Housing finance and development: Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency: Multifamily Housing Program: Homekey: Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program.

(1) Existing law, the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, authorizes 2 or more public agencies, by agreement, to form a joint powers authority to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, as specified. Existing law authorizes the agreement to set forth the manner by which the joint powers authority will be exercised. This bill would require that the joint powers authority currently operating as the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency be restructured, expanded, amended, and renamed as the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency, as provided. The bill would require the agency to include the County of Sacramento and qualified local agencies, as specified and defined, and would make the agency the regional authority for prescribed activities, including developing and preserving affordable housing and coordinating and administering homelessness prevention and response services. The bill would require the updated joint powers agreement to provide for a governing board and an executive director, as specified, and require the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission to form and appoint an independent task force to consolidate all entities for purposes of establishing the agency, as provided. The bill would require the agency to adopt a comprehensive strategic plan to address housing and homelessness no later than 3 years from the date the restructured joint powers agreement takes effect. The bill would also require the agency to establish and maintain a standing advisory board, as provided. Under the bill, the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency would retain its legal identity as the public housing authority and redevelopment successor entity and continue to administer all existing housing, homelessness, and redevelopment programs in compliance with specified law. The bill would require the agency to be the designated recipient of all local housing trust funds and local housing ordinance fees collected by each participating entity within the joint powers agreement, as specified, and require that the agency be deemed a regional entity for the purposes of statewide housing and homelessness funding programs. The bill would require the agency to be the successor employer to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for all labor relations purposes, as provided. The bill would establish within the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency the Homelessness Division and require the agency to coordinate its operations with the housing and homelessness departments of each participating jurisdiction, as specified, to ensure alignment of local priorities and effective delivery of services. This bill would define terms for its purposes and declare its provisions are severable. By adding to the duties of local officials with respect to the activities of the Sacramento Housing and Homelessness Agency, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of Sacramento. The bill would make additional related findings and declarations. (2) Existing law establishes various housing programs administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, including the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program (HHAP) and the Multifamily Housing Program. Existing law establishes the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program for the purpose of providing jurisdictions with grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law establishes the Multifamily Housing Program to provide financial assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for the eligible costs of development of specified types of housing projects. Existing law requires that specified funds appropriated to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases be disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program for specified uses. This disbursement program is referred to as Homekey. This bill would require the department, upon appropriation for the above-specified programs, to ensure that former foster youth and extremely low income, very low income, and lower income households, as specified, are given consideration. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.