Proposed Legislation Focuses on Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program
Proposed legislative bills include the following:
• SB 16 would establish a Round 7 program allocation
• SB 606 would enact the Functional Zero Unsheltered Act beginning with round 6 of the program
• SB 802 would ensure that foster youth and low income households experiencing traumatic homelessness are given consideration
• AB 1184 would require an evaluation of the program
Upon appropriation by the Legislature, this bill would establish Round 7 of the HHAP program. To be eligible for a Round 7 base program allocation, the bill would require specified jurisdictions to apply as part of a region and be signatory to a Round 7 regionally coordinated homeless action plan that has been approved by the department. The bill would require the plan to include an inventory of existing and planned city-operated shelters, the expected cost for those shelters, and a commitment by counties to contribute 50% of the expected costs, as specified.
On or before the end of the 2025–26 fiscal year, the bill would require a grantee to submit to the department an update on its regionally coordinated homeless action plan activities for department review, as specified. The bill would authorize a board of supervisors of a county to adopt a resolution determining that contributing 50% of expected costs is financially infeasible, as specified. If a county adopts the resolution, the bill would require the department to determine the contribution percentage of the county, as specified. On or before the end of the 2025–26 fiscal year, the bill would require cities to submit to the department the actual operating cost of city-operated shelters and require counties to reimburse cities for any excess contributions. The bill would authorize the department to withhold 50% of funds from a grantee until the department has approved the update.
To read the entire bill click here.
This bill would enact the Functional Zero Unsheltered Act, which, beginning with round 6 of the HHAP program, would require an applicant to provide information relating to its efforts to address homelessness in its jurisdiction, including an assessment of what would be required for the applicant to achieve functional zero unsheltered, which the bill would define as sufficient housing options of all types to accommodate a jurisdiction’s unsheltered, chronically homeless population based on its most recent homeless point-in-time count, and information regarding the applicant’s implementation of local homeless housing incentives, as provided. The bill would require, as part of the assessment of progress toward functional zero unsheltered, applicants to include a financial model assessing the needs for investment in prescribed areas and further analysis of, among other things, funding programs that provide housing or services to persons experiencing homelessness. The bill would also require an applicant to demonstrate its efforts to include small cities, as defined, in its Regionally Coordinated Homeless Action Plan, as specified, and provide the most recent homeless point-in-time counts of small cities in the applicant’s jurisdiction.
To read the entire bill click here.
SB 802 Multifamily Housing Program: Homekey: Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program states
Upon appropriation by the Legislature, for rounds of the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program adopted after the effective date of the act that added this article, the department shall ensure that the following populations are given consideration:
(a) Foster youth.
(b) Homeless persons.
(c) Extremely low income households, very low income households, and lower income households who need safe and stable housing and are experiencing traumatic homelessness, street violence, domestic violence and abuse, sexual abuse and assault, or human trafficking.
To read the entire bill click here.
Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to submit an annual report to the Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the housing programs administered by the department. Existing law requires that the report include, among other things, the number of units assisted by those programs and the number of individuals and households served and their income level.
This bill would additionally require that this report include an evaluation of the HHAP program.
To read the entire bill click here.
Next Legislative Steps
Next legislative steps will involve required actions by policy, fiscal, and appropriations committees that may further advance these bills into, or stop these bills from, becoming law.
The history of each bill, including its next legislative step, can be found on the California Legislative Information website by clicking on the following links:
The legislative process also includes meetings of the legislative policy and appropriations/fiscal committees and resolution of differences between the Assembly and Senate as the result of any amendments.
Next legislative steps also involve proposed budgeted funding. Every year, the Governor and the Legislature adopt a state budget that provides a framework and funding for critical public services and systems that include housing and homelessness.
Proposed budgeted funding will occur by mid-May, which is known as the May Revision. The Governor will release on or before May 14th, an updated budget that adjusts proposed expenditures or withdraws policy initiatives that were included in the Governor’s proposed budget in January.
The Legislature must pass a balanced budget bill by midnight on June 15th for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1st. The Governor must sign the bill before July 1. Budget details will remain to be finalized and additional budget-related bills will likely be acted upon during the summer.
As in the past, the Legislature and Governor will not approve all of the bills as they try to maximize policy and funding to increase results regarding homelessness prevention and ending unsheltered homelessness, which was the case during past legislative sessions.
Last day for each house to pass bills is September 12, 2025 and the last day for Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature is October 12.