(a) Subject to an appropriation of funds for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, the State Department of Social Services shall administer the Housing and Disability Income Advocacy Program to provide state funds to participating counties, tribes, or combinations of counties or tribes for the provision of outreach, case management, and advocacy services to individuals as described in Section 18999. Housing assistance shall also be offered to individuals described in subdivision (b) of Section 18999.2.

(b) Funds appropriated for this chapter shall be awarded to grantees by the department according to criteria developed by the department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, tribes, and advocates for clients, subject to the following restrictions:

Terms Used In California Welfare and Institutions Code 18999.1

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • County: includes "city and county. See California Welfare and Institutions Code 14
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.

(1) State funds appropriated for this chapter shall be used only for the purposes specified in this chapter.

(2) (A) Except as specified in subparagraph (B), a grantee shall match state funds received, including any funds from the annual ongoing appropriation of funds for this chapter, which is defined as a twenty-five million dollar ($25,000,000) General Fund appropriation, on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The grantee’s matching funds used for this purpose shall supplement, and not supplant, other funding for these purposes.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2025, a grantee that receives state funds under this chapter shall not be required to match any funding for that period that comes from an appropriation that is in excess of the annual ongoing appropriation of funds for this chapter, as defined in subparagraph (A).

(3) A grantee shall, at a minimum, maintain a level of funding for the outreach, active case management, advocacy, and housing assistance services described in this chapter that is at least equal to the total of the amounts expended by the grantee for those services in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

(4) As part of its application to receive state funds under this chapter, a prospective grantee shall identify how it will collaborate locally among, at a minimum, the county departments and tribal entities, as may be appropriate, that are responsible for health, including behavioral health, and human or social services in carrying out the activities required by this chapter. This collaboration shall include, but is not limited to, the sharing of information among these departments or other entities as necessary to carry out the activities required by this chapter.

(c) For purposes of this chapter, “grantee” means a participating county, tribe, or combination of counties or tribes receiving state funds pursuant to this chapter.

(d) (1) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement and administer the changes made to this section by the act that added this subdivision by means of all-county letters or similar instructions from the department that shall have the same force and effect as regulations until regulations are adopted.

(2) The department shall adopt regulations implementing this chapter no later than July 1, 2024.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 89. (AB 120) Effective July 10, 2023.)