Unaccompanied homeless pupils: Unaccompanied Youth Transitional Housing Program.

Assembly Member Jackson's proposal to establish the Unaccompanied Youth Transitional Housing Program addresses California's growing population of homeless students through competitive five-year grants enabling school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to partner with nonprofits on transitional housing projects. The program targets unaccompanied youth ages 16 and 17, who comprise over 8,800 of California's homeless student population according to 2023-24 enrollment data.

The Department of Education would administer these grants in consultation with the Department of Social Services and county education offices. Grant funds would support residential facilities with single-occupant units housing minors separately from adults, while covering basic needs including clothing, daily meals, and public transportation. The program also requires educational support services through local education agency partnerships, along with case management, employment training, independent living skills development, and health services.

Under the grant criteria, funding preference goes to local educational agencies partnering with nonprofits that demonstrate an established record of serving unaccompanied homeless youth, maintain successful residential facility partnerships, and possess substantial experience working with this population. The bill defines unaccompanied homeless youth as students identified as homeless during the academic year who were not in the direct care of a parent or guardian during that period.

The legislation responds to California's status as home to over 10,000 unaccompanied youth - more than one-third of the national total according to 2023 survey data. Current enrollment figures show nearly three-quarters of California's unaccompanied homeless students are in grades 9-12, with 60 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino, followed by White (17%), African American (10%), multiracial (5%), Asian (3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2%) students.