Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva Unveils Comprehensive Legislation to Tackle Homelessness

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) introduced a package of bills that will address issues with homelessness. These bills, AB 1788 and AB 1789, address both California’s immediate and long-term needs to make meaningful strides towards alleviating the homelessness crisis in our state.

“Our communities need help fighting homelessness, and these bills provide needed structure and accountability. By addressing the immediate and long-term needs of those experiencing homelessness, these bills will aid our state’s most vulnerable population and allow our communities the groundwork for lasting solutions to one of our society's most pressing challenges,” said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva. “In the face of our state's homelessness crisis, AB 1788 and AB 1789 are a compassionate and comprehensive response.”

AB 1788 establishes homeless adult and family multidisciplinary teams in each county to expedite the identification, assessment, and linkage of individuals experiencing homelessness to housing and supportive services. It also allows the sharing of confidential information among provider agencies for coordinating services, authorizing counties to form mental health multidisciplinary teams for justice-involved individuals diagnosed with mental illness, both during incarceration and post-release. These teams can share confidential information to coordinate supportive services, with protocols developed at the county level. Members of the mental health teams are bound by privacy and confidentiality obligations.

AB 1789 empowers the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide loans or grants for rehabilitating, capitalizing operating subsidy reserves, and extending the long-term affordability of housing projects that qualify as “challenged developments.” A “challenged development” is defined as a project at least 15 years old, serving very low or extremely low-income households, and lacking access to sufficient private or public resources for substantial rehabilitation. Priority for these loans and grants is given to department-funded housing projects with expired affordability restrictions or a remaining term of less than 10 years, or those at risk of conversion to market-rate housing.

This legislative package will focus on addressing the homelessness crisis with a commitment to lasting change and improving in the lives of vulnerable Californians.

Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the Orange County communities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, and La Palma, as well as the Los Angeles County communities of Artesia, Cerritos, and Hawaiian Gardens.