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LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	03/13/2017
Subject: AB 210 (Santiago): Homeless Multidisciplinary Personnel Team
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2017-07
Referral Name:	AB 210: Homeless Multidisciplinary Personnel Team
Presenter:	L. DeLaney	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

The Legislative Advocate in the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office is seeking support for AB 210 (Santiago). A Fact Sheet and a sample Letter of Support has been provided. (Attachments A and B) The bill has been reviewed by Contra Costa Director of the Health, Housing, and Homeless Services Division, Lavonna Martin. She is recommending that the Legislation Committee consider a recommendation of "Support" to the Board of Supervisors. The 2017 State Platform does not contain any policies directly related to AB 210.

Referral Update:

AB 210 authorizes counties to also establish a homeless adult, child, and family multidisciplinary personnel team with the goal of facilitating the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of homeless individuals to housing and supportive services and to allow provider agencies to share confidential information for the purpose of coordinating such services.

Disposition:	Pending
Committee:	Assembly Human Services Committee
Hearing:	03/21/2017 1:30 pm, State Capitol, Room 437

The text of the bill is Attachment C.

Comments from Lavonna Martin, Director of Health, Housing and Homeless Services, Health Services Department: "I have been watching this closely through my participation in the Housing CA policy committee. This indeed is a great bill for communities that have a difficult time navigating the hoops to share/disclose information. For that reason alone, it should be supported.

I will say that Contra Costa has had less of a struggle sharing information across our Health Services system because we are all under the same umbrella. In many cases, we try to work collaboratively to share pertinent information with the correct releases in place. It isn't a perfect system, but it appears we do it more easily than some communities where homeless services are not within a health services dept.
Additionally, Whole Person Care is making it easier to share health, social, and homeless service data as we are moving to create data warehouses and/or bi-directional data sharing between systems of care. I see this legislation really coming in handy as care coordination across our systems is on the horizon (not only within Health Services but between EHSD). I think where this legislation really comes in handy is sharing across departments such as Health Services to EHSD and/or Housing Authorities.

With that said, any legislation that would support such sharing of information would only strengthen our ability to provide services to homeless individuals. We would just need to determine how to develop and fund such teams in our system of care. It is worth noting that BH clinicians and EHSD staff are integral parts of the homeless system of care. In my opinion, it is these types of partnerships that should continue to be expanded."

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

CONSIDER recommending to the Board of Supervisors a position of "Support" on AB 210 (Santiago): Homeless Multidisciplinary Personnel Team, as recommended by Lavonna Martin, Director of Health, Housing and Homeless Services.

Attachments
Attachment A: AB 210 Fact Sheet
Attachment B: Sample Letter
Attachment C: Bill Text AB 210