Council Prepares Legislative Agenda on Homelessness

The Bay Area Council’s Homelessness Committee and its partners are finalizing an ambitious legislative agenda to be unveiled in the coming weeks. Specifically, the Council and its partners are working with legislators on bills to bring California into compliance with federal guidance on Recovery Housing—housing that provides sober living environments for homeless individuals with substance use disorders who seek recovery—by allowing such projects to compete for existing homeless programs; and legislation to help scale low-cost interim housing options to bring people indoors and resolve encampments. The Council is also leading a coalition of businesses and non-profits to file amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Johnson v. Grants Pass, with a favorable ruling significantly enhancing the ability of local governments to scale the shelter and interim housing needed to bring people indoors, save lives, and restore access to public spaces. The Council previously submitted an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to take up the case. To engage with the Council’s Homelessness Committee, please contact Senior Vice President Adrian Covert.