focused funding. Examples include: Activity 3: Incorporate a focus on racial Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program, Round 4 equity data, analysis, required applicants to submit a regionally coordinated Homelessness Action goals and planned Plan that included: activities within applications for State ▪ Utilization of the Homeless Management Information System data to set homelessness and trackable outcome goals in six System Performance Measures based on housing-focused United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s System funding (HHAP, ESG- Performance Measures. Within each measure, applicants were required CV, others), and to: analyze the data and information gathered • Describe any underserved and/ or disproportionately impacted in response. population(s) that your community will especially focus on related to the outcome goal and how this focus has been informed by data. • Describe the trackable data goal(s) related to this outcome goal. 25 ACTION AREA 1 ▪ Identification of the actions the jurisdiction will take to ensure racial/ethnic/gender groups that are overrepresented among residents experiencing homelessness have equitable access to housing and services. ▪ Description of the most notable specific actions the jurisdiction will take regarding equity for racial/ethnic/gender groups. ▪ Description of specific and quantifiable systems improvements that the applicant will take to improve the delivery of housing and services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including, but not limited to, the following: • Improving coordinated entry systems to eliminate racial bias, to create a youth-specific coordinated entry system or youth-specific coordinated entry access points, or to improve the coordinated entry assessment tool to ensure that it contemplates the specific needs of youth experiencing homelessness. ▪ Description of how the planned investments of HHAP-4 resources and implementation of the activities to be supported will: • Help address racial inequities and other inequities in the jurisdiction’s homelessness response system. Statute was announced and requires and explanation as to why the particular encampment was being identified for support, including demographic factors related to addressing racial equity. Activity 4: Utilize the newly developed Cal ICH continues to update the HDIS public dashboard on its website on a Homeless Data quarterly basis with information from all 44 CoCs. It utilized HDIS data in the Integration System to updated Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness to update support both Statewide information on race and ethnicity of people being served by the and local analyses of homelessness response system in California. Cal ICH shared data on the data, focused on people receiving homelessness response services by race and ethnicity to documenting and the California Open Data Portal. understanding racial inequities in experiences Cal ICH also provides Continuums of Care with dashboards using HDIS data of homelessness and to help them to understand racial inequities in their CoC and track their provision of services, progress to address these disparities. Cal ICH previously developed a series including the creation of of California System Performance Measures (CA SPMs) to measure local a public dashboard progress towards preventing and ending homelessness. Cal ICH performed documenting analyses. an extensive data validation process to ensure CA SPMs are as accurate as possible. Activity 5: Provide guidance and education HCD’s Fair Housing team has developed guidance and educational regarding requirements materials to further inclusive communities and lift barriers to access for all of AB 686: Housing community populations, including people experiencing homelessness. discrimination; Guidance and materials were made available on the Affirmatively affirmatively further fair Furthering Fair Housing resource webpage. housing, and perform 26 ACTION AREA 1 reviews and enforcement of local governments' Housing Elements with a focus on addressing racial inequities and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Activity 7: Implement set-asides to ensure tax credit and bond allocation awards are provided to Tribal entities and to BIPOC- led developers. CTCAC reported that 100% of the Tribal tax credit set aside is being CDLAC to implement allocated. bond allocation set- aside for BIPOC projects and CTCAC to implement tax credit set aisde for tribal projects.  Objective 2: Ensure that State and local planning and decision-making processes are deeply informed and guided by recommendations from people with lived expertise from experiences of homelessness. Activity 1: Implement a Cal ICH developed and released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the committee of people establishment of a Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB). The contract was with lived expertise to awarded to Homebase and executed in December 2022 to engage in the inform the establishment and administration of a Lived Experience Advisory Board to considerations and inform the considerations and decisions of the California Interagency Council decisions of the on Homelessness and member departments. Cal ICH worked in coordination California Interagency to finalize LEAB recruitment materials to begin member recruitment in July Council on 2023. During the one-month recruitment period, a total of 320 applications Homelessness and were received from people representing diverse experiences across the state member departments. of California. The eleven selected LEAB members will begin onboarding during Q2 of FY 23-24. 27 ACTION AREA 1 Activity 2: Ensure that whenever the expertise of individuals with lived experience of homelessness is sought, those individuals are adequately and BCSH is in the process of reviewing and evaluating the compensation process appropriately across the departments and boards overseen by the Agency. Recent compensated, and legislative language clarified stipends for Cal ICH Advisory Committee also seek new and Members. Additional work is needed to identify and review next steps for other additional ways to boards and commissions under the BCSH umbrella. decrease barriers and to prevent any unintentional economic hardships that might result. Activity 3: Partner with the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) on the California Statewide Survey of Homelessness (CSSH), which will use survey Cal HHS reported that the study was released. https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/. data and in-depth UCSF Benioff continues to provide webinars to educate the public about the interviews of hundreds realities of homelessness in California. Webinar registration can be found at of adults experiencing the link above. homelessness, in order to inform policies and programs to prevent and end adult homelessness in California Activity 4: Proactively engage local boards and committees of In Spring 2023, Cal ICH staff received feedback on the FY 23-24 Action Plan people with lived update from nearly 200 people from across the state representing multiple experience and sectors and disciplines, including people with lived experience of expertise to provide homelessness. This included public input sessions, tribal listening sessions, input on the meetings with lived experience advisory boards and young adult boards, development of the among other stakeholder input. Feedback integrated into the Plan’s update Cal ICH Action Plan. and shared directly with the Interagency Council. Activity 5: Convene CDA reported that in 2022, the Disability and Aging Community Living Advisory quarterly meetings of Committee (DACLAC) convened a housing workgroup that meets monthly 28 ACTION AREA 1 housing work group of and is chaired by committee members. The workgroup continues to focus on Disability and Aging a range of issues impacting housing for older adults and people with Community Living disabilities, including elevating the recommendation to establish a statewide Advisory Committee housing rental subsidy fund for older adults and people with disabilities. and document any relevant recommendations or ideas generated Activity 6: Provide guidance on the CDPH reported that 16 Community Based Organizations across California are inclusion of paid peer implementing Peer Health Ambassador program to increase ability of people positions, such as care experiencing homelessness to access testing, vaccinations, and treatment for navigators and COVID‐19. PHAs are also conducting outreach to provide critical resources to vaccine ambassadors, PEH (outside of COVID-19). The program is in its 2nd quarter; funded through within public health June ‘24. funding streams focused on supporting A Peer Ambassador toolkit was developed by CDPH subcontractor people experiencing Homebase. homelessness. Activity 7: Provide guidance to local grantees regarding the eligible uses of Cal ICH HHAP grantees are encouraged to include people with lived State funds for costs experience in the planning of the usage of grant funding and establish a associated with mechanism for people with lived experience of homelessness to have engaging people meaningful and purposeful opportunities to inform and shape all levels of with lived planning and implementation, including through opportunities to hire people experience and expertise into with lived experience. planning and Through Cal ICH’s robust investments in technical assistance, HHAP grantees decision-making have had access to participate in the Youth Action Board Collaboration (YAB- processes, and also Collab). The YAB Collab Workshops were created to help communities in encourage local California develop Youth Action Boards, that engage people with lived grantees to hire people with lived experience in all levels of the work to end youth homelessness. expertise into regular staff positions. Activity 8: Incorporate Cal ICH’s HHAP-4 applicants were required to identify if they consulted with questions regarding people with lived experience to determine how HHAP-4 funding would be the involvement of used. Applicants were also asked to provide partnering or plans to use any people with lived round of HHAP funding to increase partnership with people with lived experience and experience. expertise into local planning and decision- 29 ACTION AREA 1 making processes Cal ICH’s ERF-2R applicants were required to provide details on how input within applications for from people with lived experience were meaningfully incorporated into the State homelessness proposal. and housing-focused funding (e.g., HHAP, CDSS provided guidance through ACWDL September 21, 2022 and ACWDL ESG-CV, HSP) and February 11, 2022 for CalWORKs Housing Support Program, Bringing Families analyze the Home, Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, and Home Safe Program information gathered and was disseminated to grantees for the purpose of encouraging in response. meaningful input and participation from people with lived experiences. CDSS collected Program Update surveys from HDAP, Home Safe, BFH, and HSP grantees in FY 21-22 to demonstrate use of program funds consistent with program guidance and requirements. The survey asks grantees about the development of recruitment, hiring and advancement of BIPOC, and people with lived experience and their involvement in planning and policy design. ▪ BFH and HSP – 66.7% reported that their programs are in the process of increasing recruitment and hiring of BIPOC and people with lived experience. 84% of grantees reported YES to involving BIPOC and people with lived experience in program and policy design. ▪ HDAP and Home Safe – 50% reported that their programs are in the process of increasing recruitment and hiring of BIPOC and people with lived experience. 60% reported YES to involving BIPOC and people with lived experience in program and policy design. DHCS’ BHBH Program is forming a People with Lived Experience (PWLE) panel for people who have personal experience with homelessness and behavioral conditions and would like to share their expertise. The PWLE application was released on July 11, 2023 with a deadline of August 21, 2023. HCD’s ESG Program is developing a to-be-published Best Practices to Advance Racial Equity document that directly provides guidance on engaging persons with lived experience. In addition, input and feedback from Homekey Round 1 residents was integrated and utilized to improve areas in the Homekey Round 3 NOFA related to incorporating community and the voice of lived experience in project design. Activity 9: Assess composition of Department of Rehabilitation's advisory boards and DOR has updated committee and board recruitment efforts for applicants to committees for self-disclose lived experience. This includes application and interview representation of questions that encourage participants to share their lived or professional people with experience with diverse and historically marginalized communities including experiences of experience with homelessness. homelessness and engage in recruitment efforts to support representation, and recruitment of people with lived expertise. 30 ACTION AREA 1 DOR provides support to 28 Independent Living Centers (ILCs) in California that serve individuals of all ages and with any type of disability including with Activity 10: Coordinate housing services and supports. The ILCs participate in the Disability Organizing with local CBO systems (DO) Network which has a Housing Issues Workgroup that focuses on Housing to elevate local Affordability, Access, Visitability, and Universal Design. The workgroup housing issues and identified barriers to obtaining and retaining housing including that individuals identify any policy on fixed income have a hard time meeting housing income eligibility goals focused on issues requirements. There is need for more accessible and affordable housing units of housing instability located near public transportation and social service programs and there is a and/or homelessness lack of organizations that can provide legal housing assistance and and identify advocacy. opportunities for advancing such policy The DO Network worked to support ILC staff and community advocates to recommendations. build the skills needed to promote affordable housing options and protect existing affordable housing resources in local communities. They also identified the need to strengthen state and local partnerships to connect individuals with housing including coordinating care systems that provide access to wraparound services, including mental health and substance use treatment.  Objective 3: Incentivize and support cross-sector, interjurisdictional, and regional planning, decision-making, and accountability. Activity 1: Perform the Statewide Homelessness Landscape Assessment Study of programs funded, implemented, and administered by state entities across Cal ICH presented the Statewide Homelessness Assessment to the Legislature California using a in February 2023. The Statewide Homelessness Assessment covers the impact mixed-methods of 35 state programs serving people experiencing homelessness between research approach, Fiscal Year 2018-19 and 2020-21. The report includes analysis of program fiscal collecting both data provided by state departments and uses data from HDIS to understand quantitative and how many people were served by these state programs, the types of services qualitative data, to they received, and their outcomes at the end of the reporting period. provide holistic understanding of how state resources are being used and to guide state policy decisions. Activity 2: For Examples of work related to this activity include: deployment of new Homeless, Housing, 31 ACTION AREA 1 Assistance and ▪ HCD’s ESG/ESG-CV programs developed the CoC Collaboration Policy Prevention (HHAP) and provided a webinar on CoC Collaboration to program participants programs funds, reviewing reporting guidance, coordinating requirements, optional develop and coordinating activities, and best practices. implement processes for requiring and ▪ Cal ICH HHAP-4 applicants were required to submit a regionally supporting local coordinated Local Homelessness Action Plan that included new outcome jurisdictions to develop, goals that are specific, ambitious, achievable, and quantifiable to prevent and to submit for and reduce homelessness over a three-year period, informed by the review and approval, findings from local landscape analysis data. Per Assembly Bill 140 (Health local homelessness and Safety Code 50218.6, et seq.) and building off of HHAP-3, the action plans, that outcome goals were based on the United States Department of Housing include outcome goals and Urban Development’s system performance measures, including: and equity related • Reducing the number of persons experiencing homelessness. goals for key measures of the performance of • Reducing the number of persons who become homeless for the first their local time. homelessness response • Increasing the number of people exiting homelessness into permanent system. housing. • Reducing the length of time persons remain homeless. • Reducing the number of persons who return to homelessness after exiting homelessness to permanent housing. • Increasing successful placements from street outreach. • Homeless Management Information System trackable data goals related to the outcome goals listed above as they apply to underserved populations and overrepresented populations disproportionately impacted by homelessness. BCSH continues to foster engagement opportunities with local communities. The goal is to learn more about how homelessness manifests in California and how communities are leveraging state programs and funding to address homelessness and uplift stories of success. FY 22-23 notable engagements focused on homelessness include: In November 2022, a meeting in Sacramento was held with Governor Newsom and local leaders to discuss opportunities to maximize regional collaboration and funding through the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program (HHAP). More than 100 city, county and continuum of care leaders joined to discuss local challenges and opportunities to partner to address homelessness. In February 2023, BCSH leadership attended a 3-day series of homelessness engagements in Bakersfield, Riverside, and Los Angeles showcasing the power of regional partnerships and local solutions to resolve homelessness. There were visits to an interim shelter and navigation center, a Homekey community for LGBTQ+, HIV+ youth and veterans experiencing homelessness, and the celebration of the grand opening of a permanent supportive housing site for low-income families and people experiencing homelessness. Activity 3: Based on Due to numerous competing high-priority activities, Cal ICH has not had the local homelessness opportunity to complete analyses on the local homelessness action plans. action plans, outcome 32 ACTION AREA 1 goals and equity- related goals submitted by local jurisdictions, develop statewide projections for key performance measures and monitor and assess performance against those projections. Activity 4: Develop interagency practices for sharing and, where feasible, integrating, data from health and The Governor’s Office hosted a series of workgroups, including about human services, communications and data. This series has led to increased collaboration housing, and between CDA, BCSH, and HCD, sharing housing data resources to better homelessness inform metrics for the Master Plan on Aging Goal 1, Housing for all ages and programs, in service of stages. data-informed and equity-anchored policy and program implementation. Activity 5: In compliance with AB 977, add prioritized State programs into Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS), including Cal ICH contracted with Abt Associates to provide technical assistance to supporting state departments and agencies and their grantees to achieve compliance communities to with AB 977. State agencies and departments expressly named in statute, in incorporate such partnership with Cal ICH and Abt Associates, have issued instructions to their programs within their grantees to support HMIS data entry. Grantees of the 10 programs specified in local Homeless AB 977 received technical assistance to achieve compliance by July 1, 2023. Management Cal ICH is in the process of engaging state agencies and departments Information System administering state funded homelessness programs that commenced on or (HMIS) to provide State after July 1, 2021 to assess their technical assistance needs. Technical access to data across assistance will be provided to these grantees in FY 23-24. State-funded programs, and generate relevant reporting. 33 ACTION AREA 1 Activity 7: Support greater collaboration and coordination CDPH has recruited People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) Equity Specialists between Local Health connected with points of contact at 9 LHJs to obtain information regarding Jurisdictions (LHJs) with PEH services within each jurisdiction. A survey was disseminated to identify local Continuum of strengths and needs of LHJ’s/CoC. In FY 23-24 CDPH will work with Homebase Care (CoC) and continue to foster collaboration and coordination between LHJs and organizations and with CoCs through listening sessions, office hours, and other technical assistance. A State-funded Statewide LHJ convening in September will present an opportunity to connect homelessness directly with LHJ’s. programs. Cal ICH provided extensive technical assistance (TA) for grantees in FY 22-23, including: ▪ Permanent Housing Solutions: 7 HHAP grantees received 1:1 TA to strengthen the homeless response system and increase capacity for permanent housing solutions. A Shelter Standards Toolkit was developed to assist communities in developing shelter standards that meet unique community needs. The document will be released in FY 23-24. ▪ Racial Equity: Since March 2023, 32 HHAP grantees are participating in CA REAL Phase 2, a 1-yr initiative to assist Cal ICH HHAP grantees in identifying and implementing a Racial Equity Improvement Project. Activity 8: Provide ▪ Youth Programs: 10 HHAP grantees completed a 6-series webinar held technical assistance from Jun-Nov 2022 to support the development of a Youth Action Board and guidance to that engage people with lived experience in all levels of the work to end grantees and partners youth homelessness. in support of regional planning and ▪ Performance Based Contracting and Partnership Development: 19 HHAP strengthening of grantees attended a webinar to learn how to develop a continuous regional approaches improvement process system to improve contract management to preventing and relationships between grantees and service providers and build in ending homelessness. accountability measures for improved outcomes in serving people experiencing homelessness. ▪ Encampment Resolution Funding Support: Cal ICH in coordination with Homebase provided TA support to all ERF-1 and ERF-2L grantees including providing an orientation to the program and individualized support for their encampment projects. ▪ Tribal HHAP Support: Cal ICH finalized the request for proposal process to contract with a Tribal TA provider that will assist all Tribal HHAP grantees in utilizing funding in the most effective ways in their community. Direct TA work with grantees will begin in FY 23-24. For FY 22-23, in CDSS ACWDL September 2022, the letter details funding opportunities to apply as a region with potential bonus. Currently the Yurok Tribe and Humboldt County partner on a regional Bringing Families Home 34 ACTION AREA 1 Program (BFH). Technical assistance is available for any community interested in regional coordination. HCD ESG Program has developed a resource webpage that includes several guidance documents that can assist with regional approaches to preventing and ending homelessness – see Resource tab at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-and-funding/programs-active/emergency- solutions-grants Activity 9: Leverage HCD's role in reviewing and regulating Housing Elements, with Cal ICH's interagency scope, to deliver a new level of technical assistance on homelessness to cities HCD continues to review housing elements and provide guidance on and counties, and, in homelessness-related issues when applicable. Progress was not made on an collaboration with interagency guide in FY 22-23. This activity has been updated in the FY 23-24 other State updated Action Plan update to reflect next steps of implementation. departments, develop an interagency guide on actions city governments can take to address homelessness. Activity 10: Act upon the recommendation of the Implementing the Master Plan for Aging in California In September 2022, CDA’s California for All Ages and Ability Day of Action Together (IMPACT) elevated recommendations to end older adult homelessness, which led to the Stakeholder development of Initiative 2 of the 2023-24 Master Plan for Aging to “Explore Committee to prioritize emerging local government models to inform consideration of Rental Subsidy a focus on ending Programs for older adults and people with disabilities. Identify existing program older adult parameters including subsidy amount, duration, eligibility criteria, and priority homelessness within populations.” the implementation of the state's Master Plan on Aging. Activity 11: Ensure an In 2022, CDA has promoted the California Department of Rehabilitation’s appropriate focus on Community Living Fund (CLF) Program with ADRC and AAA partners for people experiencing expanding the capacity of disability and aging services and programs to homelessness and provide person-centered institutional transition and diversion services for people transitioning people of all ages and with any type of disability who do not qualify for from institutional and existing services. care settings, in the 35 ACTION AREA 1 Area Agency on Aging network, and the "No Wrong Door" Aging and Disability Resource Connections (ADRC) system, and through programs including California Community Transitions. Activity 12: Support data analysis leveraging public health data (and other social determinants of No significant progress on this activity was made in FY 22-23. This activity was health data) with HDIS updated in FY23 Action Plan to directly address data sharing across agencies. to better inform broad A CDPH PEH Research Scientist will start in September 2023 and will support this policy activity. recommendations and program delivery. Activity 13: Enhance the availability of data regarding mortality among people experiencing homelessness , through technical assistance and data collection activities to ensure An internal CDPH people experiencing homelessness working group is to begin such information is development of resources (webinar & toolkit) for coroners, medical examiners, reflected on death and funeral directors on homeless indicators. In FY 2023-2024, greater certificate data collaboration with departments will be needed to move forward with this provided to the state activity. from counties, and use the data collected to inform and strengthen public health interventions to reduce such mortality. Activity 14: Support Cal ICH HHAP-4 applicants were required to coordinate in the development and strengthen of local homelessness action plans and related analyses and in setting 6 expectation of joint Outcome Goals shared across CoC-County-City regions and to determine the CoC-county-city strategies each jurisdiction would implement in pursuit of those goals. planning and coordination in 36 ACTION AREA 1 awards and These applicants were required to demonstrate how the applicant has implementation of coordinated, and will continue to coordinate, with other jurisdictions, including State homelessness the specific role of each applicant in relation to the other applicants in the funding. region. ERF-2R competitive applications were evaluated and scored on their cross systems collaborations and service strategies to help people experiencing homelessness transition towards safe and stable housing. Activity 15: Provide grants and incentives HCD progress made during FY 22-23 includes implementation of the Regional that support local and Early Action Planning Grants of 2021 (REAP 2.0). Two batches of REAP 2.0 regional planning and awards were approved and awarded to seven Metropolitan Planning initiatives through SB 2 Organizations (MPOs) during FY 22-23. These awards totaled $336,978,123.45. Planning Grants, Local Additionally, $18,176,125.09 was awarded in advance allocations for MPOs. Early Action Planning These awards support regional planning and implementation efforts to Grants, and Regional accelerate infill housing development, support multimodal transportation, Early Action Planning Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) and prevent displacement in Grants. historically disadvantaged and underserved communities including people experiencing homelessness. Activity 16: Map affordable and accessible housing for seniors and people The 2022-23 budget authorized CDA to launch the non-Medi-Cal Home and with disabilities within Community-Based Services Gap Analysis and Roadmap to identify availability Home and Community of services across the state, including affordable and accessible housing. The Based Services and Gap Analysis will be completed in early 2024. Gap Analysis. Activity 17: Identify and implement appropriate opportunities to include Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) as CDPH reported no update for FY 22-23. In FY 2023-2024, collaboration eligible applicants between Cal ICH and CDPH is needed to move activity forward. within state funding programs. Activity 18: Implement CMS approved the DHCS CalAIM 1115 Waiver Demonstration, including all CalAIM Providing ECM and Community Supports PATH activities on December 29, 2021. Access and Transforming Health ▪ All PATH initiatives are live as of Spring 2023. Applications for Round One of (PATH) Funding: the CITED (Capacity and Infrastructure Transition, Expansion and Enhanced Care Development) and over $200 million in funding was awarded to 137 Management (ECM) organizations over Round 1A and Round 1B. and Community 37 ACTION AREA 1 Supports, providing ▪ The Technical Assistance (TA) Marketplace Initiative’s Project Eligibility funding to support the Application opened on February 27, 2023. As of August 2023, 27 TA statewide Projects are approved through the TA Marketplace and more are implementation of pending. ECM and Community Supports including: ▪ Round One of the Justice Involved (JI) Initiative Planning and Capacity services provided by Building application opened in June 2022. These funds are dispersed on a former Whole Person rolling basis and provide funding to support the implementation of pre- Care Pilot Lead Entities release Medi-Cal enrollment and suspension processes, as well as the until the services delivery of Medi-Cal services in the 90 days prior to release. transition to managed care coverage under ▪ 10 former WPC Lead Entities were approved for WPC Mitigation funds to CalAIM; virtual temporarily sustain WPC Pilot services that “map to” ECM and/or "marketplace" that Community Supports services until a local MCP begins to cover them by offers hands-on January 1, 2024. technical support and off-the-shelf resources ▪ The Collaborative Planning and Implementation Initiative provides funding to establish to support regional collaborative planning efforts among Medi-Cal implementation managed care plans (MCPs), providers, community-based organizations infrastructure needed; (CBOs), county agencies, public hospitals, tribes, federally qualified health regional collaborative centers (FQHC) and others to support implementation of ECM and planning and Community Supports. In November 2022, DHCS notified 10 entities of implementation efforts award to facilitate CPI collaboratives. There are currently 25 CPI to promote readiness collaboratives offered across California. among managed care plans, providers, CBOs, county agencies, public hospitals, tribal partners, and others to promote readiness; and direct funding to local entities noted above to support the delivery of Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports services. Activity 19: Implement the Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) through which Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) DHCS reported that measurement has not yet been completed, Local are incentivized to Homelessness Plans are still being submitted and reviewed. develop the necessary capacity and partnerships to connect their member to needed housing services and 38 ACTION AREA 1 to take an active role in reducing and preventing homelessness. Implementation includes requirement that participating MCPs and local partners submit a Local Homelessness Plan for each county, including mapping the continuum of services with focus on homelessness prevention, interim housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. Activity 20: Collaborate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to strengthen the cohesion among California’s Veterans CalVet reported that planning is ongoing. Affairs Healthcare Systems’ homeless programs and State and local homelessness systems.  Objective 4: Improve access to education and employment services and opportunities for people at risk of, experiencing, and/or exiting homelessness. Activity 1: Implement the High Road Training Partnerships Resilient Workforce Fund The CWDB High Road Training Partnerships Resilient Workforce Fund Program Program with a focus launched near the end of FY 22-23, so there is not much data available yet to on: industry as an report. Work continues with external evaluators, the UCLA Labor Center, to organizing principle; develop specific measures. building partnerships that develop skills employers need in 39 ACTION AREA 1 ways that secure stronger economic opportunities for low- income workers; and advancing a field of practice that addresses urgent questions of income inequality, economic competitiveness, and climate change through regional skills strategies. Activity 2: Support and invest in partnerships through Regional Equity and Recovery Partnerships that add high road approaches to existing sector strategies and career pathways including, The CWDB Regional Equity and Recovery Partnerships program launched near but not limited to, the end of FY 22-23, and there is not much data available yet to report. CWDB improving job quality continues to work with external evaluators, Corporation for a Skilled and job access for Workforce, to ensure adequate data collection and the eventual analysis of students in community that data. CWDB is developing a cloud-based data collection and colleges who are from management system. underserved and underrepresented populations, including students at-risk for or experiencing homelessness. Activity 3: Implement Homeless Innovative Programs grants to identify innovative practices to improve By September 30, 2024, CDE will have developed information posted to the the educational Homeless Education Web page, including links to the websites of the each of stability, access, the 20 districts, counties and/or charters that are participating to develop support, and models of innovative practices. Homeless Innovative Program grantees will academic have presented, at minimum, at one countywide, statewide or national achievement of conference session related to increases of access and supports to the children and youth education of students experiencing homelessness through systems work. experiencing homelessness, and engage grantees into statewide professional 40 ACTION AREA 1 and resource development activities such as communication, outreach, training, and scaling up the model of innovative practice (MIP) for dissemination and replication. Activity 4: Address the employment needs of people transitioning from State Prison, including those who As part of the Prison to Employment Initiative, CDCR, in collaboration with receive housing under Mother Lode Job Center, implemented a pilot project at Sierra Conservation the Returning Home Center establishing California Workforce Development Board case Well Initiative, by management services for individuals within one year of release. The case connecting them to plans were made available to the job center where those individuals will local employment reside so they can obtain employment resources and support services based resources, such as on their identified needs. leveraging the workforce partnership CDCR also continued to develop partnerships with state agencies, large and Prison to employers, including in the construction and manufacturing trades, and non- Employment initiative, profit organizations to provide employment opportunities and resources to and linking them to individuals transitioning from CDCR’s institutions. Department of Rehabilitation Note: For the 2023-24 Cal ICH Action Plan, CDCR refined some of the metrics programs. This could originally identified, which will be reflected in an internal dashboard that will include the provision of be used for oversight and quality improvement purposes Workforce Development Board stipends (if applicable.) To date, the CCCCO HHIP Program served 819 unduplicated students in 2022 winter and spring semesters, in addition to serving 410 students with case Activity 5: Implement management services. and evaluate the ▪ Most common services provided include: case management, housing Homeless and Housing navigation services and ongoing rental assistance. Insecurity Pilot (HHIP) Program, which ▪ The Chancellor’s Office expanded the program to 11 new colleges, provides housing bringing the total number of participating colleges to 25. services and support to ▪ The Chancellor’s Office is hosting an in-person training for the 11 new homeless and housing colleges on September 21st, 2023. This training will include guidance on insecure students. implementation, program requirements and compliance with Assembly Bill 977. Through the training, they will also have access to best practices as established by existing HHIP program staff. 41 ACTION AREA 1 The Chancellor’s Office also continued to provide professional development trainings to colleges piloting the HHIP on topics including successful program implementation, data collection/submission and annual fiscal reporting. Participating colleges submit annual data including both aggregate survey data and unitary student data capturing student services data for 2022-2023 fiscal year. ▪ Some challenges faced by HHIP colleges primarily involved varying successes with community housing partners and achieving AB977 reporting compliance (especially in small counties). Technical Assistance consultants have been working to help colleges gain compliance with AB977 reporting requirements. Activity 6: Ensure that plan development activities implemented within DOR's The number of people who identify as experiencing homelessness or housing employment services insecurity has increased on an annual basis since FY 20-21, and in FY 22-23, has programming include reached its highest level of individuals, with 5,195 individuals served, reflecting a focus on identifying DOR’s increased focus and partnerships for serving people experiencing individuals who meet homelessness. the definition of homeless. Activity 7: Educate Continua of Care organizations across California regarding DOR employment services that can be Across the state, DOR participates in resource and job fairs serving individuals provided to people who are homeless or who are experiencing the justice involved re-entry with disabilities who are process. DOR also presents at staff and collaborative meetings of community- being served within the based organizations who serve individuals who are homeless. homelessness response systems' housing and services programs. Activity 8: Provide technical assistance to enhance capacity of local educational This year the CDE, with the work of the HE TACs, was able to collect concrete agencies (LEAs) to data around the needs specific to COEs and align trainings, regional provide services and meetings, webinars and fact sheets to those needs. A total of 6 new resource supports for students sheets were developed that included tools and best practices and also experiencing aligned to the webinar trainings for those resources. homelessness and housing instability to foster educational 42 ACTION AREA 1 achievement and progression. Caltrans collects information regarding housing status from candidates for employment on a voluntarily basis only, and thus this information is not Activity 9. Assess the accurately captured or tracked. The Service Assistance Maintenance (SAM) impact of employment positions are successful with many hired at that level advancing. opportunities provided ▪ In District Ten, 36 SAMs have been hired- many via the Ready To Work and through Caltrans’ other programs targeting at-risk individuals (formerly homeless, Service Assistance incarcerated, foster system, etc.). Maintenance positions on hiring of people ▪ Of those 36 workers, 10 have promoted or transferred to another state experiencing agency. Three of them are on the management track at Caltrans, with homelessness and two already becoming Caltrans Maintenance Supervisors and one a access to promotional Caltrans Maintenance Leadworker. opportunities and ▪ The Caltrans partnership with Butte County Office of Education allows us to career ladders. hire people experiencing homelessness among other vulnerable hiring populations. ▪ Caltrans continues to work on creating a methodology that would help in tracking hiring people experiencing homelessness. Activity 10: Explore opportunities to coordinate service delivery at the local and regional levels focused on homelessness by identifying best CWDB is working with Cal ICH to have the Sacramento Employment and practices, training Training Agency (SETA) present on the Local Board’s role in the workforce opportunities, and ecosystem, importance of collaboration between systems to support people peer-to-peer experiencing homelessness, and existing resources. connections between the Local Workforce Development Boards during regional exchanges. Activity 11: Track and report data regarding participation in California Workforce Regular data tracking continues, though most CWDB programs were still in the Development Board contracting phase during FY 22-23, and thus there is not much data to report. programs by people CWDB is working toward more streamlined data reporting in the future using a experiencing new cloud-based data management system. homelessness, including data regarding participants 43 ACTION AREA 1 served, career and training services provided, credentials received, and employment placements. Activity 12: Strengthen the tracking and reporting of employment outcomes Due to numerous competing high-priority activities, Cal ICH has not had the across State-funded opportunity to launch the Employment Working Group and therefore has not homelessness and made progress on this activity. Cal ICH staff plan to take this on in FY 24-25. housing programs. The 22-23 School Year (SY) saw an increase to 36 LEA Reviews, compared to the 21-22 SY, which saw 30 LEA reviews. CDE updated CARS reporting to include the use of the Housing Questionnaire at least annually, for all students/families to ensure proper and consistent statewide identification, access to resources, rights and protections for all students. Data regarding the use of the Housing Questionnaire was included in the updated risk assessment Activity 13: Monitor for prioritizing LEAs for monitoring. local educational ▪ CDE provided 50 technical assistance letters to all LEAs that had a agencies’ (LEAs’) decrease of 100+ homeless students per LEA for the 20-21 SY to 21-22 SY. implementation of the This TA letter shared identification strategies, resources and how to McKinney–Vento properly identify and serve students who may be experiencing Homeless Assistance homelessness. Act. ▪ Additionally, CDE has worked to develop a GIS mapping of data using census data that allows comparison of enrollment and identification numbers per county, district and charter schools (i.e. LEAs). This has data dated back to 21-22 that allows for SY data comparison. ▪ Currently, 22-23 SY data has already shown a 9% increase for students experiencing homelessness that better aligns to overall enrollment and pre-pandemic counts of students experiencing homelessness. CDE reports that Homeless Education Technical Assistance Centers increased Activity 14: and localized the number of regional meetings dividing the state into 4 areas, Communicate and with an average of 15 additional meetings that occurred quarterly throughout disseminate guidance the state. Increase of trainings provided to the field through partnerships, such to county offices of as with the National Center for Youth Law, the Center for Cities and Schools education (COEs), and SchoolHouse Connection. Trainings averaged 140+ attendees that local educational represented almost 20 counties per training. A total of 9 Webinars have been agencies (LEAs), and recorded and posted for self-paced trainings. The areas covered are: partnering agencies to strengthen support for ▪ Addressing the needs of students experiencing homelessness who have students experiencing disabilities; homelessness. ▪ Expanded learning and summer programs for McKinney Vento students; 44 ACTION AREA 1 ▪ Supporting young children experiencing homelessness for early education programs; ▪ Supporting immigrant and refugee students experiencing homelessness; ▪ Supporting unaccompanied youth; ▪ Youth engagement/peer to peer solutions for McKinney Vento; and ▪ Identification and Building School-community partnerships- which includes its own tool-kit. ▪ These recordings and resources can all be found on the HE TAC website here: https://www.hetac.org/resources/hetac-resources. Activity 15: Participate CCCCO continued participation in bi-weekly meetings of the California Higher in California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) with the California State University Education Basic Needs and University of California systems. In Spring 2023, CHEBNA hosted its third Alliance annual Virtual Learning Series for higher education professionals across the intersegmental state. This year the series addressed: workgroup with CSU and UC systems to ▪ Needs of parenting students, advance basic needs ▪ Access to Cal-Fresh benefits, and security including addressing ▪ Advancing housing access homelessness and housing insecurity for In 2024, CHEBNA will not be conducting this event in lieu of a large Basic students to increase Needs Summit. The summit will be held February 21-22nd, 2023 at the their success. Sacramento Convention Center, with an expected attendance of 1700+ participants. Activity 16: Work with CHEBNA partners to provide information and guidance focused on addressing the CCCCO, in partnership with CSUs and UCs, developed the Spring Learning needs of students Series, which focuses on providing training to support students in a number of experiencing housing areas, including access to financial aid information, healthy food, safe insecurity and housing and overall physical and mental health. The 2023 CHEBNA Virtual homelessness to higher Learning Series presents an opportunity to expand practitioner knowledge as education leaders and we explore creative ways to support students. A link to the materials can be staff, through a session found at Spring 2023 Learning Series materials. within Learning Series or through other actions. Activity 17: Provide guidance and support to encourage the CWDB reports no progress on this activity for FY 22-23. coordination and alignment of service delivery, including 45 ACTION AREA 1 strategic co-enrollment and creation of referral processes, across multiple partner programs to effectively leverage resources for maximum benefit to shared participants. Activity 18: Consider the needs of people experiencing or exiting homelessness within In FY 22-23, CDSS’ Housing and Homelessness Division (HHD) regularly provided the development of draft guidance, best practices, as well as regulations to client advocates for state program policies their review and input for the purpose of understanding how to improve related to access and access to housing and supports from the perspective of individuals who have service delivery to either experienced or at a time, at risk of homelessness. people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  Objective 5: Support California communities to develop disaster preparedness plans and public health strategies more inclusive of the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Activity 2: Support Both BCSH and Cal ICH social media channels were used extensively during California communities the extreme heat events to inform local officials and service providers about in developing disaster best practices as well as encouraging the public to look out for their preparedness plans vulnerable neighbors. The social media posts included original graphics and that incorporate guidance focused on protecting persons experiencing homelessness as well extreme heat and are as reposts from Cal OES, Listos CA, other state agencies and the National more inclusive of the Weather Service. needs of people experiencing The Extreme Heat Action Plan was released April 28, 2022. The most recent homelessness, Action Implementation Progress Report for the 2021 California Climate including: distribution Adaptation Strategy was released April 2023. of best-practice models and toolkits; Additionally, AB 1643 (2021-2022) established the Heat Advisory Committee incorporating (HAC) to advise updating the 2013 Extreme Heat Guidance and additional climate Recommendations report. The Department of Industrial Relations convened adaptation strategies the first HAC meeting in June 2023. BCSH, along with other representatives, into homelessness- serves on the Heat Advisory Committee to recommend the scope of the focused Technical study. Assistance; assessing and document strong Cal OES, in partnership with other state agencies, developed the Accessible local, state and tribal Cooling Center Guide. The purpose of the guide is to support jurisdictions to examples to develop plan for, and operate, accessible Cooling Centers that can serve people with stronger guidance and disabilities and individuals with access and functional needs in an inclusive expectations; support and equitable manner. 46 ACTION AREA 1 the inclusion of Continuums of Care The 2021 State of California Planning Best Practices for County Emergency into local planning Plans includes best practices and links to additional resources for those efforts; and needing guidance on how to integrate planning for people experiencing incorporating people homelessness. experiencing homelessness into The 2022 Extreme Temperature Response Plan includes best practices for planning documents including individuals experiencing homelessness into extreme temperatures relating to extreme (heat and freeze) planning. heat events. The 2023 Coordinating Draft (currently in public comment) of the State of California Emergency Plan has integrated more information on the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness before, during, and after disasters. Activity 3: Work with tribal and local governments, and community-based organizations to bolster protections for unhoused populations during extreme heat events, including: coordinating with tribal and local governments on Climate Action and Adaptation Plans to incorporate strategies Cal OES activates the Priority Populations Task Force during extreme heat on how to aid events to, among other things, address the following: unhoused populations ▪ Develop and amplify inclusive messaging on preparedness and response during extreme heat resources; events; supporting training for first ▪ Provide technical assistance to support local planning and response; responders to help ▪ Identify and address unmet needs; them anticipate the variety of illnesses ▪ Ensure jurisdictions are providing free/low-cost accessible transportation associated with excess to/from cooling centers. heat, including mental health and cognitive impacts; working with local governments and local Continuums of Care to support local plans containing provisions for people who are medically vulnerable, including access to resilience centers and/or cooling centers. 47 ACTION AREA 1 Activity 4: Explore models and feasibility of providing enhanced case management services of longer HCD reports that progress was not made on this activity in FY 22-23. The duration focused on activity has been updated in the FY 23-24 Action Plan update to reflect next post-disaster housing steps of implementation. needs (i.e., "Regional Centers" model.) Activity 5: Collaborate with LEAs, state level educational partners, youth organizations and across divisions CDE has Emergency Support Resources for students who have been displaced within the CDE to due to natural disasters and other emergencies, such as: identify needs of ▪ Access to You Can Enroll poster in English students experiencing homelessness as the ▪ Access to You Can Enroll poster in 11 additional languages: result of natural ▪ The CDE in partnership with CalOES has developed the following disasters and other coordination: Resources emergencies, and develop strategies, resources, and tools to address those needs.  Objective 6: Increase public awareness of the State’s homelessness strategies, successes, challenges, and the importance of Housing First approaches, trauma-informed care, and other best practices. 48 ACTION AREA 1 Activity 1: Launch and regularly update a page at Cal ICH website that provides access to key data and resources regarding homelessness in Cal ICH public dashboard launched in prior Fiscal Year and continues to be California, including maintained by Cal ICH staff. Data from all 44 Continuums of Care is uploaded demographics and each quarter and provides the most up-to-date summary of data on the scale of populations, provision of homelessness services across the state. causes of housing instability and homelessness, and solutions being deployed. Throughout FY 22-23, BCSH continued to provide information and updates through the Housing is Key website, to help Californians stay in their homes. The website includes information about tenant and homeowner protection and resources. BCSH continues to share information about the causes of homelessness, Activity 2: Continue effective solutions, state strategies and programs, and local successes through implementation of the in-person engagement opportunities, social media and the Housing is Key Housing is Key newsletter. campaign, providing materials and In spring 2023, BCSH Agency coordinated and participated in The CaseMade resources to help Casemaking training to shift the narrative around homelessness, to promote Californians stay in their best practices in housing and develop a cohort of state leaders to homes, understand collaborate on messaging. The training cohort completed six 90-minute their housing options training sessions over the span of 3 months and developed a Housing Case during COVID-19 and Guide. The cohort consisted of staff from departments working across the beyond, and to housing continuum. educate the public regarding the causes In August 2023, BCSH launched an interactive story map which uplifts publicly of homelessness, funded success stories in housing development. Phase one of the project effective solutions, and includes stories featuring a permanent supportive housing and transitional State strategies and housing site for Veterans in Sacramento, a transit-oriented affordable housing programs. community in Santa Rosa, an infill affordable housing community for extremely low- and very low-income families in Fresno, and a Homekey community for LGBTQ+, HIV+ youth and veterans experiencing homelessness in Riverside. The project aims to encourage members of the public to champion housing in their communities and bring person-centered stories to the forefront of the narrative around housing. Activity 3: Provide Cal ICH regularly sends out homelessness focused communications to local homelessness-focused partners and stakeholders through the Cal ICH monthly newsletter. Topics communications to included in FY 22-23 ranged from resources to support disaster response and 49 ACTION AREA 1 local partners, recovery, authentic youth engagement, and tools to increase affordable including webinars, housing in California. In October 2022, Cal ICH also hosted a webinar entitled: videos, tools, Including People Experiencing Homelessness in Disaster Preparedness: Lessons guidance, and other Learned from Alameda, that lifted-up lessons learned from a local community resources and and focused on equitable emergency and disaster planning through cross- materials, focused on system collaboration and partnership building. Housing First implementation, Cal ICH also released the Cal ICH Events & Deadlines Calendar featuring strategic use of funding upcoming webinars, technical assistance offerings, Cal ICH Advisory sources, and effective Committee and Council Meetings, and Cal ICH administered grant deadlines programs and all in one place. In FY 23-24, Cal ICH expanded into the development of a practices. centralized Statewide Housing and Homelessness Calendar as a resource for stakeholders to stay up to date with state department hosted webinars and meetings, funding announcements, technical assistance offerings, and reporting deadlines. The purpose of this resource is to support purposeful coordination and alignment across state agencies by centralizing all state housing and homelessness program information and increase coordination and information sharing of the state’s activities to grantees, local leadership and other stakeholders. Activity 4: Prepare public-facing materials and articles based upon data and information drawn from the Homeless Data Integration System Due to numerous competing high-priority activities including the release of the warehouse, to Statewide Homelessness Assessment, Cal ICH did not make significant educate the public on progress on this Activity in FY 22-23. challenges, activities, and implementation of programs and resources. Activity 5: Proactively analyze and develop educational materials that interpret and communicate key findings of national Due to numerous competing high-priority activities including the release of the reports focused on Statewide Homelessness Assessment, Cal ICH did not make significant homelessness and progress on this Activity in FY 22-23. featuring California data, such as HUD’s Point-in-Time count data and reporting. 50 ACTION AREA 2 Action Area 2. Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness ACTION AREA 2 Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness This Action Area includes activities focused on addressing health and safety needs and increasing access to State -supported services and programs for people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness.  Objective 7: Support California communities to strengthen outreach efforts and to address the health and safety needs of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Activity 1: Implement and evaluate impact of new Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) program to support local jurisdictions to ensure the wellness and safety of people On October 26, 2022, Cal ICH released the ERF-2L Notice of Intent to Award. experiencing This was the 2nd round of the Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Grant and homelessness in was awarded to 8 grantees totaling $47.7 million. encampments by providing services and ERF-1 grantees were required to expend 50% of their grant no later than June supports that address 30, 2023. Cal ICH Monitoring Unit supported grantees in meeting this their immediate requirement by providing updates on expenditures in advance of the deadline physical and mental and referring them to 1:1 technical assistance with contracted TA provider wellness and that result Homebase. All ERF-1 grantees met this 50% expenditure requirement. in meaningful paths to safe and stable housing, and document effective policies, procedures and practices. Activity 2: Promote strong practices for identifying and Due to numerous competing high-priority activities, Cal ICH has not had the engaging unsheltered opportunity to launch the Youth and Young Adults Working Group and young people into therefore has not made progress on this activity. Cal ICH staff plan to take this available services and on in FY 24-25. supports. Activity 3: Work with Due to numerous competing high-priority activities, Cal ICH has not had the community partners to opportunity to launch the Youth and Young Adults Working Group and document and assess therefore has not made progress on this activity. Cal ICH staff plan to take this the unique risks and on in FY 24-25. 51 ACTION AREA 2 vulnerabilities of unsheltered young adults and provide guidance on implications for assessments and coordinated entry systems. Activity 4: Create guidance and recommendations to support the provision of CDPH is working in partnership with San Diego State University (SDSU) and an health, hygiene, and interagency agreement has been fully executed. SDSU will create guidelines sanitations services for focusing on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) needs and infrastructure people staying within for unhoused Californians. encampments until connected to interim In FY 2023-2024, SDSU will create an actionable report and guidelines will be or permanent housing completed by June 2024. options. Activity 5: Develop guidance and resources to connect providers serving people experiencing unsheltered homelessness with free overdose reversal training and supplies, as well as information CDPH’s People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) Equity Specialist developed to share with and presented Fatal Overdose Prevention for Homeless Service Providers in participants on where California Webinar, available to public on CDPH/Office of AIDS website. to access safer drug use supplies and, for In FY 2023-2024, the PEH Equity Specialist will work in collaboration with Harm those who wish to Reduction unit to update webinar to include contingency management and reduce or stop their present training. use, referrals to a variety of treatment options statewide, including Contingency Management (CM) and Medication for Opioids Use Disorder (MOUD). 52 ACTION AREA 2 Activity 6: Enhance In this reporting period, Caltrans retired Maintenance Policy Directive (MPD) internal understanding 1001 and replaced it with MPD 1001-R1 to better reflect the department’s and capacity of staff holistic approach to addressing homelessness and encampments on the state to implement Caltrans' Right of Way (ROW). Encampment Coordinators The Office of Homelessness and Encampments (OH&E) developed an Reference Guide and Encampment Coordinator Reference Guide to serve as an in-depth internal Maintenance Policy manual that includes tools, updated methodology, and best practices for Directive 1001R and to addressing encampments on the state ROW and conducted briefings during strengthen partnerships monthly meetings to familiarize maintenance staff and others with the new and community policies. This document is updated as needed. engagement within responses to the health OH&E created a landing page on the Caltrans intranet that houses resources, and safety risks including our guidance documents, so that staff have easy access to these created by, and the materials. housing and services needs of, people Caltrans also held the first-ever statewide Encampment Training Academy in staying in San Diego that gave headquarters staff, district encampment coordinators, encampments on and external partners the opportunity to strategize and exchange information. Caltrans-owned land. The discussion focused on the office’s updated policies, procedures, and best practices in addressing encampments and people experiencing homelessness on the state ROW. Activity 7: Deploy Caltrans has placed District Encampment Coordinators in every Caltrans Encampment District in the state, including multiple coordinators in our largest districts. Coordinators throughout each of Encampment coordinators have been building partnerships and awareness of Caltrans' 12 district social service providers. Successful coordination reduces the chances of jurisdictions to help individuals experiencing additional harm stemming from unsheltered coordinate community homelessness which include loss of property, disruption to fragile routines that partnerships and to connect individuals to services and basic need services, and negative strengthen responses to interactions with public services. people experiencing homelessness in the Each Encampment Coordinator works to learn about the network of providers state right of way. and points of contact. This helps in understanding the services and procedures of how people access these services and any constraints on urgent/emergency services that are often sought for encampments. Activity 8: Promote and encourage applications from California communities to federal funding opportunities, including In July 2022, the Co-Chairs of the Interagency Council issued a letter to city the Special Notice of mayors, county supervisors, Continuums of Care leaders, and Public Housing Funding Opportunity to Authority directors promoting information about state funding programs and Address Unsheltered encouraging applications from California communities to federal funding and Rural opportunities, including the Special Notice of Funding Opportunity to Address Homelessness, and Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness. provide guidance regarding state funding that can be leveraged in support of efforts to 53 ACTION AREA 2 respond to needs of people who are unsheltered.  Objective 8: Provide equitable access to essential State-supported programs and services, including health and behavioral health care services, for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. DCHS received Federal approval of its CalAIM 1115 Demonstration and 1915(b) Waiver. MCPs submitted their ECM and Community Supports Model of Care submissions in January-April for the July 1, 2023 Implementation Phase, and July-September for the January 1, 2023 Implementation Phase. The July 1, 2023 Implementation Phase has been approved and DHCS is currently reviewing the January 1, 2024 Implementation Phase submissions. Housing Transition Navigation Services, Housing Deposits, and Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services: Across CY 2022, 27,904 members received at least one of these three housing supports. Activity 1: Implement All MCPs offered at least one of these housing Community Supports in CY CalAIM proposals 2022, and 18 MCPs offered all three. This made housing supports the most seeking to extend widely available Community Supports in the state; all three housing statewide the service Community Supports were available to MCP members in 56 counties in CY options available 2022. under WPC and Health Homes Program (HHP) To deliver these services, MCPs built a network of non-traditional Medi-Cal through the Enhanced providers with the expertise and experience to support these members. There Care Management were approximately 828 provider contracts for organizations to deliver at least (ECM) program and In one of these housing supports in CY 2022. Lieu of Services (ILOS), including incentive DHCS has seen continued growth in the number of housing Community funding, to better Supports offered by MCPs in 2023. In addition to these three housing-focused address the health and Community Supports, MCPs also offered services that support members with behavioral health care unstable housing who needed short-term housing to support recovery from an needs of people who injury or illness. are unsheltered. Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing: In CY 2022, MCPs developed an estimated 96 provider contracts for Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing. In total, 626 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. Recuperative Care: MCPs developed an estimated 170 provider contracts for Recuperative Care. More than 2,900 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. The Medi-Cal ECM and Community Supports 2022 Implementation Report was released on August 3, 2023 which displays data for ECM and Community Supports uptake within the first 12 months of implementation. For more information, please visit: Medi-Cal Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. 54 ACTION AREA 2 In August 2022, BCSH, in partnership with CalOES, CalHHS, DMV, and county Activity 2: Pilot efforts government, and in coordination with community-based nonprofits outreach that will test feasibility teams, engaged with more than 100 people experiencing homelessness at of State programs, and five encampment sites in Los Angeles. People were connected to County and local government documentation, including California ID cards and birth partners, to develop certificates, and government benefits and services, such as food stamps and field teams and mobile healthcare. enrollment processes that can reach, Following this successful pilot, in April and May of 2023, the team served screen, and enroll formerly unsheltered people at Inside Safe interim housing hotel sites, people who are organized four housing fairs, and engaged an estimated 261 people unsheltered into State experiencing homelessness. They were connected to government benefits and programs. documentation, including California ID cards and birth certificates, and government benefits and services, including the facilitation of 180 open-house viewings with community landlords with available units. Activity 3: Continued enrollment of individuals experiencing homelessness in the CDSS does not have data readily available for the number of Restaurant CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) dollars spent or RMP transactions specific to only RMP Meals Program (RMP) participants experiencing homelessness. program, increasing access to food and other county services. DHCS continues to provide technical assistance to Counties to improve data collection and to ensure timely submission of data. As of August 2023, 51 of 59 Activity 4: Continue Counties have submitted timely data to DHCS. For Counties not current on operation and data submission, DHCS continues to provide technical assistance and direct IT enrollment of support, as needed. Community Services and Supports program Gaps in the collection and/or reporting of housing data persists and limits housing services DHCS’ ability to segregate specific housing supports. This may result in data through county-level that is unreliable and/or inconsistent. plans through Mental Health Services Act The implementation of the data driven Behavioral Health Reform Initiative, resources. and the separation of housing interventions as an identifiable funding category in proposed legislation (SB 326, Eggman. The Behavioral Services Act) will assist DHCS in collecting housing specific data, including data related to race, ethnicity, employment, legal status, etc. Activity 5: Partner with academic institution On May 16, 2023, Cal ICH entered into contract with the University of on assessment of California at Berkeley to provide a full evaluation of the youth set-aside impacts of youth set- requirement within the HHAP program. This evaluation has commenced and aside with HHAP will be completed no later than January 2025. program, including impacts of addressing 55 ACTION AREA 2 the services needs of unsheltered youth and young adults. 56 ACTION AREA 3 Action Area 3. Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim Housing ACTION AREA 3 Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim Housing This Action Area includes activities focused on expanding the supply of safe, housing - placement focused sheltering and interim housing models and addressing health and services needs of people staying within such programs.  Objective 9: Partner with communities to implement innovative approaches and expand the supply of safe, housing-placement focused, and trauma-informed sheltering and interim housing models for Californians experiencing homelessness. HCD reported that in FY 22-23, 29 new project sites were acquired, Activity 1: Rapidly rehabilitated and fully occupied through the Homekey Round 2 program. Of mobilize Homekey these, 9 of the sites are interim housing projects which consist of 415 new resources to support interim units and are housing at least 867 individuals. Total awarded projects acquisition of sites by include 27 interim projects and 1370 units. local partners, including sites HCD’s CDBG-CV Homekey Program provided funding for the rehabilitation planned for use as and/or conversion of properties acquired under Homekey for emergency interim housing on a shelter and permanent housing. During the FY 22-23 fiscal year, construction temporary or was underway on the creation of 242 units of permanent supportive housing ongoing basis. (PSH) and 54 units of shelter for 8 projects totaling $15.39 million in CDBG-CV funding. Activity 2: Implement the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program to address the immediate housing and treatment needs of people experiencing unsheltered Under DHCS’ first Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program, 53 homelessness with counties will be participating in the program representing over $900 million in serious behavioral funding. Implementation is currently underway with programs expected to be health conditions by operationalized over the course of the fall/winter 2023-24. providing time-limited operational supports in various bridge housing settings, including tiny homes and existing assisted living settings. Activity 3: Partner with In Fiscal Year 2022-23, DSH contracted with Advocates for Human Potential counties and local (AHP). In February 2023 DSH and AHP released the first round Request for housing providers to Proposals (RFP) for county applications; applications from counties will be expand the availability 57 ACTION AREA 3 of residential treatment accepted through May 2024 and any remaining funds will be open for and interim housing by competitive application from July 2024 through June 2025. approximately 5,000 beds statewide to As of June 30, 2023, DSH received three county applications for contracts, support ongoing nine counties indicated they will be applying in fall 2023, and eight additional sustainable diversion counties are considering applying. The number of beds per county program and community-based will be reported after infrastructure plans are finalized. AHP regularly reaches restoration programs for out to counties to assess interest and identify potential barriers to application individuals with serious to increase the number of counties participating in the program. mental illness who have been found incompetent to stand trial (IST). Examples of State agencies and departments implementing such funding include: ▪ Emergency shelter and interim housing are eligible uses of all Cal ICH grant programs, including HHAP, Tribal HHAP, ERF, and the Family Homelessness Challenge (FHC) grant programs. Grantees that intend to use funding for these eligible uses are required to show a demonstrated need including a “plan to connect residents to permanent housing” per Health and Safety Code Section 50220.5 (d)—strengthening the focus on housing placements from shelter and interim housing. Activity 4: Implement a wide array of State and ▪ CDSS funds a number of housing programs that are designed to support Federal funding that program participants through their quick and safe transition to permanent support the provision of housing. safe, effective housing- placement focused • Project Room Key and Rehousing Strategy (PRK): Since March 2020, sheltering and interim over 16,000 rooms were secured and over 62,000 individuals have housing models for been sheltered through Project Roomkey. As of early August 2023, people experiencing 1,194 hotel and motel rooms are occupied by 1,451 PRK participants. homelessness, with Additionally, as of July 2023, 14,048 (23%) of PRK participants exited to identification of clear permanent housing; 36% exited to temporary housing or congregate goals and targets for shelter; 9% to institutions or other; and 17% to unknown destinations. the number of shelter or The remaining 15% exited to unsheltered homelessness. interim housing • As of August 2023, 21 communities are currently operating Project opportunities to be Roomkey with 1,259 rooms occupied across the state. Fifteen of those supported through communities are in the process of ramping down and CDSS is currently each program. undergoing data validation efforts to collect updated sunset dates from communities who report rooms secured and/or occupied. • Six communities continue to operate non-congregate shelters and are working to determine the appropriate ramp down schedule in consultation with local emergency managers and public health departments. • Bringing Families Home Program (BFH): Since program implementation in summer 2017 through March 2023, more than 5,100 families have been served in BFH, and of these, over 2,200 families have been permanently housed through BFH. Fifty-three counties and one tribe currently operate BFH, including two new counties in FY 2022-23. 58 ACTION AREA 3 ▪ In FY 22-23, HCD’s Transitional Housing Program (THP) awarded $33.3 million to 48 counties to help young adults aged 18 to 25 years find and maintain housing, with priority given to those formerly in the foster care or probation systems. From July 2022 through December 2022, Round 3 of the THP program served a total of 5 program participants; with additional participants anticipated in current fiscal year with expanded program capacity after awards. Data for the latter half of FY 22-23 data is unavailable as reports were just submitted (07/31/2023) and must be reviewed. Reports will be fully reviewed and approved by December 2023, and the full year’s outcomes will be provided in the next Cal ICH Action Plan Implementation Progress Report. In FY 22-23, Transitional Housing Plus program awarded approximately $9 million to 5 counties. These funds will provide transitional housing for young adults who exited foster care on or after their 18th birthday and are not 25 years of age. ▪ HCD’s CDBG-CV program provided funding for two tribal projects: acquisition of 9 units targeting at-risk elderly with interim and/or permanent affordable housing; and 5 prefab cabins for interim housing with an average length of stay of 90 days and an estimated 40 to 120 persons experiencing homelessness served over the first 24 months. ▪ HCD’s ESG-CV program supported 38,984 persons in emergency shelter with 17% of the persons existing to a positive housing destination. The program also served 16,004 persons through Street Outreach with 13% of the persons served exiting to a positive housing destination. The ESG annual program provided $3.8 million in funding for emergency shelter for 11,088 and street outreach for 8,623. ▪ From July 2022 through December 2022, HCD’s Pet Assistance and Support (PAS) program served 476 individuals and 518 pets across at least 58 different shelters by providing pet owners with behavioral support, spay/neuter services, and vaccinations, as well as food, kennels and supplies for their animals. Of participants served, 106 were seniors and 320 reported a disability. At least 89 individuals exited shelter to permanent housing. Data for the latter half of FY 22-23 data is unavailable as reports were just submitted (07/31/2023) and must be reviewed. Reports will be fully reviewed and approved by December 2023, and the full year’s outcomes will be provided in the next Cal ICH Action Plan Implementation Progress Report. ▪ Cal OES administers six grant programs (with approximately 165 Subrecipients) with the primary purpose of providing shelter and housing services to victims of crime. • During FY 22-23, an average of 2,800 California victims of crime, per quarter, received emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing services through the following four programs: Homeless Youth Exploitation Program; Specialized Emergency Housing Program; Transitional Housing Program; and Domestic Violence Housing First Program. During FY 22-23, these four programs combined provided more than 45,750 nights of shelter and more than 194,000 nights of transitional housing. 59 ACTION AREA 3 • Two additional Cal OES programs, the Homeless Youth and Emergency Services and Housing and Homeless Youth Emergency Services Pilot Programs, provided emergency shelter and housing assistance to more than 5,200 youth, and stabilization planning to more than 5,400 youth. Activity 5: Provide technical assistance to ensure the effective rehousing of people As of early August 2023, 1,194 hotel and motel rooms are occupied by 1,451 staying in Project participants within CDSS’ Project Roomkey (PRK). Additionally, as of July 2023, Roomkey non- 14,048 (23%) of PRK participants exited to permanent housing; 36% exited to congregate sheltering temporary housing or congregate shelter; 9% to institutions or other; and 17% sites and the effective to unknown destinations. The remaining 15% exited to unsheltered winding down of homelessness. operations of some Project Roomkey sites, Six communities continue to operate non-congregate shelters and are therefore returning or working to determine the appropriate ramp down schedule in consultation transitioning sites to with local emergency managers and public health departments. CDSS other uses while supports counties with technical assistance as needed to ensure effective avoiding exiting people deployment of CDSS housing programs. into unsheltered homelessness. Activity 6: Provide and promote guidance and technical assistance and enforcement of state laws regarding land use, zoning, and HCD continues to review housing elements and provide guidance on other requirements for homelessness-related issues when applicable. This activity has been updated emergency shelters, in the FY 23-24 action plan update to reflect next steps of implementation. low-barrier navigation centers, and permanent supportive housing programs. 60 ACTION AREA 3 Activity 7: Create standards for cleanliness and care protocols at congregate and non- congregate sites CDPH has not yet started the development of this guidance. In FY 2023-2024, providing shelter and an internal People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) working group to identify interim housing resources/barriers for guidance. opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. Activity 8: Implement the DSH Diversion program in collaboration with local partners to expand the number of residential treatment options to DSH continues to support 28 counties participating in the pilot DSH Diversion support jail diversion for program. From March 2019 through March 2023, a total of 1,380 defendants individuals who have have been admitted into a county diversion program; approximately 80% of been deemed these patients were homeless at the time of their arrest. incompetent to stand trial (IST) or likely to be Specific to FY 22-23, counties diverted a total of 472 eligible defendants into found IST. Provide the program which reflects data for the first 3 quarters due to reporting interim housing or timelines. facility placement with wrap around treatment In June 2023, DSH executed a new contract with the Los Angeles Office of and supports for up to Diversion and Reentry for expanded Diversion and Community-Based two years, including Restoration services. The new contract will expand the number of beds in the planning for long-term Los Angeles program from 515 to 1,334 beds over five years. The Los Angeles housing and treatment program only accepts defendants experiencing homelessness at the time of needs post-diversion their arrest and secure a bed in permanent supportive housing upon participation to discharge. interrupt the cycle of criminalization of individuals with serious mental illness. Activity 9: Implement In June 2023, DSH executed a new contract with the Los Angeles Office of the Community Based Diversion and Reentry for expanded Diversion and Community-Based Restoration (CBR) Restoration services. The new contract will expand the number of beds in the program in Los Angeles program from 515 to 1,334 beds over five years. The Los Angeles collaboration with local program only accepts defendants experiencing homelessness at the time of partners to expnad the their arrest and secure a bed in permanent supportive housing upon number of residential discharge. treatment options to support community Also in June 2023, DSH executed a contract for a 16-bed regional CBR placement for program located in Yuba City with Priorities, Inc. This program will activate in individuals who have July 2023 and be licensed as a sub-acute Mental Health Rehabilitation 61 ACTION AREA 3 been deemed Center. DSH will use this facility as a step-down option from its Jail Based incompetent to stand Competency Treatment programs and acute Community Inpatient Facility trial (IST) on felony programs. charges. Provide interim housing or In FY 22-23, a total of 620 IST individuals received services in the CBR program. facility placement with wrap around treatment and supports for up to two years, including planning for long term housing and treatment needs post-CBR participation. Activity 10: Generate Caltrans has created a master list of available excess parcels that have high an inventory of potential for shelter lease utilization by local partners for all Caltrans-controlled appropriate state- property in the state. Shelter leases are generally managed by the District owned land prioritized Airspace Lease Coordinator in the Division of Right of Way (ROW). for potential leasing to partners for the Local partners are also engaged to identify property that may not be on our provision of emergency master list. District ROW staff provide a rapid response to help address sheltering or interim proposals coming in from locals and determine if properties can be used for housing opportunities shelters. and proactively promote and educate Caltrans actively engaged with the Division of Right of Way and Land Surveys local jurisdictions and to promote the department’s emergency shelter leases. Together, along with community partners the Department of General Services and local governments, Caltrans was regarding these able to stand up emergency shelters in San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento, opportunities. and Los Angeles. In total, the department has helped execute 13 operational leases statewide. Activity 11: Implement the Returning Home Well initiative, in partnership with philanthropic organizations and local partners, to expand interim housing options, CDCR continued implementing the Returning Home Well initiative and will including recovery begin reporting service data to Cal ICH in late summer 2023. housing models and quarantine options during the pandemic, for people transitioning from corrections settings. 62 ACTION AREA 3 Activity 12: Provide technical assistance and guidance that will Cal ICH continues to include Housing First requirements in the NOFA and support the continued guidance for all Cal ICH-administered grants. application of Housing First practices, including In addition, Cal ICH staff are working on criteria to help determine which lowered barriers and state-funded programs the Housing First core components apply to, in order housing-focused to facilitate the release of a survey in FY 23-24 to assess compliance at the services and supports, state level. Cal ICH staff are also working to identify the barriers faced in within sheltering and implementing Housing First at both the state and local-levels in order to better interim housing support our partners in administering programs effectively. programs. DSH has provided multiple trainings to counties in prior years related to housing individuals with serious mental illness involved in the criminal justice Activity 13: Provide system in collaboration with the Council of State Governments Justice Center training and technical (CSG). Day four of the 2021 Diversion Academy was focused specifically on assistance opportunities housing (recordings of these webinars are available on DSH’s public Diversion to local partners to webpage). address the housing needs of people in pre- In FY 2022-23, DSH and Advocates for Human Potential hosted informational trial mental health webinars about the 5,000 bed funding opportunity available to counties. In diversion or CBR February 2023, DSH and AHP hosted a presentation on housing strategies for programs. counties by Christ Centered Ministries, one of the main housing providers for the LA Office of Diversion and Reentry programs. As DSH implements the next phase of the Diversion and Community Based Restoration programs, continued technical assistance related to housing will be offered. Activity 14: Provide guidance and coordination for VA Grant and Per Diem grantees to create CalVet collected the 2024 Grant and Per Diem award list, a survey will be sent synergy among veteran to awardees in late 2023, and analysis of survey results will be performed by transitional housing and early 2024. permanent supportive or affordable housing. Activity 15: Explore CDSS, CDCR’s Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) and Division of potential opportunities Rehabilitative Programs (DRP), and Council on Criminal Justice and for CDCR Division of Behavioral Health (CCJBH) met several times to begin exploring opportunities Adult Parole Operations to formalize referral processes to connect individuals releasing from CDCR (DAPO) to directly refer who have housing needs, or individuals on parole who become unhoused, to individuals releasing CDSS housing programs. Initial efforts are focusing on CDSS’ Homeless from State Prison who Disability Advocacy Program. DRP staff are continuously documenting their are at risk of findings from these efforts, which are being shared with CDSS. CDSS is homelessness and who following up on CDCR’s findings to evaluate compliance with CDSS are on parole and requirements (or not). CDCR, CCJBH and CDSS agreed to meet bi-monthly to 63 ACTION AREA 3 become homeless to continue working to strengthen connections for transitioning citizens and existing, applicable parolees to access existing community-based housing resources. CDSS programs to address housing needs.  Objective 10: Expand alignment and engagement of State resources, including health and behavioral health care resources, to address health and services needs among Californians temporarily staying within sheltering and interim housing options. Activity 1: Strengthen connections between DOR and employment services programming and emergency shelter Throughout the state, DOR has developed collaborative working relationships and interim housing with county coordinated entry programs, agencies providing emergency programs to help shelter and transitional housing, and other community-based organizations to support people receive referrals and provide DOR services. This includes coordination and experiencing collaboration with emergency shelters and interim housing in Alameda, Butte, homelessness to secure Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis employment and Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Ventura increase incomes as counties. they transition to permanent housing opportunities. Activity 2: Develop guidance and resources to connect staff of interim shelters, transitional housing programs and permanent supportive housing with free CDPH’s People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) Equity Specialist developed overdose reversal and presented Fatal Overdose Prevention for Homeless Service Providers in training and supplies, California. Webinar available to public on CDPH/Office of AIDS website. information to share with residents on where In FY 2023-2024, the PEH Equity Specialist to work in collaboration with Harm to access safer drug Reduction unit to update webinar to include contingency management and use supplies and, for present. those who wish to reduce or stop their substance use, referrals to a variety of treatment options statewide, including Contingency Management (CM) 64 ACTION AREA 3 and Medication for Opiod Use Disorder (MOUD). Activity 3: Strengthen connections between Independent Living Centers, Traumatic Brain Injury, Older In 2022, DOR received a one-time $5 million Home and Community Based Individuals Who Are Services (HCBS) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to expand the Blind, and Assistive capacity to serve TBI survivors across the state. Seven of the 12 TBI Program Technology programs sites are utilizing HCBS funding to improve access to service and supports for and services and individuals with TBI who are experiencing homelessness or who are at-risk of emergency shelter and homelessness including through collaboration with local coordinate entry interim housing system and emergency and interim housing programs. programs to help support people DOR and Cal ICH staff are planning a meeting in October 2023 with DOR staff experiencing and community providers including Independent Living Centers, Traumatic homelessness to secure Brain Injury, Older Individuals Who are Blind, and Assistive Technology disability support to programs and services to increase awareness about coordinated entry increase independent systems to support coordination of services to support homeless individuals living skills as they with disabilities who are transitioning to permanent housing. transition to permanent housing opportunities. CMS approved DHCS’ CalAIM 1115 Waiver Demonstration, including all Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports PATH Activity 4: Develop activities on December 29, 2021. and advance CalAIM proposals seeking to Managed care plans (MCPs) submitted their ECM and Community Supports extend statewide the Model of Care submissions in January-April 2022 for the July 1, 2023, service options Implementation Phase. The July 1, 2023, Implementation Phase has been available under WPC approved and DHCS is currently reviewing the January 1, 2024 and Health Homes Implementation Phase submissions. Program (HHP) through the Enhanced Care All HHP and WPC enrollees were successfully transitioned into ECM and/or Management (ECM) Community Supports, depending on each individual member’s needs. program and ECM: There were approximately 36,1k members experiencing homelessness Community Support that received ECM during CY 2022. care coordination and housing services, Housing Transition Navigation Services, Housing Deposits, and Housing including incentive Tenancy and Sustaining Services: Across CY 2022, 27,904 members received funding, to better at least one of these three housing supports. address the health care needs of people who All MCPs offered at least one of these housing Community Supports in CY are staying in shelter 2022, and 18 MCPs offered all three. All three housing Community Supports and interim housing were available to MCP members in 56 counties in CY 2022. sites. To deliver these services, MCPs built a network of non-traditional Medi-Cal providers with the expertise and experience to support theses members. There 65 ACTION AREA 3 were approximately 828 provider contracts for organizations to deliver at least one of these housing supports in CY 2022. Additionally, MCPs also offered services that support members with unstable housing who needed short-term housing to support recovery from an injury or illness. Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing: In CY 2022, MCPs developed an estimated 96 provider contracts for Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing. In total, 626 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. Recuperative Care: MCPs developed an estimated 170 provider contracts for Recuperative Care. More than 2,900 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. The Medi-Cal ECM and Community Supports 2022 Implementation Report was released on August 3, 2023 which displays data for ECM and Community Supports uptake within the first 12 months of implementation. For more information, please visit Medi-Cal Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. 66 ACTION AREA 4 Action Area 4. Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Permanent Housing in Our Communities ACTION AREA 4 Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Permanent Housing in Our Communities This Action Area includes activities focused on strengthening Housing First approaches and expanding permanent housing opportunities through development strategies, short - and long -term rental assistance, and other rehousing activities.  Objective 11: Strengthen implementation of Housing First approaches and other best practices in support of equitably and urgently rehousing people from shelters, interim housing, and other temporary settings, and from unsheltered homelessness. Examples of State agencies and departments implementing such funding include: ▪ Cal ICH oversees 4 grant programs, 2 of which have a 10% youth set aside for services and housing designed specifically for youth experiencing homelessness, and all of which require adherence to housing first and the provision of housing options that meet the individual needs of the people who are being served. ▪ CDSS continued to implement Project Roomkey (PRK). Approximately 85% Activity 1: Implement a of clients exiting PRK were connected to local Coordinated Entry Systems wide array of State and (CES). Collaboration with local CES connects clients to mainstream Federal funding homeless services resources and allows communities to leverage existing programs that support infrastructure and mainstream housing vouchers available. In November the rehousing of 2022, one third of PRK grantees confirmed plans to convert 44% of all people experiencing occupied PRK units to Homekey/permanent units that will serve homelessness into a approximately 578 PRK participants. diverse range of housing models, ▪ Communities are encouraged to leverage local, state, and federal including models resources to increase housing outcomes for PRK participants including appropriate for youth other CDSS-funded programs like the Housing and Disability Advocacy and young adults, with Program (HDAP) and the Community Care Expansion (CCE) program. identification of clear Given the overlap in eligible population, programs like HDAP allow rehousing goals and individuals to continue receiving housing case management, rental targets for the assistance and navigation while pursuing disability income and CCE will implementation of provide access to expanded or preserved residential care units. each program. Through the CCE program, DSS was able to coordinate the awarding of funds with DHCS to ensure innovative, high-need projects providing wraparound services receive the funding they need to reach project completion. ▪ CDSS’s CalWORKS Housing Support Program: Fifty-five counties currently operate HSP. Final FY 2022-23 allocations and participating county social service agencies can be viewed in CFL 22/23-43 (December 30, 2022). ▪ CDSS’ Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP): Since HDAP’s inception in FY 2017-18 through March 2023, over 7,100 people have been enrolled and over 3,100 people have been permanently housed. 67 ACTION AREA 4 HDAP grantees have reported on approximately 6,800 disability applications on behalf of HDAP participants since the inception of the program, and over 2,200 disability applications have been approved for participants while in HDAP. Fifty-seven counties and two federally recognized tribal governments representing eight tribes, for a total of 59 grantees, currently operate HDAP. CDSS announced the allocation of approximately $31 million in FY 2022-23 Targeted Strategic Investment (TSI) grants for HDAP. ▪ CDSS’ Bringing Families Home (BFH) program: Since program implementation in summer 2017 through March 2023, more than 5,100 families have been served in BFH, and of these, over 2,200 families have been permanently housed through BFH. ▪ From July 2022 through December 2022, Round 2 of HCD’s Housing Navigators and Maintenance Program (HNMP) served a total of 4 program participants; with additional participants anticipated in current fiscal year with expanded program capacity. Data for the latter half of FY22-23 data is unavailable as reports were just submitted (07/31/2023) and must be reviewed. Reports will be fully reviewed and approved by December 2023, and the full year’s outcomes will be provided in the next Cal ICH Action Plan Implementation Progress Report. ▪ Since inception of program and through FY 21-22, HCD’s California Emergency Solutions Grant (CESH) program funds served 2,363 Transitional Aged Youth and 2,382 minors. ▪ Cal OES administers six grant programs (with approximately 165 Subrecipients) with the primary purpose of providing shelter and housing services to victims of crime. These programs offer a diverse range of housing models such as emergency/medium-/long-term shelter, rental assistance, hotel vouchers, and long-term housing. Statistics for FY 22-23 are reported in Objective 3.9.4. Activity 2: Develop and CMS approved DHCS’ CalAIM 1115 Waiver Demonstration, including all advance CalAIM Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports PATH proposals seeking to activities on December 29, 2021. expand CalAIM’s ability to support housing- Managed care plans (MCPs) submitted their ECM and Community Supports related services Model of Care submissions in January-April 2022 for the July 1, 2023, through the Enhanced Implementation Phase. The July 1, 2023, Implementation Phase has been Care Management approved and DHCS is currently reviewing the January 1, 2024 (ECM) program and Implementation Phase submissions. Community Supports (formerly In Lieu of All HHP and WPC enrollees were successfully transitioned into ECM and/or Services) care Community Supports, depending on each individual member’s needs. management and housing services, ECM: There were approximately 36,1k members experiencing homelessness including incentive that received ECM during CY 2022. funding, to assist people to access and Housing Transition Navigation Services, Housing Deposits, and Housing stabilize in housing. Tenancy and Sustaining Services: Across CY 2022, 27,904 members received at least one of these three housing supports. 68 ACTION AREA 4 All MCPs offered at least one of these housing Community Supports in CY 2022, and 18 MCPs offered all three. All three housing Community Supports were available to MCP members in 56 counties in CY 2022. To deliver these services, MCPs built a network of non-traditional Medi-Cal providers with the expertise and experience to support theses members. There were approximately 828 provider contracts for organizations to deliver at least one of these housing supports in CY 2022. Additionally, MCPs also offered services that support members with unstable housing who needed short-term housing to support recovery from an injury or illness. Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing: In CY 2022, MCPs developed an estimated 96 provider contracts for Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing. In total, 626 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. Recuperative Care: MCPs developed an estimated 170 provider contracts for Recuperative Care. More than 2,900 Medi-Cal members received those services in CY 2022. The Medi-Cal ECM and Community Supports 2022 Implementation Report was released on August 3, 2023 which displays data for ECM and Community Supports uptake within the first 12 months of implementation. For more information, please visit Medi-Cal Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. Activity 3: Design, implement, and evaluate new Challenge Grant models of funding to support innovative On June 24, 2022, Cal ICH released the Family Homelessness Challenge (FHC) approaches to serving Grant Notice of Intent to Award providing $17 million to 10 communities to subpopulations, with a address and end family homelessness. focus on strengthening rehousing outcomes, On October 26, 2022, Cal ICH released the Encampment Resolution Fund including for Tribal (ERF)-2L Notice of Intent to Award. This was the 2nd round of the ERF Grant communities, for and was awarded to 8 grantees totaling $47.7 million for innovative solutions responding to the to resolve encampments. needs of people staying in Cal ICH explored the concept of contracting with an evaluator specifically encampments, and for for the ERF program and will be collaborating with the California Department families with children, of Housing and Community Development in the future. and document innovative and effective activities supported. Activity 4: Provide CDSS’ partnership with Change Well Project has allowed for scaling up an guidance and array of CDSS-funded programs, including planning, design, and strategy and Technical Assistance to 69 ACTION AREA 4 Counties and Tribal implementation with peer-to-peer support in the form of technical assistance. grantees implementing A few areas to highlight this work includes: and scaling up an array of CDSS-funded ▪ The Change Well Project provides monthly and annual reports on the programs, including activities they engage in, in partnership with CDSS. Per the December planning, design, 2022 End-of-Year Report by Change Well, Change Well reported that 23 strategy and Tribal communities were provided in-depth technical assistance by end of implementation, as well the 2022 calendar year. as peer-to-peer support and training, to ensure ▪ Per the June 2023 monthly activity report, Change Well Project highlighted focus on rehousing that 13 Tribal communities are receiving technical assistance for BFH, activities within the Home Safe, and/or HDAP programs. implementation of programs. ▪ TA is being provided to Tribes who expressed readiness for support staff and will require support with drafting job positions, descriptions, budgeting, and hiring. The Change Well Project has established Action Items for each Tribal entity TA was provided for and this will continue to be ongoing. ▪ The Change Well Project has created a live dashboard showcasing all technical assistance activities in FY 22-23. Total number of engagements for FY 22-23: 128 engagements with grantees. Communities served: 58 counties and 26 Tribes. Number of programs supported: • Bringing Families Home (BFH): 58 • Housing Support Program (HSP): 23 • Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP): 66 • Home Safe: 68 • Project Roomkey (PRK): 27 CDSS and its contracted third-party administrator for the Community Care Expansion (CCE) program provided additional technical assistance through 1:1 calls, webinars, learning collaboratives, and office hours during FY 22-23. These TA efforts were focused on program planning and design, as well as providing specialized technical assistance related to real estate transactions. Activity 5: Provide technical assistance, Cal ICH continues to include Housing First requirements in the NOFA and guidance, and training guidance for all Cal ICH-administered grants. opportunities to strengthen the In addition, Cal ICH staff are working on criteria to help determine which implementation of state-funded programs the Housing First core components apply to, in order Housing First practices to facilitate the release of a survey in FY 23-24 to assess compliance at the and the achievement state level. of rehousing outcomes in the implementation Cal ICH staff are also working to identify the barriers faced in implementing of State and Federal Housing First at both the state and local-levels in order to better support our resources. partners in administering programs effectively. 70 ACTION AREA 4 Activity 6: Regularly deploy the Housing First Checklist for State agencies to confirm alignment with Housing First requirements of Cal ICH staff are working on criteria to help determine which state-funded relevant State programs the Housing First core components apply to, in order to facilitate programs, and provide the release of a survey in FY 23-24 to assess compliance at the state level. Cal guidance, training, and ICH staff are also working to identify the barriers faced in implementing support to State Housing First at both the state and local-levels in order to better support our departments who need partners in administering programs effectively. to modify programs and policies to achieve alignment. Activity 7: Continue to consult with the Legislature, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders to identify ways to improve the provision CDCR has integrated Housing First guidance within their programs and will of housing to individuals continue to work with grantees on implementation best practices. being served within CDCR-funded programs, consistent with Housing First practices. Activity 8: Ensure that state-supported recovery housing programs are adapting On February 9, 2023, CDCR’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs (DRP) policies and practices distributed guidelines that assist the Specialized Treatment for Optimized to continue to address Programming (STOP) contractors with implementing Housing First the needs of Requirements. participants, are educating participants As DRP becomes aware of housing resources, connections are made regarding roles, rights whenever possible. Contract language was also changed to reflect Housing and responsibilities, and First (as it pertains to CDCR), presented the new language to the STOP are connecting people contractors, and developed guidelines on expectations on how to meet to alternative housing Housing First requirements. options that are implementing Housing Finally, CDCR produced a flyer to educate parolees on housing options that First and harm are available, which will encompass Housing First and harm reduction options. reduction practices, in This flyer will be disseminated in September 2023. order to provide participants with meaningful choice and seek to minimize exits to 71 ACTION AREA 4 homelessness, whether directly released from CDCR institutions or from post-release CDCR-sponsored programs. Activity 9: Provide training, technical assistance opportunities to support local DSH released a funding opportunity for counties to provide resources to partners' planning for support local collaborative planning workgroups in their efforts to develop transitioning diversion or upstream and re-entry strategies that will assist IST individuals in their transition Community Based from Diversion and CBR programs to longer term programs and housing. Restoration (CBR) Funding may be used to support technical assistance activities needed by clients to longer the local collaborative planning workgroup. A total of 33 counties applied for term/permanent and received the $100,000 annual planning grant. housing and treatment. Activity 10: Enhance technical assistance for affordable housing providers on fair housing choice, including expanding educational efforts HCD was not able to make progress on this activity in FY 22-23. The Activity has regarding non- been updated in the FY 23-24 Action Plan update to reflect next steps of discrimination based on implementation. source of income (SB 329), disability, criminal history, and other factors addressed by fair housing requirements.  Objective 12: Foster the creation of an expanded supply of affordable and supportive housing opportunities, paired with appropriate health and behavioral health care resources, that are accessible and culturally responsive to people exiting homelessness, to people at lowest income levels, and to people from historically marginalized communities. Activity 1: Implement HCD administered the Homekey program and during FY 22-23, 20 permanent Homekey program to and interim-to-permanent projects were completed and leased up with new support rapid financing tenants. 886 permanent supportive housing units were produced and made and development of available through the Homekey Round 2 program, housing 1,152 individuals. 72 ACTION AREA 4 permanent housing Another 482 units created are currently interim but will convert to permanent units. in the next 15 years. 116 total projects awarded creating 6,863 units. The CDSS Community Care Expansion (CCE) Capital Expansion Program was established in FY 2021-22 and provides $570 million in infrastructure grant funding for acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation to preserve and expand residential settings that expand the long-term care continuum for Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) and Activity 2: Implement Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) applicants and recipients, Community Care including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Residential settings Expansion program to include but are not limited to adult and senior care facilities, recuperative or expand and preserve respite care settings, and independent residential settings. A Joint Request for residential care settings Applications was launched on January 2022 in coordination with the for seniors and adults California Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Continuum with disabilities Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). Funds may be used for acquisition, including permanent construction, and rehabilitation of adult and senior residential care settings. A supportive housing and portion of the funds may also be used for a Capitalized Operating Subsidy licensed adult and Reserve (COSR) for funded projects for a maximum of five years. senior care beds. Additionally, $195 million in CCE Preservation Funds were made available via a noncompetitive allocation for the immediate preservation of licensed residential adult and senior care facilities serving applicants or recipients of SSI/SSP or CAPI, including those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) was published on June 10, 2022. Examples of State agencies and departments implementing such funding include: ▪ Cal ICH supports the expansion of affordable and supportive housing opportunities including the creation of new housing units as an eligible use of funds under the HHAP, Tribal HHAP, ERF and Family Homelessness Activity 3: Implement a Challenge grant program. Cal ICH has provided guidance to grantees on wide array of other the availability of HHAP funding to cover operational costs to support State and Federal Homekey projects and increase the expansion of affordable and funding programs that supportive housing efforts. support expansion of affordable and ▪ CDSS-funded housing programs help connect families and individuals to supportive housing the right housing intervention and provide flexible funding for rental and opportunities, with utility assistance, security deposits, move-in costs, habitability, legal identification of clear services, and more. Some examples of how CDSS programs help expand unit production goals affordable and supportive housing opportunities, include: and targets for the • Project Roomkey and Rehousing Strategy supports costs related to implementation of housing navigation, move-in costs, and time-limited rental subsidies to each program. support exits to permanent housing. • Approximately 22% of Project Roomkey participants have exited to permanent housing statewide. ▪ HCD administered the Homekey program to expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Round 2 Homekey program awards made from FY 21-22 through July 21, 2022 will create 4,142 homes across 44 jurisdictions. An estimated 1,688 chronically 73 ACTION AREA 4 homeless households and 305 homeless youth households will be served in these homes. ▪ HCD administered the last planned round of No Place Like Home (NPLH) awards. Through December 2022, HCD has made 156 awards totaling approximately $1,911,376,910 in 46 counties. These are the last planned HCD awards under this program until additional new funding becomes available. • In total, HCD made awards to four Alternative Process Counties in the amount of $1,070,149,587 that will result in approximately 4,855 NPLH- assisted units. Alternative Process Counties are those counties with five percent or more of the state’s homeless population who are designated to receive and administer their own allocations. • In addition, HCD has awarded $841,227,323 to 42 counties in the balance of the state for 141 projects that will result in approximately 3,000 NPLH-assisted units. More projects are anticipated to be funded by June 30, 2024, as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara meet their statutory deadline to commit their remaining NPLH allocations. • Overall, it is anticipated that approximately 7,852 NPLH-assisted units will be produced. As of July 2023, there were 46 completed projects, and 126 projects under construction. • FY 22-23 tenant outcome data available for NPLH measures reported in HMIS will be available in the NPLH Annual Report to be released by December 31, 2023. ▪ The HCD Multifamily Finance Super NOFA (MFSN) programs include scoring incentives for housing special needs populations that include homeless households. The first funding round awards made in February 2023 included over 450 units targeted for special needs populations and 300 targeted for veterans supportive housing. Activity 4: Implement advocacy and partnerships to inform In May of 2023, on behalf of the Governor’s Office, BCSH announced that the federal California is teaming up with the White House and the U.S. Interagency administration's efforts Council on Homelessness (USICH) to participate in ALL INside, a first-of-its kind to expand housing initiative to address unsheltered homelessness. supply, including the White House Housing As part of ALL INside, California will partner with its Federal Liaison, USICH and Supply Action Plan, to its 19 federal member agencies, and the Domestic Policy Council for up to pursue modifications to two years to jointly identify challenges and solutions to expedite movement to current and federal stable housing. California will focus on three priority populations experiencing programs, to improve homelessness: youth, older adults and veterans. the process to use federal public lands for In the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the State and Federal affordable housing governments, there is acknowledgement that the teams will explore several development, to strategies, including better leveraging of existing federal resources and using provide better loan public land for affordable housing. products for expedited housing development, 74 ACTION AREA 4 and to support jurisdictions to make changes to zoning and other processes to expedite development. Activity 5: Identify and implement efforts to BCSH continues to work closely across state housing agencies to improve better align policies housing outcomes for low-income households. and practices across State housing agencies Since December of 2021 CalHFA has provided more than $500 million dollars and programs, while in critical assistance to thousands of California homeowners experiencing retaining significant financial hardships. This mortgage relief is not only a homeownership strategy, focus on extremely low- it is also a strategy to prevent homelessness. income households and housing for people BCSH has also streamlined efforts to consolidate funding opportunities into exiting homelessness one application with HCD’s Multifamily Super NOFA. and at risk of homelessness. BCSH has been working to improve tribal access to housing funding programs including HCD’s first tribal-specific NOFA for the Homekey released June 2023. Activity 6: Pilot Adult Family Homes for older adults in one county, creating opportunities through which up to two adult individuals will reside with a family and share in the interaction and In 2022, CDA determined that the pilot would no longer be implemented, and responsibilities of being the funding for this pilot was re-distributed. part of a family unit, while the family receives a stipend and support from a local Family Home Agency (FHA) for caregiving for the adult individual(s). Activity 7: Accelerate selection of developers Through FY 22-23 HCD selected developers to build affordable housing on 18 to create affordable Excess Sites. HCD anticipates awarding up to 3 more sites in FY 23-24. and supportive housing on State-owned Excess HCD’s MFSN programs include scoring incentives for affordable housing on Sites. State-owned Excess Sites. The first funding round awards made February 2023 included 2 awards to Excess Sites. 75 ACTION AREA 4 For FY 2022-23, HCD provided 163 technical assistance contacts to local agencies, developers, and other stakeholders on the Surplus Land Act. HCD facilitated 196 exempt surplus land dispositions and 121 standard surplus land dispositions. Of these dispositions, 35 have resulted in a pipeline of 5,656 total proposed housing units of which 3,753 (approximately 67%) will be affordable to households at 80 percent area median income or below. During FY 2022-23, HCD coordinated with HCD’s Division of State Financial Assistance (DSFA) and the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) to Activity 8: Provide award points in the respective funding programs for affordable housing built technical assistance to on local surplus land. HCD provided language to include in guidelines for the affordable housing MFSN, Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG), and Affordable Housing and Sustainable developers and local Communities (AHSC) programs. MFSN projects are currently still in the process agencies to support of being scored but early data available shows that of the 241 applicants to affordable housing the program, 45 projects are seeking local surplus land points. For the total 53 development on locally applications of the AHSC program, 6 projects sought local public lands points owned surplus land. and 1 project was awarded points for that category. HCD continues to make progress toward goals to expand available technical assistance materials, conduct outreach to stakeholders, and provide direct TA to facilitate development of affordable housing on local surplus land. These actions include but are not limited to ongoing coordination with DSFA and SGC on the SuperNOFA, IIG, and AHSC programs; submission and acceptance of conference workshop proposals including SCANPH’s 2023 Annual Conference and the Municipal Management Association of Southern California Conference; and a soon-to-be launched online portal for users to submit Surplus Land Act documents as well as request technical assistance.  Objective 13: Improve access to short-term, longer-term, and flexible forms of rental assistance to support racially equitable and successful exits from homelessness, and to support housing development activities. Examples of State agencies and departments implementing such funding include: Activity 1: Implement a wide array of State and ▪ In addition to Cal ICH’s previously released HHAP round 1, 2, and 3 grants, Federal funding the HHAP Round 4 allocation totaled $1 billion and includes continued programs that support support for rental assistance, an eligible use of funds under the HHAP and provision of various Tribal HHAP programs. forms of rental assistance, with ▪ CDSS’s Home Safe program had 58 counties participating as of FY 21-22, identification of clear an increase of 33 counties from the pilot in 2018-2021. The interim findings goals and targets for from the 2021 University of California San Francisco Benioff Homelessness the number of and Housing Initiative (BHHI) on the Home Safe program finds that 85 households to receive percent of Home Safe participants for whom data was available 6 months rental assistance post-program exit retained housing. This is an important indicator of long- through each program. term stability for participants. Grantees have reported being able to provide housing supports through Home Safe that are critical for the safety of seniors and adults with disabilities but were previously inaccessible to most APS departments. 76 ACTION AREA 4 ▪ CDSS’ Housing and Disability Advocacy (HDAP) program has 57 counties and 2 tribal programs participating beginning in FY 21-22, an increase of 15 additional grantees from FY 20-21. In FY 2021-22, grantees reported HDAP had a 78 percent approval rate for disposed disability benefits applications, with 65 percent of approvals occurring after initial application. By comparison, the average rate of approval solely for initial applications for Social Security Disability benefits specifically was 39 percent in California in 2020. ▪ Grantees have credited HDAP with improving cross-collaboration among social services agencies, disability benefit advocates, and housing providers for a more holistic approach to service delivery. • 94 percent of grantees report that housing made it easier or significantly easier to engage with clients for their disability benefits applications. Grantees also report that clients who were housed during their program participation were easier to contact and completed paperwork in a timelier manner than unhoused clients. ▪ CDSS’ Housing Support Program (HSP) has 55 counties participating. HSP has supported systems change within communities through new or stronger partnerships between social service agencies and local homelessness response systems, resulting in more coordinated, efficient, and effective service provision. Counties have reported that providing the core components of HSP including housing case management, housing navigation and rental assistance have successfully supported families in addressing barriers to housing in a way that most families could not have done alone while experiencing homelessness. ▪ CDSS’ Bringing Families Home program has 53 counties and one tribe participating as of FY 2022-23 and increase in 2 counties from 2021 and increase of 31 counties from the pilot in 2019-2020. • Grantees report that BFH is helping families reunify faster and with greater success, which in turn enables them to better achieve their child welfare case plan goals and shorten timelines to visitation. For example, grantees report that the parenting and life skills learned through BFH increase the likelihood that families will maintain their housing and prevent a return to homelessness, and that some of the families served would not have been accepted by their current landlord without BFH. • Grantees report that a key success of BFH is its role in bridging system partnerships between child welfare and housing. While local BFH programs have flexibility in terms of service delivery model, several counties have found the partnerships with local public housing authorities critical to procuring HUD Family Unification Vouchers (FUPs), which helps create long terms affordable housing for BFH families. • The Children’s Data Network (CDN) of the University of Southern California and California Policy Lab (CPL) out of UC Berkeley are conducting a formal evaluation of the program with publication planned for early 2023. Three highlights from the preliminary findings: o Most families who exited the program exited to permanent housing and an additional 14 percent exited to either community- provided or temporary housing. o Only 3 percent reported exiting to homelessness. 77 ACTION AREA 4 o Within three months of BFH entry, use of emergency shelter declined, and use of rapid re-housing services doubled for BFH participants relative to the comparison group. o Families that entered BFH at the point of family reunification were more likely to transition to family maintenance within 6 months. ▪ Relevant HCD funding programs include: The ESG annual program provided $6.1 million in rapid rehousing assistance serving 3,108 individuals. The ESG-CV program served 20,436 persons through the rapid rehousing program with 33% exiting to a positive housing destination. The CDBG-CV program provided over $12 million for rental and subsistence payments with $6.7 million disbursed. ▪ Cal OES manages four programs that have rental assistance as an eligible housing option: Transitional Housing, Specialized Emergency Housing, Domestic Violence Housing First, Homeless Youth and Emergency Services and Housing. In FY 22-23, Rental assistance was provided more than 480 times. ▪ CalHFA administers the Section 811 Rental Assistance program. All Round 1 and 2 funds have been allocated, and CalHFA is no longer accepting applications for the program. A third round of NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected in the fall of 2023. Activity 2: Implement transition and diversion funds, including rental In FY 22-23 DOR-supported Independent Living Centers provided 30 individuals assistance resources, with disabilities who are homeless with flexible funding through the State Plan for people with for Independent Living (SPIL) Transition and Diversion grant to support disabilities who are individuals with disabilities to transition to stable housing. discharged from an institutional setting and SPIL Transition and Diversion funds were utilized for rental assistance, home at risk of homelessness modifications, assistive technology, and other services to support successful and for individuals who transitions to stable housing. All individuals reported that their quality of life are homeless and at after transition to housing improved and that they feel more equipped to risk of make decisions about their living arrangements as a result of receiving institutionalization. services. Activity 3: Align Caltrans shelter leases seek to provide locals with options to shelter people inventory of experiencing homelessness on a temporary and emergency basis, with few appropriate state- exceptions. Exceptions include 3 permanent shelter sites that were owned land prioritized established prior to amendments to CA Constitution limiting use of through the Public transportation assets to transportation uses. Lands for Affordable Housing Development The requests Caltrans receives regarding affordable housing are largely to use Program for the Caltrans excess property for these developments. Unfortunately, Article 19 of development of the California constitution dictates property must be sold at fair market value permanent affordable with only specific exceptions. and supportive housing opportunities with Caltrans is currently exploring other creative opportunities. 78 ACTION AREA 4 identified properties, to synergize potential interim and long-term use of property for maximum benefits, and proactively promote and educate local jurisdictions and community partners regarding these opportunities. Activity 4: Design and implement the Veterans Support to Self-Reliance Pilot to support and pilot approaches to providing higher levels of on site supportive services for veterans Veterans Support to Self-Reliance Pilot grantees are in the process of aged 55 and over who acquiring staff positions and approximately 132 veterans have been enrolled reside in permanent to receive services. supportive housing, to demonstrate impact of enhanced supportive services on ability of aging veterans to age in place and improve quality of life outcomes. 79 ACTION AREA 5 ACTION AREA 5 Preventing Californians from Experiencing the Crisis of Homelessness This Action Area includes activities focused on reducing entries into homelessness as people exit and/or receive services through State -funded programs and systems and enhancing communities ’ capacity to provide targeted homelessness prevention and diversion services and assistance.  Objective 14: Reduce entries into homelessness as people exit and/or receive services from State-funded settings and systems, addressing racial inequities within risks of experiencing homelessness, and including a focus on people re-entering communities from jails and prisons, young adults connected to the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems, and people exiting health care settings and programs. DHCS’s All County Welfare Director’s Letter 22-27 was published on November 10, 2022 to provide guidance to the County Social Services Department, County Correctional Facilities, and County Probation Facilities on policies and procedures for implementing the Inmate Pre-Release Application Mandate. Activity 1: Implement DHCS has additionally convened regular technical assistance sessions with CalAIM proposals key stakeholders including a bi-weekly CalAIM Pre-Release Application Sub seeking to address Workgroup and the monthly Medi-Cal Incarceration Workgroup which needs of people exiting support both CalAIM related justice involved initiatives and other DHCS corrections settings programs which involve the justice system. through expedited enrollment in Medi-Cal. On April 12, 2023 DHCS additionally published a Medi-Cal Eligibility Division Information Letter, which outlines DHCS’ approach to ongoing monitoring and oversight of counties activities under the mandate. This MEDIL includes required reporting of specific metrics related to the Pre-Release Application Mandate which will allow DHCS to assess the success of the initiative in increasing Medi-Cal enrollment. DHCS anticipates issuing updated guidance in August 2023. Activity 2: Implement Enhanced Care Management (ECM) is a critical component of the DHCS’ CalAIM to provide care CalAIM Justice Involved Reentry Initiative. The care management model coordination and begins with pre-release care management services available during the 90 housing services to days prior to an individual’s release, which are paid on an fee-for-service (FFS) people exiting basis by Medi-Cal. The pre-release care manager is required to closely corrections settings coordinate with the individual’s post-release ECM provider– if the pre-release through Enhanced and post-release care managers are not the same person – to ensure Care Management continuity of care between the pre- and post-release periods. The ECM (ECM) and Community Individuals Transitioning from Incarceration will go live January 1, 2024. There is Supports. a July 2023 update to the ECM policy guide that includes a section on JI: CalAIM Enhanced Care Management Policy Guide 80 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 3: Implement DHCS has communicated informational and guidance materials and related CalAIM to provide training (supportive of Housing First) to MCPs on the Recuperative Care medically necessary (Medical Respite) Community Supports implementation. All guidance is also recuperative care posted on DHCS’ ECM & Community Supports webpage. placements for unhoused people who On August 18, 2023, DHCS hosted a CalAIM Community Supports Spotlight are exiting acute Series Webinar focused on the Recuperative Care (Medical Respite) inpatient facilities Community Support. and/or were recently hospitalized. DHCS measures the number of MCPs which have adopted, and which will adopt, the Recuperative Care Community Support and communicates this information via its ECM & Community Supports webpage. Activity 4: Implement CalAIM Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Funding for Justice-involved Initiatives, including support for implementation of: pre- In November 2022 DHCS launched the PATH Round 2 application which release Medi-Cal provides support for the California Department of Corrections and enrollment and Rehabilitation, County Social Services Department, County Correctional suspension processes; Facilities, and County Probation Facilities to develop and implement new delivery of Medi-Cal processes in support of the Inmate Pre-Release Application Mandate. PATH services in the 90 days awardees have submitted a DHCS approved implementation plan. As of prior to release; and August 2023, DHCS has approved $42.3 million in PATH awards representing supporting correctional the participation of multiple organizations across 29 counties and CDCR. agencies, county social services departments, The PATH Justice Involved Round 3 applications were due on July 31, 2023. county behavioral DHCS is currently in the process of reviewing the applications and providing health agencies, technical assistance. DHCS will also provide targeted outreach to managed care plans, correctional facilities and county behavioral health agencies that did not and to jointly design, submit an application, and ongoing technical assistance for the duration of modify, and launch this demonstration. new processes aimed at increasing enrollment in Medi-Cal and continuous access to care for justice- involved youths and adults. Activity 5: Enhance the CDCR strengthened the pre-release process such that the Division of Adult pre-release Community Parole Operations (DAPO) Community Transition Program now provides Transition Program housing referrals to the Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming practices to initiate (STOP) network, who then secures Returning Home Well (RHW) or other referrals to specifically community-based housing options, as appropriate. address the housing 81 ACTION AREA 5 needs of people exiting In February 2023, CDCR released a policy memo to notify STOP providers that prison settings who are they are to accept DAPO housing referrals, which are being tracked in ARMS. identified as homeless as they transition back In June 30, 2022, of the 31,752 individuals on parole, 5,353 (16.9 percent) were to their communities. unhoused/sheltered. By June 30, 2023, of the 25,371 individuals on parole, 3,978 (15.7 percent) were unhoused/sheltered. Note: These numbers represent the portion of parolees for which CDCR tracks housing status. Not every “parolee” of record is included (e.g., deported, pending deportation, in-local custody). Although there was a 20 percent decrease in the parolee population during FY 22-23, there was a 26 percent decrease in the parolee homeless/sheltered population, which indicates that the parolee homeless/sheltered population decreased at a slightly greater rate than the decrease of the overall parolee population for whom housing status is tracked. Activity 6: Analyze existing pre-release data and information CDCR developed a Parolee Housing dashboard to track housing need for to better understand individuals who are under CDCR DAPO supervision, which is currently under the scale of risks for internal review. CDCR also began meeting with Cal ICH to identify homelessness among opportunities/mechanisms for data sharing. As such, CDCR will pursue a people exiting prison Business Use Case Proposal with Cal ICH to assess the extent to which settings. individuals leaving CDCR are served by local Continuums of Care (CoCs). Activity 7: Identify opportunity to partner with local communities to pilot data matching activities to analyze In April 2023, CDCR’s Office of Research and DRP, along with CCJBH, met with rates and timing of a local Continuum of Care (CoC) to explore the potential for direct post-release CDCR/CoC data matching. Given there is an established process to share experiences of data at the State level, the Interagency Data Exchange Agreement, CDCR homelessness among will instead focus data sharing with Cal ICH. people who have exited prison settings. 82 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 8: Implement the Housing for a Healthy California program for individuals HCD’s Housing for a Healthy California Program (HHC) Program started in FY who are recipients of or 2018-19 and concluded in FY 2020-21. In December 2021, HCD released the eligible for health care HHC NOFA with an aggregate amount of $163,148,767. HCD awarded these provided through the NHTF funds to twenty (20) affordable multifamily housing developments, Medi-Cal program, which will result in 554 NHTF units inclusive of a total of 1,574 housing units. Of providing tenant-based the twenty (20) HHC assisted developments, twelve (12) are under rental assistance with construction and will be leasing-up in early 2025; and the remaining eight (8) supportive services or HHC assisted developments anticipate starting construction within the next capitalized operating twelve (12) months. reserve to existing rental projects. Activity 9: Incorporate a focus on housing status, housing instability, and housing CDA continues to engage ADRC and Area Agency on Aging partners to needs within identify promising approaches for helping older adults and people with development of disabilities access the information they need to make informed choices about standardized tool for their long-term services and supports need, including housing. As part of the assessing needs within aging and disability No Wrong Door initiative, CDA is in the early planning Aging and Disability stages to develop a consumer-facing web portal and contact center to help Resource Centers' people connect with services, including housing. The web portal will also (ADRCs') and Area include development of a standardized assessment tool. Agencies on Aging's programming. Activity 10: Implement the 180-bed Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) level of care within the DSH Conditional Release Program (CONREP) to DSH’s Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) program commenced support the transition of a phased in activation across three regions of the state for an average of 30 individuals from the beds each, beginning in February 2022. As of FY 22-23, 92 individuals were state hospital to placed and received services. community treatment, including provision of housing and residential treatment opportunities. 83 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 11: Implement the Early Access to Treatment Services for the Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) population, including In FY 2022-23, DSH activated 35 Early Access and Stabilization Services (EASS) providing treatment programs during the course of the year, and a total of 1,440 Incompetent to and medication Stand Trial (IST) patients were served by the program during that time. Of the supports at the earliest total, 752 (52%) IST patients were enrolled and receiving services within 28 point possible for days from commitment to DSH. This percentage will increase over time. Since individuals in jail who DSH’s overall wait times exceeded 28 days during this timeframe, as new are deemed IST to programs are implemented, they began treating individuals who already facilitate stabilization were on DSH’s pending placement list for more than 28 days. and increase opportunities for diversion. Activity 12: Improve IST discharge planning and coordination with In FY 2022-23, DSH coordinated a series of meetings with county behavioral counties to enable health representatives to identify the information necessary to establish a counties to better plan standard DSH discharge packet for IST patients transitioning from the hospitals for continuity of to community care. DSH is now working to standardize the agreed upon treatment when documentation and the timing of document production. individuals deemed IST are released from jail. Activity 13: Implement the Returning Home Well initiative, in partnership with philanthropic organizations and local partners, to prevent experiences of homelessness for people transitioning from corrections CDCR continued implementing the Returning Home Well initiative and will settings by expanding begin reporting service data to Cal ICH in late summer 2023. interim housing options, including recovery housing models and quarantine options during the pandemic, and by addressing transportation needs to facilitate access to such options. 84 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 15: Implement Basic Needs Centers CCCCO reports that as of August 23, 2023: providing range of services and supports ▪ 96 colleges report having an operational basic needs center, with 30.6% to students who may of those building a larger center. be at risk of ▪ 99.1% of centers are open Monday through Friday, with one college homelessness, as well operating on the weekend as well. as programming targeting students ▪ 29.7% of the colleges report having access to services in the evenings involved with the justice after 5pm at least 1 to 2 days per week. system and/or the ▪ Additionally, our NextUp program reported serving 2,115 foster students in foster care system. the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Activity 16: Implement Guaranteed Income (GI) Pilot for youth During FY 22-23, CDSS executed grant agreements for 3 GI Pilot sites serving aging out of foster former foster youth (FFY), with first results from exit surveys anticipated in 2027. care. Between June 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, the CDSS Transition Age Youth (TAY) Policy Unit received and offered resources on over 200 housing related inquiries. CDSS’ Transition Housing Placements (THP-NMD) program serves youth in extended foster care ages 18 to 21. Housing models include: a host family, Activity 17: Continue to staffed sites, and remote sites. In addition to housing, THPP-NMD participants offer Transition Housing receive supportive services to assist the NMD in obtaining skills needed to Placements (THP-NMD) successfully transition to independent living. Currently there are over 150 for 18-21-year-old Youth licensed THPP-NMD programs in operation in at least 45 counties statewide. transitioning from the Point-in-time placement data retrieved quarterly between July 2022 and April Foster Care system, and 2023 consistently shows over 2,000 NMD’s placed in THPP-NMD programs continue to support each quarter. The most recent available data from county self-reports is from THP-Plus for 18-24-year- Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 21-22 (October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022) old former Youth to and shows over 2,800 young adults participated in THPP-NMD programs that assist in providing the year. supports necessary to obtain more CDSS’ Transitional Housing Program Plus (THP-Plus) serves young adults who permanent housing. were formerly in foster care that are between the ages of 18 and 24. To be eligible, the young person must have left foster care on or after their 18th birthday. The young person is eligible for THP-Plus for a maximum of 36 cumulative months or until they reach age 25. Housing models include: apartments, single family dwellings, condominiums, college dormitories, and host family models. THP-Plus participants also receive supportive services to assist in obtaining skills needed to successfully transition to independent living. Currently there are nearly 80 county certified THP-Plus programs in operation in at least 43. 85 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 18: Implement the Prison to Employment (P2E) Initiative to integrate workforce and reentry CWDB’s Prison to Employment (P2E) 2.0 program launched near the end of FY services in all of ’22-’23, and there is not much data available yet to report. CWDB continues California's labor to work with external evaluators, the UC Riverside Presley Center of Crime and regions and to promote Justice Studies, to ensure adequate data collection and the eventual rigorous equity and create analysis of that data. CWDB is developing its own cloud-based data economic opportunity collection and management system, and looks forward to more streamlined for formerly data reporting once the system goes live. incarcerated and justice-involved individuals. Activity 19: Pilot efforts to address the housing and employment services needs of people with disabilities within state prison DOR is piloting an employment services program in one Central Valley prison facilities, supporting where DOR counselors are working with 79 individuals with disabilities prior to people to access exiting the prison system to prepare them for meaningful employment as they employment prior to re- transition back into the community. entering communities or for individuals who are ex-offenders. Activity 20: Implement the Justice Involved Veterans Initiative to ensure that incarcerated Veterans obtain their earned benefits and receive CalVet reports that the Justice Involved Veterans Initiative is being support upon their implemented. release and reentry into post-incarceration life to reduce risks for re- incarceration and homelessness. Activity 21: Continue to develop a long-term DHCS’ work on this Activity has transitioned to the BH-CONNECT initiative plan and strategy for which contains multiple activities focused on children and youth, particularly improving health those involved in the child welfare system. These activities include: outcomes and the 86 ACTION AREA 5 delivery of fully ▪ Cross-Sector Incentive Program to reward Managed Care Plans (MCPs), integrated health care County Mental Health Plans (MHPs), and child welfare systems (CWS) for services for youth in meeting specified measures related to coordinating care for children and foster care. youth in the child welfare system; ▪ Activity Stipends for children/youth involved in child welfare to promote social/emotional well-being; Centers of Excellence to support the implementation of evidence-based practices for children and youth; ▪ Clarification of coverage of specific evidence-based practices for children and youth (MST, FFT, PCIT, and potentially other therapeutic modalities); ▪ Alignment of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool to ensure both child welfare and behavioral health providers are using the same CANS tool; ▪ Initial Behavioral Health Assessment jointly administered by the behavioral health and child welfare systems; and ▪ A new Foster Care Liaison, required by DHCS for MCPs to designate at the Plan level and will be responsible for facilitating supporting coordination of services across the MCPs and child welfare systems. Activity 22: Distribute funding and gather In FY 21-22, the HCD Transitional Housing Program (THP) funds served 1,332 outcomes of the participants and the Housing Navigators Program (HNP) served 804 Housing Navigators participants. Among the two programs, 1,681 foster youth were served. Data Program and for FY 22-23 is still being compiled as of August 2023. Transitional Housing Program for County Internal timely submissions of the forty-eight (48) standard agreement Child Welfare contracts for FY 22-23 occurred. At the time of this report, the Department is Agencies. waiting for five (5) of the forty-eight (48) agreements to be returned from the grantee. DOR received a one-time $10 million state general fund investment, available from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025, for the Community Living Fund. The Activity 23: Support program provides transition and diversion services to individuals with people with disabilities disabilities and older adults to move from an institutional setting to the to successfully and community or to support individuals who are at risk of going into an institution stably transition from to remain in their community of choice. The program can help prevent nursing homes and individuals who are homeless from going into an institution by assisting other institutional individuals to access stable housing and home and community-based settings to community supports. As well, the program can assist individuals who are being living opportunities, and discharged from an institution such a skilled nursing facility or behavioral also prevent people health hospital and who are at-risk of homelessness to connect to services to from going into maintain and retain stable housing and community-based services. institutional settings and losing stable housing. In April 2023, DOR fully implemented the Community Living Fund program with 30 community-based organizations to support institutional transition and diversion services and advance community living for people with disabilities and older adults. In the first 3 months of the program in SFY 2022-23, the Community Living Fund served 46 individuals with disabilities and older adults. 87 ACTION AREA 5 Activity 24: Enhance the capacity of "No As part of the aging and disability No Wrong Door initiative, CDA continues to Wrong Door" Aging and engage ADRC and Area Agency on Aging partners to identify promising Disability Resource approaches for transitioning people to settings of their choice, including Connection (ADRC) individuals at-risk of homelessness. systems to support transitions from nursing In 2022, CDA has promoted the California Department of Rehabilitation’s facilities back into Community Living Fund (CLF) Program with ADRC and AAA partners for community living expanding the capacity of disability and aging services and programs to options, minimizing risk provide person-centered institutional transition and diversion services for that such transitions people of all ages and with any type of disability who do not qualify for result in homelessness. existing services. Activity 25: Implement the Workforce Accelerator Fund 10 Grant to test innovative strategies for an equitable recovery to This work has been delayed due to CWDB staffing shortages. While the WAF impact economic and program continues, evaluation efforts are on hold until more staff can be racial equity by onboarded. creating pathways to quality jobs for workers from disadvantaged communities.  Objective 15: Enhance communities’ capacity to provide targeted homelessness prevention interventions and to successfully divert people from entering shelter or experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Examples of State agencies and departments implementing such funding Activity 2: Implement a include: wide array of State and Federal funding ▪ CDSS housing and homelessness programs were designed and/or programs that support expanded to allow for delivery of prevention services to families and provision of various individuals who are at risk of homelessness. The historic increase of funding forms of diversion and in Budget Act of 2021 and Budget Act of 2022 supports this expansion in prevention services, program scope while also allowing communities to continue to target with identification of vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness. clear goals and targets • The Homeless Assistance (HA) program and Housing Support Program for the number of (HSP) mitigate housing instability or homelessness for eligible households to receive CalWORKS participants. HA and HSP can be leveraged together to diversion and close these gaps to ensure families acquire a living space or do not prevention services lose their home. This may include rental or utility arrears, late fee through each program. payments, first month’s rent and/or security deposits, landlord mediation, repairs, connection to housing stabilization services, habitability/accessibility improvements, and housing navigation. 88 ACTION AREA 5 CalWORKs Permanent HA can provide payments to secure or maintain housing, including a security deposit and last month’s rent, or up to two months of rent arrearages. • Bringing Families Home (BFH) provides preventive services to families in the child welfare system who are at risk of homelessness to increase family reunification and to prevent foster care placements. BFH offers financial assistance and housing-related wrap-around supportive services, including but not limited to: rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, hotel and motel vouchers, legal services, and credit repair. • Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) offers housing- related financial assistance and wrap-around supportive services, including, but not limited to interim housing, rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, legal services, and credit repair. HDAP also provides outreach services as well as case management for connections to any additional service needs. • Home Safe program offers a range of strategies to prevent homelessness and support ongoing housing stability for APS clients, including housing-related intensive case management, short term housing related financial assistance, deep cleaning to maintain safe housing, eviction prevention, landlord mediation, and more. ▪ In FY 22-23, HCD’s ESG-CV funded Homelessness Prevention programs served 604 persons with 40% of them exiting to a positive housing destination. The annual ESG program provided $128,613 to serve 189 persons. ▪ CalHFA implements the National Mortgage Settlement Housing Counseling Program, which allows California residents who are in danger of eviction or foreclosure to receive free counseling services. As of March 31, 2023 of FY 22/23, the program partnered with 75 Housing Counseling Agencies, served nearly 18,500 households, and distributed approximately $19.2 million in funds (see the most recent Quarterly Report). Since the program started in 2020, it has had an average of 75 HCAs, served 57,086 total households, and distributed $63.8 million total funds. Additional funding of $50 million has been approved, extending the program through December 2025. ▪ The CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation has been chosen to administer the California Mortgage Relief Program. The Program uses federal Homeowner Assistance Funds to help homeowners get caught up on past-due housing payments and property taxes. The program is absolutely free and the funds do not need to be repaid. The program helps with the following: Past-due mortgage payments; Missed property taxes; Partial claims and loan deferrals taken during or after January 2022; Reverse Mortgages. Since the program launched in the late 2021, it has served a total of 22,252 households, funded over $562 million with an average assistance amount of $25,267 per household. 89 ACTION AREA 5 Throughout FY 22-23, BCSH continued to provide information and updates through the Housing is Key website, to help Californians stay in their homes. The website includes information about tenant and homeowner protection and resources. The Housing is Key website includes information about the California Mortgage Relief Program (MRP), which is designed to help homeowners get caught up on past-due housing payments and property taxes to keep them stable in their homes. As of August 2023, the Mortgage Relief Program has served more than 22,250 households and deployed more than $562 M in assistance. The COVID-19 Emergency Rent Relief Program (ERAP) provided assistance to lower income households, at greatest risk of eviction and homelessness, caused by pandemic-related hardships. The program has served more than 365,000 households and deployed more than $4.6B in rental assistance through August 2023. BCSH continues to share information about the causes of homelessness, effective solutions, state strategies and programs, and local successes through in-person engagement opportunities, social media and the Housing is Key newsletter. Activity 3: Continue implementation of the In FY 22-23, 18 editions of the Housing is Key newsletter were distributed to Housing is Key nearly 1,500 subscribers. These included information about the work of BCSH, campaign, providing Cal ICH, HCD, and CalHFA to fund housing for individuals experiencing materials and resources homelessness, as well as funding the production and preservation of to help Californians stay affordable housing, infrastructure, and other initiatives. The Housing is Key in their homes or website includes information about the California Mortgage Relief Program understand their (MRP), which is designed to help homeowners get caught up on past-due housing options during housing payments and property taxes to keep them stable in their homes. As COVID-19 and beyond. of August 2023, the Mortgage Relief Program has served more than 22,250 households and deployed more than $562 M in assistance. The COVID-19 Emergency Rent Relief Program (ERAP) provided assistance to lower income households, at greatest risk of eviction and homelessness, caused by pandemic-related hardships. The program has served more than 365,000 households and deployed more than $4.6B in rental assistance through August 2023. In spring 2023, BCSH Agency coordinated and participated in The CaseMade Casemaking training to shift the narrative around homelessness, to promote best practices in housing and develop a cohort of state leaders to collaborate on messaging. The training cohort completed six 90-minute training sessions over the span of 3 months and developed a Housing Case Guide. The cohort consisted of staff from departments working across the housing continuum. In August 2023, BCSH launched an interactive story map which uplifts publicly funded success stories in housing development. Phase one of the project includes stories featuring a permanent supportive housing and transitional housing site for Veterans in Sacramento, a transit-oriented affordable housing community in Santa Rosa, an infill affordable housing community for extremely low- and very low-income families in Fresno, and a Homekey community for LGBTQ+, HIV+ youth and veterans experiencing homelessness 90 ACTION AREA 5 in Riverside. The project aims to encourage members of the public to champion housing in their communities and bring person-centered stories to the forefront of the narrative around housing. Activity 4: Provide CDE coordinated meetings with Cal ICH staff to identify stakeholder overlap- guidance to support students, youth, families served by the CoCs- i.e. Cal ICH grantees. The schools to develop collaboration has set shared goals, outcomes and timelines. community collaborations and CDE sent out a survey to all 58 County Offices of Education to gather bright stronger referral systems spots, best practices and also barriers to services in coordinating with local with public, private, CoCs. CDE worked with UC Berkeley to analyze and follow up on the results of and faith-based the survey. partners that can help address housing CDE presented Homeless Education information (background, liaison roles, instability and regulatory guidance, etc.) at the August 23rd Cal ICH Office Hours Call. homelessness, and other service needs, CDE in collaboration developed the COE Homeless Liaison and CoC Cross- among students and Reference Contact Sheet. The sheet assisted both COEs and CoCs to directly their families. contact each other, understand roles after the CDE presentation and better connect and support programs for families. CDSS’ Housing and Homelessness Division (HHD) is responsible for two areas of the Master Plan on Aging: 1. Provide technical assistance and resources to support statewide implementation of Home Safe and the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, which focuses on older adults and people with disabilities who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Conduct an ongoing analysis of program implementation and success. ▪ In January 2022, HHD launched a comprehensive Technical Assistance Activity 5: Identify (TA) initiative in partnership with Change Well Project. TA offerings strategies to serve older have assisted grantees in establishing and growing their programs, adults and people with and provided trainings and assistance in Housing First, racial equity, disabilities at risk of data systems, and integration of CDSS housing and homelessness experiencing programs with the local homelessness response system. homelessness, including meeting the need for in ▪ As of June 2023, Change Well currently has active one-on-one TA with home supports and 20 counties and 13 tribal communities. Change Well additionally access to licensed hosted 8 activities in June 2023, including webinars, learning labs, and adult and senior care cohort learning collaborative events. See the Change Well Activities facilities. Report dashboard for more information. ▪ Additionally, in early May 2023, the Change Well Project launched a six-month TA series specifically for Tribes launching new Home Safe and/or HDAP programs that combines both group learning and tailored 1-1 TA and will provide information on program design fundamentals. ▪ In June 2023, HHD launched a County TA Initiative to provide support and guidance to HHD grantees in an effort toward continuous quality improvement, to capture innovative practices, and to promote accountability and initiate corrective action as needed. 91 ACTION AREA 5 2. Address the housing needs of older adults and people with disabilities by promoting statewide access to integrated models, including connections to social services, healthcare, housing, and home and community-based services, e.g., Community Care Expansion, Healthier at Home, and others in support of Californians remaining in their own homes and communities. ▪ The CCE Expansion Program funds the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of adult and senior care facilities that serve SSI/SSP or CAPI recipients and applicants who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. ▪ As of June 2023, $360 million in CCE program funding has been awarded to 50 projects to create over 2,000 beds and units throughout the state. Of the $28.5 million tribal set aside, $9.5 million has been awarded so far. ▪ The CDSS has also awarded $249 million to 35 participating California counties through the CCE Preservation Program for the immediate preservation of licensed adult and senior care facilities currently serving applicants and recipients of SSI/SSP and CAPI. ▪ HDAP provides case management and housing supports for individuals who are likely eligible for disability benefits. ▪ From program inception in 2017 through December 2022, HDAP enrolled over 6,000 individuals with disabilities, and 2,900 individuals were permanently housed. ▪ Tribes are eligible grantees who can operate the HDAP Program under the Tribal Set-Aside issued in July 2022. Of the Tribal Set-Aside for HDAP, in April 2023, CDSS made $15 million in awards to a total of 17 tribes and tribal organizations. ▪ The Home Safe program supports the safety and housing stability of individuals involved in Adult Protective Services (APS), or those in the process of APS intake. ▪ As of June 2023, approximately 9,792 people have received assistance through the program and more than 3,000 instances of housing financial assistance were provided. Additionally, over 1,800 people have been connected to the local Coordinated Entry System (CES). Fifty-eight counties currently operate a Home Safe Program. ▪ Tribes are eligible grantees who can operate the Home Safe Program under the Tribal Set-Aside issued in July 2022. Of the Tribal Set-Aside for Home Safe, in April 2023, CDSS made $10 million in awards to a total of 23 tribes and tribal organizations. 92 Attachment A: Action Plan Objectives From updated Action Plan adopted September 2022 and covering FY 22-23. ACTION AREA 1 Strengthening Our Systems to Better Prevent ACTION AREA 2 and End Homelessness in California Equitably Addressing the Health, Safety, and  Objective 1 Services Needs of Californians Experiencing Strengthen racial equity-focused activities of State Unsheltered Homelessness agencies and of local agencies and organizations receiving State funding for homelessness services  Objective 7 and housing activities. Support California communities to strengthen outreach efforts and to address the health and  Objective 2 safety needs of people experiencing unsheltered Ensure that State and local planning and decision- homelessness. making processes are deeply informed and guided by recommendations from people with  Objective 8 lived expertise from experiences of homelessness. Provide equitable access to essential State- supported programs and services, including health  Objective 3 and behavioral health care services, for people Incentivize and support cross-sector, experiencing unsheltered homelessness. interjurisdictional, and regional planning, decision- making, and accountability. ACTION AREA 3  Objective 4 Expanding Communities’ Capacity to Provide Improve access to education and employment Safe and Effective Sheltering and Interim services and opportunities for people at risk of, Housing experiencing, and/or exiting homelessness.  Objective 9  Objective 5 Partner with communities to implement innovative Support California communities to develop disaster approaches and expand the supply of safe, preparedness plans and public health strategies housing-placement focused sheltering and interim that are more inclusive of the needs of people housing models for Californians experiencing experiencing homelessness. homelessness.  Objective 6  Objective 10 Increase public awareness of the State’s Expand alignment and engagement of State homelessness strategies, successes, challenges, resources, including health and behavioral health and the importance of Housing First approaches, care resources, to address health and services trauma-informed care and other best practices. needs among Californians temporarily staying within sheltering and interim housing options. 93 ACTION AREA 4 ACTION AREA 5 Expanding and Ensuring Equitable Access to Preventing Californians from Experiencing Permanent Housing in Our Communities the Crisis of Homelessness  Objective 11  Objective 14 Strengthen implementation of Housing First Reduce entries into homelessness as people exit approaches and other best practices in support of and/or receive services from State-funded settings equitably and urgently rehousing people from and systems, addressing racial inequities within risks shelters, interim housing, and other temporary of experiencing homelessness, and including a settings, and from unsheltered homelessness. focus on people re-entering communities from jails and prisons, young adults connected to the child  Objective 12 welfare and/or juvenile justice systems, and people Foster the creation of an expanded supply of exiting health care settings and programs. affordable and supportive housing opportunities, paired with appropriate health and behavioral  Objective 15 health care resources, that are accessible and Enhance communities’ capacity to provide culturally responsive to people exiting targeted homelessness prevention interventions homelessness, to people at lowest income levels, and to successfully divert people from entering and to people from historically marginalized shelter or experiencing unsheltered homelessness. communities.  Objective 13 Improve access to short-term and longer-term, and flexible forms of rental assistance to support racially equitable and successful exits from homelessness, and to support housing development activities. 94 Attachment B: Baseline Measures Methodology Data Sources In order to assess the impact of Federal, state, and local efforts to address homelessness, the Key Measures include data from the Cal ICH Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS), estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2022 Point-in- Time (PIT) Count, and data from the California Department of Education (CDE). Additionally, this Action Plan uses estimates from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) to compare the population of people experiencing homelessness in California to California’s total population. HDIS is Cal ICH’s data warehouse that aggregates, processes, and reports data from Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) across the state. HMIS are local databases used by Continuums of Care (CoCs) to collect information about people experiencing homelessness, the housing and services they receive from providers, and their outcomes. CoCs use HMIS to connect people to services and to assess the level of need in their communities. Although service providers that receive Federal funding and certain local or state funding are required to participate in local HMIS, other providers are not required to report into HMIS. Providers who serve survivors of domestic violence, Tribal service providers, and some youth services providers are among those who do not report into HMIS. Therefore, the measures that use HDIS data do not represent all people who are receiving homelessness services in the state. Additionally, people can receive services from providers that report to HMIS while they are not experiencing homelessness, as is the case with prevention services or permanent supportive housing. However, the measures that use data from HDIS only include people who experience literal homelessness during the report period as it is defined by HUD: individuals or families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. PIT counts are conducted by CoCs during one night in January. The sheltered count in the Key Measures is an estimate of the number of people in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and safe havens, while the unsheltered count is an estimate of the number of people who are living on the street, in abandoned buildings, or in other in places not meant for human habitation. CDE collects data from local education agencies about students who have been identified as experiencing homelessness. In addition to any students who meet HUD’s definition of literal homelessness, schools aim to identify students who are: • Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; • Living in emergency or transitional shelters; • Or are abandoned in hospitals. The cumulative student homelessness data used in the Key Measures include all students who were enrolled for at least one day at any time during the school year, and were identified as experiencing homelessness at any point during the time that they were enrolled. Students are 95 considered “unaccompanied” if they experience homelessness while not in the physical custody of their parent or guardian. Each measure is disaggregated by race & ethnicity. For all measures that use data from HDIS, races and ethnicities are self-reported by people who access services through projects that report to HMIS. Although people may report multiple racial identities, any person who identifies as more than one race is currently included only in the “Multiple Races” group, and not in each group that they identify with. People are asked to report their race separately from their ethnicity. This means that each person appears in one race category and in one ethnicity category, unless their race and/or ethnicity is unknown. A person’s race and/or ethnicity is reported as “unknown” if a person refuses to report their race and/or ethnicity, does not know their race and/or ethnicity, or if the information is not collected when a person accesses services. In 2022, 7% of Californians who accessed services while experiencing homelessness were reported as having an unknown race, and 4% were reported as having an unknown ethnicity. While people with an unknown race or an unknown ethnicity are included in the total numbers of people experiencing homelessness in each measure, the unknown race and ethnicity categories are not included in the charts in this report as distinct groups. Therefore, the percentages of people who belong to each race and ethnicity category do not equal 100%. In the data from PIT counts, races and ethnicities are either self-reported by individuals, or are estimated by each CoC through other statistical methods. Although people may report multiple racial identities, any person who identifies as more than one race is currently included only in the “Multiple Races” group, and not in each group that they identify with. Since the PIT counts estimate the racial and ethnic identities of people whose race and/or ethnicity is unknown, PIT counts do not report an “unknown” category. The charts that show the rate at which Californians of each race and ethnicity are experiencing homelessness, such as “Californians Accessing Services While Experiencing Homelessness, Rate by Race & Ethnicity (per 10k Californians),” use estimates of California’s total population from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS). These charts show the number of Californians in each racial and ethnic group who are experiencing homelessness (or who have the specific experience of homelessness described by the given measure) for every 10,000 Californians who identify in that racial or ethnic group. Each rate is calculated by dividing the number of people in each racial or ethnic group who have the experience described by the measure, by the total number of Californians in that racial or ethnic group, and then multiplying that number by 10,000. Like the HDIS and the PIT counts, the ACS estimates the numbers of people who identify as each race separately from the numbers of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino, or as not Hispanic or Latino. The ACS also groups everybody who identifies as more than one race into a “Two or more races” category. Unlike the data from HDIS, the ACS does not have an “unknown race” category. However, the ACS does have a “Some other race” category. While people who identify as “Some other race” are included in California’s general population, there is not “Some other race” category in the charts because there is no analogous category in data from HDIS or PIT counts. The ACS estimates that 19% of all Californians identify as “Some other race.” The data on student homelessness does not separate race from ethnicity, so students are only counted once in any of the categories provided. 96 Key Measures & Accompanying Charts Measure 1a is the number of Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness. This measure uses data from HDIS to count the number of Californians accessing services while experiencing homelessness over the course of a year. • The first chart shows the Number of Californians Accessing Services While Experiencing Homelessness, by Household Type. A person is counted in multiple household types if they are part of different households or if their household composition changes while they are accessing services during the report period. For instance, a parent and a child may first access services separately from each other, but then reunite later in the report period while continuing to access services. In this case, the child would be counted in both the Child-Only category and the Families with Children category, and the parent would be counted in both the Adult-Only category and the Families with Children category. For this reason, the sum of the three categories in this chart is greater than the total number of Californians who accessed services while experiencing homelessness. • The second chart shows the Number of Californians Accessing Services While Experiencing Homelessness, by Population of Interest. A person can be counted in multiple populations of interest. For example, a veteran experiencing chronic homelessness would be counted in both of these populations. Special populations in this chart include: • Veterans: people who indicated that they are a U.S. veteran, including Reserves and National Guard members who were called up to active duty. • People experiencing chronic homelessness: adults, as well as children who are considered the head of a child-only household, who have all of the following characteristics: • Are either unsheltered, in an emergency shelter, or in a Safe Haven, and • Are experiencing long-term homelessness (for at least 1 year, or at least 4 times that add up to a year), and • Have a disability. • Unaccompanied transition-age youth: people in households in which every person is between the ages of 18 and 24. • Unaccompanied minors: people in households in which every person is younger than 18 . • The third chart, Californians Experiencing Homelessness, Rate by Race & Ethnicity (per 10,000 Californians), shows the rates at which all Californians in each racial and ethnic group are experiencing homelessness (please see the explanation of race & ethnicity above for more details about how these rates are calculated). Measure 1b is the number of Californians experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness at a point in time. This measure uses data from the PIT count to estimate the number of Californians experiencing homelessness at a point in time. Measure 2 is the number of Californians experiencing homelessness while accessing services for the first time each year. This measure uses data from HDIS, and includes people who accessed housing and/or services while experiencing homelessness during FY 2022-2023, but had not accessed housing and/or services while experiencing homelessness during the prior two years. • The first chart, Number of Californians Experiencing Homelessness by Prior Experience (Continuous, New, or Returning) shows the number of Californians who are continuously 97 experiencing homelessness, newly experiencing homelessness, or returning to homelessness during the report period. • Newly experiencing homelessness: Experiencing homelessness while accessing housing and/or services during FY 2022-2023, but did not experience homelessness while accessing housing and/or services during the prior two years. • Continuously experiencing homelessness: Experiencing homelessness while accessing services at the beginning of FY 2022-2023. • Returning to homelessness: Experiencing homelessness while accessing services during FY 2022-2023, and had previously experienced homelessness while accessing services during the prior two years. Measure 3 is the number of Californians successfully exiting homelessness into permanent housing each year. This measure uses data from HDIS. It includes people who have exited homelessness by moving into permanent housing, or by transitioning from unsheltered homelessness into a temporary sheltered setting such as an emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing. Permanent housing includes permanent destinations both within and outside of the homelessness response system. • Permanent housing that is provided through a project that enters clients’ information into HMIS is within the homelessness response system. People who experienced homelessness and then enrolled in a permanent housing project are included in this measure if they have recorded a move-in date indicating that they have moved into permanent housing during the report period (please note that this does not measure does not include people who have enrolled in permanent housing but are still waiting to move in). • Permanent housing that is either unsubsidized or uses funding that does not require participation in HMIS, such as HUD Section 8 vouchers, is outside of the homelessness response system. These charts show the percentages of Californians exiting homelessness to permanent housing, by race & ethnicity. The first bar in each chart shows the percentages of Californians who are experiencing homelessness who are in each racial and ethnic group, and the second bars show the percentages of Californians who are exiting to permanent housing who are in each racial and ethnic group. Measure 4 is the average length of time Californians are remaining homeless while accessing services. This measure uses data from HDIS. It shows the number of days people experienced homelessness while accessing different types of homelessness services, including days in sheltered situations (such as emergency shelter and transitional housing) and days in unsheltered situations (but still receiving services, such as street outreach). For people who have been experiencing homelessness continuously since before the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the number of days they experience homelessness includes any days within three years before the current reporting period that they were continuously experiencing homelessness. Measure 5 is the percentage of Californians who return to homelessness within six months of exiting homelessness to permanent housing. This measure uses data from HDIS. In this report, the measure only includes returns by people who exited during the first six months of the fiscal year (July 2022 through December 2022). The measure calculates the percentage by dividing: The number of people who exited to permanent housing in the first six months of the report period and then returned to homelessness within six months of their exit by 98 The total number of people who exited homelessness to permanent housing during the first six months of the report period. A person is counted as “returning to homelessness” if they access services that report data to HMIS while they are experiencing homelessness. • This chart shows the percentage of Californians who return to homelessness after exiting to permanent housing, by race & ethnicity. It shows these percentages for the total population of Californians experiencing homelessness and for Californians in each racial and ethnic group. Measure 6 is the number of Californians successfully placed from street outreach into a sheltered setting each year. This measure uses data from HDIS and includes people who moved directly into a successful placement after they finish receiving services through a street outreach project. Successful placements can include any type of permanent housing (either subsidized or unsubsidized), emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens, staying with family or friends, staying in hotels, foster care, psychiatric facilities, substance abuse treatment facilities, and nursing homes. The Student Measure is the number of children and youth who experience homelessness during the school year in California, including unaccompanied youth. This measure includes all students who are identified as experiencing homelessness at any point while they are enrolled in school. This includes students who are experiencing any of the following circumstances, even if they do not meet HUD’s definition of “literal homelessness”: • Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; • Living in emergency or transitional shelters; • Or are abandoned in hospitals. The first chart shows the percentage of students who are experiencing homelessness who are unaccompanied, out of all students experiencing homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year. A student is considered unaccompanied if they were not in the direct care of their parent or guardian at any point in time during the school year. The second chart shows the percentages of students experiencing homelessness in California, by race & ethnicity. It also shows the percentages of all students in California who are part of each racial or ethnic group, as well as the percentages of students who are unaccompanied who are in each racial and ethnic group. Measure 7 shows California’s performance across Measures 1a through 6 for each racial and ethnic group. The numbers in this chart are the full values of each measure, and are not rates or shares of a total. Equity Analysis Charts The first chart shows the average number of days Californians remain homeless, by race & ethnicity, calculated using the methodology for Measure 4 (described above). Each bar shows the average number of days Californians in each racial and ethnic group remained homeless, 99 as well as the average number for the total population of Californians experiencing homelessness. The second chart shows the percentages of people of each race or ethnicity who were served in each type of service setting, out of the total number of people of each race or ethnicity who accessed homelessness services. For instance, 38% of white people who accessed homelessness services were served in non-residential settings only, while 26% were served in both residential and non-residential settings, and 36% were served in residential settings only. The total numbers of people who accessed homelessness services are calculated using the methodology for Measure 1a (described above). These total numbers are disaggregated by the type of setting that a person received services in during the report period. As the chart suggests, a service setting can be either residential or non-residential, and each person has either been served in residential settings only, non-residential settings only, or both residential and non-residential settings. • Residential: this category includes emergency shelter, transitional housing, and safe havens. It also includes permanent supportive housing, other permanent housing, and rapid rehousing projects that people have not yet moved into. • Non-Residential: this category includes street outreach, coordinated entry, day shelters, supportive services only projects, and “other” projects. The third chart shows the percentages of people of each race or ethnicity who are newly experiencing homelessness, continuously experiencing homelessness, or returning to homelessness. Each of these categories is calculated using the methodology for Measure 2 (described above). As the chart suggests, each person who has accessed homelessness services can be described by exactly one of those categories. For instance, 56% of Asian and Asian American people who experienced homelessness while accessing services were newly experiencing homelessness in FY 2022-2023, while 24% were continuously experiencing homelessness since some point in the previous fiscal year, and 20% returned to homelessness during FY 2022-2023. 100 Attachment C: Acronyms Used in this Report AB Assembly Bill CTCAC California Tax Credit Allocation Committee AMI Area Median Income CWDB California Workforce Development Board ADRC Aging and Disability Resource Center DFEH California Department of Fair Employment and Housing BCSH California Business, Consumer Services DGS California Department of General and Housing Agency Services BIPOC Black, Indigenous, and people of color DHCS California Department of Health Care Services CalAIM California Advancing and Innovating DOR California Department of Rehabilitation Medi-Cal CalHFA California Housing Finance Agency DSH California Department of State Hospitals CalHHS California Health and Human Services ECM Enhanced Care Management Agency CalHR California Department of Human ESG-CV Emergency Solutions Grants Program– Resources Coronavirus Cal ICH California Interagency Council on FY Fiscal Year Homelessness CalOES California Governor's Office of HCD California Department of Housing and Emergency Services Community Development CalSTA California State Transportation Agency HDIS Homeless Data Integration System Caltrans California Department of Transportation HHAP Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program CalVet California Department of Veterans HHP Health Homes Program Affairs CBO Community Based Organization HMIS Homeless Management Information System CBR Community Based Restoration HSP Housing Support Program CCC California Community Colleges HUD U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development CCE Community Care Expansion ILOS In Lieu of Services CCHCS California Correctional Health Care IST Incompetent to Stand Trial Services CDA California Department of Aging LEAs Local educational agencies CDCR California Department of Corrections MCP Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan and Rehabilitation CDE California Department of Education Medi- California’s Medicaid healthcare Cal program CDLAC California Debt Limit Allocation NOFA Notice of Funding Availability Committee CDPH California Department of Public Health SB Senate Bill CDSS California Department of Social SGC California Strategic Growth Council Services CHEBNA California Higher Education Basic TA Technical Assistance Needs Alliance CoC Continuum of Care VA U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs WPC Whole Person Care 101