Bill > AB249

This bill requires continuums of care (regional planning bodies that coordinate housing and services for homeless individuals) to develop more targeted approaches for addressing youth homelessness, starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Specifically, each continuum of care must create or maintain a youth-specific process within their coordinated entry system, which includes specialized ways of matching youth to resources, accessing support services, and ensuring youth in adult or family programs can still receive youth-specific assistance. They must also implement a youth-specific assessment tool that considers the unique needs and experiences of homeless youth, create an advisory body composed of youth with lived experience of homelessness to provide input on policies and programs, and identify a range of housing options tailored to youth needs. The bill highlights the significant youth homelessness challenge in California, noting that the state accounts for 29% of unaccompanied youth nationally, with 68.2% of these youth being unsheltered. By requiring these targeted approaches, the bill aims to create more effective and developmentally appropriate support systems for young people experiencing homelessness, recognizing that their needs differ from those of adult homeless populations.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB249