SB 689

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement housing programs that focus on veterans at risk for homelessness or experiencing temporary or chronic homelessness. Existing law requires the departments, to the extent feasible, to prioritize projects that combine housing and supportive services, including, but not limited to, job training, mental health and drug treatment, case management, care coordination, or physical rehabilitation. This bill would require a project, in order to qualify for prioritization due to mental health and drug treatment services, to either accept only residents who are prequalified to receive mental health care and drug treatment services from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, or, if the project accepts residents who receive mental health care and drug treatment services from agencies or providers other than the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, the project to ensure it augments those services by either maintaining a qualified mental health professional on staff or by contracting for the services of a qualified mental health professional. This bill would include psychologists, professional clinical counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatrists as mental health professionals for its purposes.