Policy & Legislation
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing the Focus of CA Legislative Forum
May 20, 2009
On May 13, 2009, Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) chaired a forum focusing on the federal stimulus money from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). Other legislative members in attendance included Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-Mountain View), Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee Chair Norma Torres (D-Ontario), and Senate Transportation and Housing Committee Chair Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach).
The forum began with Norm Suchar from the National Alliance to End Homelessness providing an overview of the program and best practices from the field. Additional witnesses included representatives from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Department of Finance who were asked to present on the state's approach to the $44.5 million in HPRP funds the state will administer and the role these funds will play in the overall stimulus California is receiving. Representatives from Sacramento then provided a local example of how communities were planning to use HPRP as an opportunity to transform the delivery of emergency services into a much more comprehensive and unified approach.
Legislators urged HCD to focus on deeper targeting than is allowed when they submit their amendment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the HPRP funds on May 18, 2009. Other key themes of the forum included an emphasis on the importance of outreach and data collection, and Assemblymember Jones stressed that California obtains "the best return by focusing on those with the greatest need."
Public comment included several requests to ensure that the HPRP funding is used in conjunction with other stimulus sources at both the state and local level, with the most notable connections being money California receives via the Workforce Investment Act, for CalWorks/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and from the Community Service Block Grant program.
Contact: Zack Olmstead, (916) 447.0503 x108 or .
