Adult Reentry Grant Program.

Assembly Members Schultz and Quirk-Silva propose transferring California's Adult Reentry Grant Program to the Department of Housing and Community Development, establishing a new framework to connect individuals leaving prison with permanent housing and support services. The legislation restructures the existing program, which has provided competitive grants to community organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals since 2018.

Starting July 2026, the department would award five-year renewable grants to regional administrators responsible for funding permanent supportive housing and reentry services. These administrators must demonstrate experience managing rental subsidy programs, partnerships with housing authorities and healthcare providers, and viable plans to rapidly connect participants to housing. The program serves individuals scheduled for prison release within 210 days who lack stable housing plans, as well as currently homeless individuals on parole or supervision who were incarcerated within the past five years.

Regional administrators would contract with community organizations to provide rental subsidies, housing placement, case management, employment support, and other voluntary services following Housing First principles. The housing must meet specific standards, including private bedrooms with locks and limited bathroom sharing. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would implement a new process to assess individuals' risk of homelessness at least 210 days before release, with responses prohibited from affecting release dates or discipline.

The legislation requires annual reporting on outcomes like housing retention and employment rates, with data disaggregated by demographics. An independent evaluation of the program's impact must be submitted to legislative committees by July 2030. The Board of State and Community Corrections would continue overseeing existing grants until they expire.