Runaway and homeless youth shelters.

Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of the act is a misdemeanor. This bill would include within the definition of a community care facility a runaway and homeless youth shelter, as defined. The bill would require the department to license as a group home a runaway and homeless youth shelter that meets specified requirements, including the requirement that shelter staff shall offer short-term, 24-hour nonmedical care and supervision and personal services to up to 25 youths who voluntarily enter the shelter. The bill would provide that a runaway and homeless youth shelter is not an eligible placement option under specified provisions. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions and provide that, until those regulations become effective, the department may implement these provisions by publishing information releases or similar instructions from the director. By expanding the definition of a community care facility, this bill would change the definition of an existing crime, thus creating a state-mandated local program. Existing law provides for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. Existing law requires a child or nonminor dependent to be placed in a specified placement in order to be eligible for AFDC-FC. Under existing law, foster care providers licensed as group homes have rates established by classifying each group home program and applying a standardized schedule of rates. This bill would exclude a runaway and homeless youth shelter as a group home in which a child or nonminor dependent may be placed for AFDC-FC eligibility purposes. The bill would also prohibit a runaway and homeless youth shelter program from being eligible for a rate pursuant to the above-mentioned provisions. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Sections 727 and 11400 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 787, to become operative if AB 787 and this bill become effective on or before January 1, 2014, and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.