Foster youth: housing.

Existing law requires county agencies that place children in foster care to conduct an evaluation of the county's placement resources and programs in relation to the needs of children placed in out-of-home care, and requires county placement agencies to specifically examine placements that are out of county and determine the reason the placement was necessary. This bill would additionally require a county placement agency to conduct an evaluation of the county's placement resources and programs in relation to the needs of nonminor dependents and to examine its ability to meet the emergency housing needs of nonminor dependents, as specified. Existing law establishes the supervised independent living placement as an independent supervised setting that is specified in a nonminor dependent's transitional independent living case plan and in which the nonminor dependent is living independently. Existing law defines a supervised independent living setting to include a supervised independent living placement and a residential housing unit certified by a transitional housing placement provider, as specified. Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of community care and residential facilities by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of the act is a misdemeanor. Existing law exempts certain facilities from the act. This bill would expand the definition of a supervised independent living setting to include a transitional living setting approved by a county to support youth who are entering or reentering foster care or transitioning between placements, excluding a youth homelessness prevention center or adult homeless shelter. The bill would exempt that transitional living setting from the act. The bill would also authorize a county, under certain conditions, to elect to certify that a supervised independent living placement meets health and safety standards once every 12 months. Existing law requires, in order to be licensed as a transitional housing placement provider, an applicant to obtain certification from the county specifying the population that will be served by the facility. Existing law requires the certification to confirm that the program includes specified components. This bill would authorize a county, in certain circumstances, to continue to approve payment to a transitional housing placement provider for a period of up to 14 days in a calendar month in which a nonminor dependent is absent from the placement and would generally prohibit a transitional housing placement provider from providing a removal notice or filling a nonminor dependent's place in the program if the county continues to pay the board and care costs for up to 14 days during the nonminor dependent's absence. The bill would also require the State Department of Social Services to issue guidance encouraging counties to continue to approve payment during temporary absences from the program as a best practice, consistent with federal law, to prevent nonminor dependent housing instability. By imposing new duties on counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.