CHAPTER 8. Family Homelessness Challenge Grants and Technical Assistance [50255. - 50259.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 8.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50255. Section 50255.

For purposes of this chapter: (a) “Applicant” means a continuum of care, city, or county. (b) “Continuum of care” has the meaning provided in Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations as that section read on May 1, 2021. (c) “Council” means the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council created pursuant to Section 8257 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (d) “County” includes, but is not limited to, a city and county. (e) “Homeless” has the same meaning as defined in Section 578.3 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as that section read on May 1, 2018. (f) “Local jurisdiction” means a city, including a charter city, a county, including a charter county, or a city and county, including a charter city and county. (g) “Program” means the Family Homelessness Challenge Grants and Technical Assistance Program established pursuant to this chapter. (h) “Recipient” means a jurisdiction that receives funds from the council for the purposes of the program.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50256. Section 50256.

(a) The Family Homelessness Challenge Grants and Technical Assistance Program is hereby established for the purpose of providing one-time grants and technical assistance to local jurisdictions in order to address and end family homelessness. (b) (1) Council staff shall administer the program, which shall provide grants and technical assistance. Technical assistance may be provided directly by council staff or through a contracted entity. (2) The program shall give preference to proposals that promote rapid innovation, accelerate nascent programs, expand promising practices, and meet new demands and conditions for solutions targeted towards ending family homelessness. Program funding shall be prioritized for jurisdictions that can demonstrate cross-systems collaboration, multifunder initiatives, and innovative efforts that coordinate across funding streams and systems. (c) The decision of the council to approve or deny an application and the determination of the amount of funding to be provided shall be final. (d) The council shall maintain records of the following: (1) The number of applications for program grants received by the council. (2) The number of applications for program grants denied by the council. (3) The name of each recipient of program funds. (4) The amount of funds allocated to each applicant. (e) In administering this chapter, the council shall not be subject to 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).

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50257. Section 50257.

(a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, forty million dollars ($40,000,000) or whatever greater or lesser sum is appropriated for purposes of the program, shall be distributed in accordance with this subdivision. (1) Seventy-five percent of the amount appropriated shall be distributed through two rounds of competitive grants to applicants to be used to accelerate efforts by local jurisdictions to eliminate family homelessness in their communities. (A) Fifty percent of the amount referenced in this paragraph shall be distributed through the initial round of competitive grant funding. (B) Fifty percent of the amount referenced in this paragraph shall be distributed through a second round of competitive grant funding. Recipients of the initial round of program funds that demonstrate adequate progress towards their program goals, remain in compliance with all requirements of this program, and demonstrate the most promising and innovative practices which could be scaled and replicated to support statewide efforts to eliminate family homelessness may apply for the second round of grant funding. (2) Twenty percent of the amount appropriated shall be set aside for intensive technical assistance to local jurisdictions to support the state’s efforts to reach functional zero for family homelessness. (3) Of the amount appropriated pursuant to this subdivision, up to 5 percent may be expended by the council for the administration of the program. The council may utilize any unused funds from moneys set aside for program administration for technical assistance or to augment existing allocations. (b) Applications for funding shall include a full description of how the applicant intends to use program funds for rapid innovation, accelerating nascent programs, expanding promising practices, or meeting new demands and conditions where practical work occurs for solutions targeted towards ending family homelessness, and any additional fiscal and programmatic information related to this grant as determined by the council.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50258. Section 50258.

(a) (1) The council shall make available an application for the first round of allocations no later than March 1, 2022. (2) Applications shall be due to the council no later than 60 days from the date the council makes those applications available pursuant to paragraph (1). (3) Initial award determinations shall be made no more than 60 days after the deadline to submit applications. (b) Recipients of funds shall expend at least 50 percent of their first-round allocation by June 30, 2024. (1) Recipients who fail to expend their allocated funds in compliance with this subdivision shall repay to the council no less than 25 percent of their total allocation amount. The repayment amount shall be determined by the council based on its evaluation of the circumstances behind the failure to expend the allocated funds in compliance with this section. The repaid funds shall be reallocated by the council during the second round of funding. (2) Any funds not distributed in the first round of awards or repaid pursuant to paragraph (1), shall be allocated in the second round of funding. (c) (1) The council shall make available an application for the second round of allocations no later than December 31, 2023. (2) Applications shall be due to the council no later than 60 days from the date the council makes the application available pursuant to paragraph (1). (3) Initial award determinations shall be made no more than 60 days after the deadline to submit applications. (d) If, after the second round of awards pursuant to this section, not all funds have been awarded, the council may make additional awards or augment existing allocations until all funds have been allocated. (e) All program funds shall be expended by June 30, 2026. Any funds that are not expended by this date shall revert to, and be paid and deposited in, the General Fund.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 50259. Section 50259.

(a) All recipients of funds pursuant to this chapter shall provide data elements, including, but not limited to, health information, in a manner consistent with federal law, to their local Homeless Management Information System, for tracking in the statewide Homeless Data Integration System. (b) (1) The council shall specify the form and substance of required data elements. (2) The council may, as required by operational necessity, amend or modify data elements, disclosure formats, or disclosure frequency. (c) Any health information or personal identifying information provided to, or maintained within, the Homeless Data Integration System shall not be subject to public inspection or disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code). (d) For purposes of this paragraph, “health information” includes “protected health information,” as defined in Part 160.103 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and “medical information,” as defined in subdivision (j) of Section 56.05 of the Civil Code. (e) All recipients of funds shall provide information and products developed with grant funds on service delivery models in support of the overall program goal to create scalable solutions to family homelessness in a format and timeframe as specified by the council.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026