Senate Bill 823 - DJJ Realignment Implementation


For nearly two decades, California has enacted a series of legislative and voter-approved measures designed to reduce commitments of youth to the state juvenile and adult systems by reducing reliance on incarceration and expanding community-based options for youth. To further reach this goal, the state has aligned the responsibility for managing all youth under the jurisdiction of the juvenile courts pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 602 to local jurisdictions.

To support the successful implementation of this transition and on-going programing and interventions, the State established effective July 1, 2021, the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) within the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS). OYCR will be responsible for (1) developing a report on youth outcomes; (2) identifying policy recommendations for improved outcomes and integrated programs and services to best support delinquent youth; (3) identifying and disseminating best practices to help inform rehabilitative and restorative youth practices, including education, diversion, re-entry, religious and victims’ services; and (4) providing technical assistance as requested to develop and expand local youth diversion opportunities to meet the varied needs of the delinquent youth population, including but not limited to sex offender, substance abuse, and mental health treatment. OYCR will also fulfill statutory obligations of an Ombudsperson. For more information, go to the Office of Youth and Community Restoration page.

The BSCC will continue to establish regulations and inspect county facilities holding people under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to the California Welfare and Institutions Code sections 209, 210, 875, & 885.

Background

On September 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 823, which began the closure of the state’s Division of Juvenile Justice, realigning those state functions to county governments. Under SB 823, DJJ intake closed for most youth on July 1, 2021, and counties became fully responsible for housing, programming, and treatment of youth who can no longer be committed to DJJ.

As part of SB 823, $9.6 million was set aside for the Board of State and Community Corrections to “award one-time grants, to counties for the purpose of providing resources for infrastructure-related needs and improvements to assist counties in the development of a local continuum of care.

Request for Applications (RFA)

In April 2021 the BSCC released the  Youth Programs and Facilities Grant Program - Application Packageopens PDF file to all 58 California Counties.

 

Applications Submitted in Response to the YPFG RFA

Part A Applications:

El Dorado County Application*opens PDF file Fresno County Applicationopens PDF file Sonoma County Applicationopens PDF file

* El Dorado County subsequently relinquished its award. The counties of Fresno and Sonoma are moving forward with implementation.

Part B Applications:

Small Counties (17) Medium (14) Large (6)
Butte County Applicationopens PDF file Contra Costa County Applicationopens PDF file Alameda County Applicationopens PDF file
Colusa County Applicationopens PDF file Fresno County Applicationopens PDF file Los Angeles County Applicationopens PDF file
El Dorado County Applicationopens PDF file Kern County Applicationopens PDF file Orange County Applicationopens PDF file
Glenn County Applicationopens PDF file Merced County Applicationopens PDF file Riverside County Applicationopens PDF file
Humboldt County Applicationopens PDF file Monterey County Applicationopens PDF file Sacramento County Applicationopens PDF file
Kings County Applicationopens PDF file Placer County Applicationopens PDF file Santa Clara County Applicationopens PDF file
Madera County Applicationopens PDF file San Francisco County Applicationopens PDF file
Mariposa County Applicationopens PDF file San Joaquin County Applicationopens PDF file
Mendocino County Applicationopens PDF file Santa Barbara County Applicationopens PDF file
Plumas County Applicationopens PDF file Solano County Applicationopens PDF file
San Benito County Applicationopens PDF file Sonoma County Applicationopens PDF file
San Luis Obispo County Applicationopens PDF file Stanislaus County Applicationopens PDF file
Santa Cruz County Applicationopens PDF file Tulare County Applicationopens PDF file
Shasta County Applicationopens PDF file Ventura County Applicationopens PDF file
Sutter County Applicationopens PDF file
Tuolumne County Applicationopens PDF file
Yuba County Applicationopens PDF file
 

YPFG Grantee Page

Youth Transitional Housing Program (YTHP)

Background

On June 30, 2022, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 178 (Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022) which requires the BSCC to contract with one or more public or private organizations, including, but not limited to, nonprofit organizations and state or local government agencies, to secure and fund up to one year of transitional housing for youth who will be discharged from DJJ by the Board of Juvenile Hearings (BJH) during Fiscal Year 2022-23 and who are at risk of homelessness. To be eligible to receive transitional housing services youth must be 18 years of age or older, and have been discharged by BJH between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. The funds for transitional housing services are available for encumbrance or expenditure through June 30, 2024.

As part of AB 178, $3 million was set aside to the Board of State and Community Corrections for the purpose of providing transitional housing for up to one year. Transitional housing services does not include an extended shelter stay. But rather it includes:

  • transitional housing,
  • transitional housing placement services,
  • and rents and service fees paid for cost of the transitional housing

 

Amity Foundation (Amity) has been selected to provide transitional housing services for youth who are discharged from the Division of Juvenile Justice by the Board of Juvenile Hearings (BJH) as required under Assembly Bill (AB) 178 (Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022).  Through collaborative efforts with County Probation Departments and Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming (STOP) regional contractors throughout the State of California, Amity will coordinate appropriate transitional housing for youth (18 years of age or older) for a period of up to one year from the date of discharge.  Building on the success of the Returning Home Well (RHW) initiative, the RHW-DJJ project harnesses the power of stakeholder collaboration and leverages the existing network of community-based service providers to align the housing needs of youth and the resources of the community.  Amity Foundation is pleased to support the custody-to-community transition for youth who are at risk of homelessness as they are discharged from DJJ facilities, positioning Youth for successful outcomes as they re-enter the community.

 

To coordinate a placement, please contact:  Sandra Borrego. Her email address is:  djjplacements@amityfdn.orgcreate new email and phone number is 323-449-1258.

 

Probation departments may also seek reimbursement for placing youth directly from the BSCC with the application below.

 

Funds for Probation Departments

The BSCC has also set aside funding so that county probation departments may contract directly with the BSCC to provide transitional housing services to youth and seek reimbursement from the BSCC.  Probation departments may apply for these funds at any time using the application below.  It is strongly recommended that interested applicants apply as soon as possible, even if the exact number of youth participants is not known at this time.  Once funding is exhausted, no additional funding will be provided.

 

YTHP Applicationopens WORD file

Email the application to: AB178@bscc.ca.govcreate new email.

Any questions concerning the application should be submitted by email to AB178@bscc.ca.govcreate new email or Michael.Shores@bscc.ca.govcreate new email.

 

 

Resources

Assembly Bill 178opens PDF file