1.0" ?> 20250HR__004499INT 99 INTRODUCED 2025-06-02 REVISED 2025-08-18 2025 0 HR 44 INT Introduced by Assembly Member Ward (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alanis, Elhawary, Garcia, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Wicks, Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Fong, Gabriel, Gipson, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Ransom, Rivas, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Wilson, and Zbur) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alanis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ramos COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wicks COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Arambula COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ávila Farías COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bains COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Boerner COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bryan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Calderon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Caloza COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Carrillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Castillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Dixon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Fong COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gabriel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gipson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hadwick COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hoover COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Irwin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Kalra COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Krell COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lackey COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lowenthal COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Macedo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY McKinnor COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Muratsuchi COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ortega COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pacheco COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pellerin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Petrie-Norris COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rivas COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Michelle Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schultz COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Soria COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Tangipa COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Valencia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wilson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur Relative to homeless service providers. homeless service providers

WHEREAS, More than 187,084 people are experiencing homelessness in California today, and our dedicated homeless service providers are working each day to help individuals and families end their episodes of homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Our homeless service providers are dedicated workers from public and nonprofit organizations driven by a mission to serve people and help our most vulnerable communities; and

WHEREAS, The homelessness crisis is a function of California’s housing crisis, and the most substantial challenge providers face is the severe lack of affordable housing; and

WHEREAS, The homeless services sector has coalesced around the Housing First model, a guiding principle pioneered by Dr. Sam Tsemberis in the City of New York during the 1990s, which is now a nationally recognized best practice for ending homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Homeless service providers rely on their staff to implement an array of housing interventions, all tailored to the specific needs of the person; and

WHEREAS, Providers deliver a range of supportive services directly to people experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered, including outreach, street medicine, food assistance, benefit enrollment, rapid rehousing, veteran programs, housing navigation, and many more; and

WHEREAS, Providers across the state deliver services and basic needs at both congregant and noncongregant interim housing sites, as the stability of a short stay in a safe environment will enable participants to secure affordable housing; and

WHEREAS, Permanent supportive housing, seen as the best housing intervention for many people experiencing homelessness, provides case management and supportive services from the comfort and safety of a person’s own home; and

WHEREAS, During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, providers were implementing innovative state programs, Project Roomkey and later Homekey, to keep our unhoused neighbors safe and healthy, proving that their staff members are essential workers; and

WHEREAS, California has increased investments to support workforce numbers; however, due to providers’ strained operating budgets and our general increases in costs of living, many of the dedicated staff of homeless service providers earn low wages and could be on the brink of homelessness themselves; and

WHEREAS, Contracting difficulties, low pay, emotional trauma, and competition with private labor markets present major challenges for public and nonprofit service providers in hiring and retaining these essential staff; and

WHEREAS, The dismaying increase of people experiencing homelessness in recent years has led providers to shift focus and resources towards prevention programs, targeting specific at-risk populations, such as seniors, people of color, women, youth, and LGBTQ+ individuals; and

WHEREAS, The inherent diversity of the homeless service provider workforce and the increased goal of recruiting more individuals with lived expertise improves the efficacy of the state’s homelessness response system, as staff are more representative of the unhoused population they serve; and

WHEREAS, Homeless service providers help participants, many of whose lives have been upended by trauma, move past these difficult circumstances to find housing and stability; and

WHEREAS, The state’s urgent mission of ending the homelessness crisis would be impossible without the resilience, compassion, and dedication of everyday Californians, and this recognition should encourage further action to improve the economic well-being of individuals dedicated to aiding the unhoused; and

WHEREAS, Homelessness Awareness Month is nationally recognized in the month of November to bring awareness to homelessness and related issues, including hunger awareness; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly recognizes and commends the invaluable service of our homeless service providers and their commitment to our shared mission to end homelessness during the month of November 2025, which is Homelessness Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. REVISIONS: Heading—Line 3.