Homeless multidisciplinary personnel teams.

Existing law authorizes a county to establish a homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel team, as defined, with the goal of facilitating the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of homeless individuals to housing and supportive services within that county and to allow provider agencies to share confidential information for the purpose of coordinating housing and supportive services to ensure continuity of care. Existing law requires that the sharing of information permitted under these provisions be governed by protocols developed in each county, as specified, and requires each county to provide a copy of its protocols to the State Department of Social Services. This bill would, in the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Ventura, expand the goals of the homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel team to include facilitating the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of individuals at risk of homelessness, as defined, to housing and supportive services, and the expedited prevention of homelessness. The bill would require a team member in one of those counties who first establishes contact with an individual at risk of homelessness to notify the individual that the individual's confidential information may be shared for the purpose of coordinating housing and supportive services to ensure continuity of care, and would require the team member to attempt to obtain the individual's consent for that information sharing. The bill would authorize members of the team in one of those counties to share with other members confidential information concerning individuals at risk of homelessness for identification purposes, or for coordinating housing and supportive services not exceeding 30 days, unless and until the individual affirmatively opts out of having their information shared. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2025. Existing law authorizes the team to include, among others, housing or homeless services provider agencies, medical personnel, and legal counsel, as specified. This bill would authorize the team in any county to also include case managers or case coordinators responsible for referral, linkage, or coordination of care and services provided to adults or families. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Ventura.