ARTICLE 5.4. Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project [1787. - 1789.]

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC 5.4.

in effect

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 1787. Section 1787.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) A tremendous percentage of juveniles who commit status offenses including, but not limited to, running away, school truancy and incorrigibility, ultimately enter the juvenile justice system for subsequently engaging in delinquent, otherwise criminal behavior. (b) In 1990, it was estimated that 48,629 youths ran away from their homes in California. (c) In 1989, 776 runaway youths served by 33 nonprofit youth-runaway shelters in California, surveyed during a one-month period, identified one or more of the following as a problem: (1) Family crisis 73% (2) School problems 63% (3) Victims of crime/abuse 57% (4) Homeless/runaway 55% (5) Substance abuse 43% (6) Delinquent behavior 26% (7) Other 9% (d) It is estimated that 43 emergency shelters presently serve runaway youths as well as homeless youths and adults in California. (e) It is estimated that 10 transitional living facilities are operated presently in California to provide youths with independent living skills, employment skills, and home responsibilities. (f) It is conservatively projected that by the year 2000 there will be a deficit of 1,222 emergency shelter beds and 930 long-term beds statewide. (g) Resources for runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth and their families are severely inadequate to meet their needs. (h) The Counties of Fresno, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Solano either (1) do not provide temporary or long-term shelter services or family crises services to runaway, homeless, and nonrunaway youth, or (2) do provide such services but at levels which substantially fail to meet the need. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to establish three-year pilot projects in San Joaquin Central Valley, in the northern region of California, and in the southern region of California, whereby each project will provide temporary shelter services, transitional living shelter services, and low-cost family crisis resolution services based on a sliding fee scale to runaway youth, nonrunaway youth, and their working families. It is the intent of this chapter that services will be provided to prevent at-risk youth from engaging in delinquent and criminal behavior and to reduce the numbers of at-risk families from engaging in neglectful, abusive, and criminal behavior.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 1788. Section 1788.

Each Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project established under this article shall provide services which shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (a) Temporary shelter and related services to runaway youth. The services shall include: (1) Food and access to overnight shelter for no more than 14 days. (2) Counseling and referrals to services which address immediate emotional needs or problems. (3) Screening for basic health needs and referral to public and private health providers for health care. Shelters that are not equipped to house a youth with substance abuse problems shall refer that youth to an appropriate clinic or facility. The shelter shall monitor the youth’s progress and assist the youth with services upon his or her release from the substance abuse facility. (4) Long-term planning so that the youth may be returned to the home of the parent or guardian under conditions which favor long-term reunification with the family, or so the youth can be suitably placed in a situation outside of the parental or guardian home when such reunification is not possible. (5) Outreach services and activities to locate runaway youth and to link them with project services. (b) Family crisis resolution services to runaway and nonrunaway youth and their families which shall include: (1) Parent training. (2) Family counseling. (3) Services designed to reunify youth and their families. (4) Referral to other services offered in the community by public and private agencies. (5) Long-term planning so that the youth may be returned to the home of the parent or guardian under conditions which favor long-term reunification with the family, or so the youth can be suitably placed in a situation outside of the parental or guardian home when such reunification is not possible. (6) Followup services to ensure that the return to the parent or guardian or the placement outside of the parental or guardian home is stable. (7) Outreach services and activities to locate runaway and nonrunaway youth and to link them with project services. (c) Transitional living services shall include: (1) Long-term shelter. (2) Independent living skill services. (3) Preemployment and employment skills training. (4) Home responsibilities training. (d) Where appropriate and necessary, some of the services identified under this section must also be provided in the local community and in the home of project clients. Projects shall notify parents that their children are staying at a project site consistent with state and federal parent notification requirements.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 1789. Section 1789.

(a) A Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project shall be established in one or more counties in the San Joaquin Central Valley, in one or more counties in the northern region of California, and in one or more counties in the southern region of California. Each project may have one central location, or more than one site, in order to effectively serve the target population. (b) The Office of Emergency Services shall prepare and disseminate a request for proposals to prospective grantees under this chapter within four months after this chapter has been approved and enacted by the Legislature. The Office of Emergency Services shall enter into grant award agreements for a period of no less than three years, and the operation of projects shall begin no later than four months after grant award agreements are entered into between the agency and the grantee. Grants shall be awarded based on the quality of the proposal, the documented need for services in regard to runaway youth, and to organizations, as specified in subdivision (d) of this section, in localities that receive a disproportionately low share of existing federal and state support for youth shelter programs. (c) The Office of Emergency Services shall require applicants to identify, in their applications, measurable outcomes by which the agency will measure the success of the applicant’s project. These measurable outcomes shall include, but not be limited to, the number of clients served and the percentage of clients who are successfully returned to the home of a parent or guardian or to an alternate living condition when reunification is not possible. (d) Only private, nonprofit organizations shall be eligible to apply for funds under this chapter to operate a Runaway Youth and Families in Crisis Project, and these organizations shall be required to annually contribute a local match of at least 15 percent in cash or in-kind contribution to the project during the term of the grant award agreement. Preference shall be given to organizations that demonstrate a record of providing effective services to runaway youth or families in crisis for at least three years, successfully operating a youth shelter for runaway and homeless youth, or successfully operating a transitional living facility for runaway and homeless youth who do not receive transitional living services through the juvenile justice system. Additional weight shall also be given to those organizations that demonstrate a history of collaborating with other agencies and individuals in providing such services. Priority shall be given to organizations with existing facilities. Preference shall also be given to organizations that demonstrate the ability to progressively decrease their reliance on resources provided under this chapter and to operate this project beyond the period that the organization receives funds under this chapter.

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