The final 2016-17 budget agreement includes $10 million General Fund on a one-time basis for the Bringing Families Home program, which is a grant program to reduce homelessness among families that are part of the child welfare system.

The Bringing Families Home program will serve a critical need in the child welfare system. For many families who have had children placed in foster care, the unavailability of affordable housing is the final barrier preventing them from safely reuniting with their children.

Even when parents have diligently and successfully worked to address safety issues and are ready to safely reunite, courts are hesitant to order reunification if the parents don’t have a safe place to live. As a result, some children remain in foster care – at the taxpayers’ expense. The Bringing Families Home program will provide the housing resources families need to provide a stable, safe home and restart their lives together.

• Letter of Support to The Honorable Holly Mitchell, Chair, Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 - March 1, 2016
• Letter of Support to The Honorable Tony Thurmond Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 - March 1, 2016