Parolees: Supportive Housing Pilot Program.

Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide a supportive housing program that provides wraparound services to mentally ill parolees at risk of homelessness using funding appropriated for that purpose. Existing law makes an inmate or parolee eligible for participation if he or she has a serious mental disorder, as specified, and has been assigned a release date from state prison and is likely to become homeless upon release or is currently a homeless parolee. Existing law requires providers to offer various services, including housing location services and rental subsidies and establishes criteria for housing that qualifies for the program. Existing law requires providers to report to the department regarding the intended outcomes of the program, including the number of participants served and the outcomes for participants. Existing law also requires the department to prepare an analysis of the information, as specified, and to annually submit, on or before February 1, the information and the analysis to the Chairs of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and other specified committees. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2019, to create the Supportive Housing Pilot Program, which would be in effect at the same time as the existing program and would establish a process and timeline for finalizing a memorandum of understanding with one or more counties that elect to participate in which the department would agree to, among other things, refer eligible parolees to participating counties for mental health treatment, housing navigation services, and supportive housing services, and to pay for bridge rental assistance, as defined, and services in supportive housing during the program participant's term of parole. The participating counties would agree to provide community-based mental health treatment within the existing county Medi-Cal mental health program if ongoing treatment for the participant is medically necessary and to fund rental assistance and services, as specified. Among other things, the bill would establish criteria for housing for purposes of the program. The bill would require a participating county to report to the department regarding the intended outcomes of the program, and would require the information to include the number who were arrested while participating in the program and the number residing in a county jail. The bill would require the department, on or before June 30, 2021, to seek and contract with an independent evaluator to prepare an analysis of the information, as specified, and to submit the information and the analysis to the Chairs of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and other specified committees no later than January 1, 2023. The bill would require the department to implement the program using funding appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes described in the program. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations.