Statewide homelessness prevention strategy.

The bill no longer adds a new Chapter 1.7 (Section 50430 et seq.) to the Health and Safety Code. It now only adds Section 8257.4 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, making it a single-section bill.

The Department of Housing and Community Development is removed as a co-lead responsible for developing the strategy. Only the Interagency Council on Homelessness (the council) is now required to develop and issue the statewide homelessness prevention strategy. HCD remains listed as a relevant agency but no longer has a lead role.

The deadline for developing and publicly issuing the statewide homelessness prevention strategy was extended from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028, giving the council an additional year.

The strategy must now be included in the council's publicly available Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness rather than being a standalone document. This is referenced multiple times throughout the bill, including for annual updates and agency action plans.

A new requirement was added for a baseline estimate of first-time experiences of homelessness and an assessment of achievable short- and long-term progress toward reducing entries into homelessness, taking into account available resources, existing activities, and authorities.

A new subdivision (e) adds three implementation limitations: (1) agencies are not required to conduct new primary data collection, develop predictive models, establish new reporting systems, or commission new program evaluations; (2) agency participation is limited to existing statutory authority, activities, data, and subject-matter responsibilities; (3) no agency may be required to establish a new program or expand eligibility for or the scope of an existing program.

The council may now consolidate agency action plans within the Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, and a relevant agency is explicitly not required to prepare or publish a separate plan.

The model practices section on identifying persons at risk now emphasizes 'opportunities within existing state activities to intervene when an individual or household faces an imminent risk of losing housing,' shifting the focus toward leveraging existing systems rather than creating new ones.

A new paragraph requires a description of how state resources devoted to preventing homelessness will work toward that goal, and a new paragraph requires identification of and recommendations for best practices in homelessness prevention activities.

A new definition of 'highest impact' was added, meaning program designs, policies, benefits, services, grants, employment and training activities, investments, or other interventions determined by the council to have the greatest demonstrated or potential impact on preventing homelessness.

The income threshold for identifying persons at risk of homelessness changed from 'annual income below 30 percent of the area median income' to 'annual income at or below 30 percent of the area median income,' slightly broadening who qualifies.

The lead agency responsible for developing and issuing the statewide homelessness prevention strategy changed from the Department of Housing and Community Development to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. All operative provisions (development, annual review, model practices, coordination) now assign duties to the council rather than the department.

The bill's code placement changed from adding a new chapter (Section 50430) to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code to adding Section 8257.4 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, shifting it from housing law to homelessness/welfare law.

The legislative intent section (former Section 2) that referenced the California Housing and Homelessness Agency as the entity to develop the strategy was removed entirely. The digest no longer references that agency or the Business and Consumer Services Agency.

In the list of relevant agencies, the department was replaced by the council, and the Interagency Council on Homelessness was replaced by the Department of Housing and Community Development, effectively swapping their roles in the coordination framework.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now carries a recognized state fiscal impact requiring fiscal committee review.

Senator Arreguin was added as a coauthor, reflecting Senate sponsorship of the amendment.

Added an entirely new Chapter 1.7 (Section 50430) to Part 2 of Division 31 of the Health and Safety Code, transforming the bill from a simple intent statement into a detailed statutory framework with enforceable requirements.

Identified specific 'relevant agencies' that must participate in the strategy, including DHCD, Interagency Council on Homelessness, CDSS, CDCR, Division of Rehabilitative Programs, Office of Youth and Community Restoration, CHHS, CDPH, CDHHS, State Department of State Hospitals, EDD, and SDE.

Added definitions for 'at risk of homelessness' (including income below 30% of area median income, rent burden, prior homelessness), 'department' (DHCD), 'homelessness prevention,' 'homeless prevention action plan,' 'housing stability,' and 'relevant agency.'

Required the department to develop and publicly issue a statewide homelessness prevention strategy by July 1, 2027, containing at least 12 specified elements including agency inventories, gap analyses, action plans with timelines, resource inventories, statewide goals, and third-party evaluation agendas.

Required the development of evidence-based model homelessness prevention practices covering predictive models for identifying at-risk individuals, targeted resource allocation, financial assistance (including accelerated emergency rental assistance), eviction defense, case management, subpopulation-specific practices, data collection systems, and coordination between state/federal/local efforts.

Required the department to annually review and update the strategy and publish any revisions, and to offer model practices as guidance to local programs and propose integration methods into state agencies.

Changed the fiscal committee vote from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amended bill now requires fiscal committee approval, suggesting it has new fiscal implications beyond the original intent-only version.

Added Assembly Members Quirk-Silva as co-author and Caloza, Haney, and Kalra as coauthors; expanded the legislative counsel's digest to describe the new substantive requirements.