Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) today introduced a measure to provide local law enforcement agencies with grants to send homeless assessment teams, also known as “wrap-around” teams, into the field.
“Governor Newsom and the Democrat-controlled Legislature have spent billions of dollars on homeless programs that are hardly making a dent in the problem,” stated Senator Brian W. Jones. “One of the few successful programs already being operated at the local level are ‘wrap-around teams.’ These teams can make immediate assessments and decisions about how best to get a homeless individual off the street and into health and housing programs. Currently, local jurisdictions are responsible for coordinating funding for these wrap-around teams. My bill will directly give local law enforcement agencies funds to implement these effective wrap around service teams or improve the teams they currently have.”
Specifically, Jones’s Senate Bill 1006 would:
- Establish a competitive grant program in the California Department of Justice in which local law enforcement agencies could apply for funding for local homeless assessment (wrap-around) team efforts;
- These local teams would need to be composed of a law enforcement officer, a mental health professional, a medical services professional, and a representative of the county welfare department;
- The mental health and medical services team members could be volunteers associated with a non-profit or be students in the appropriate field of study.
Jones also will submit a letter to the Senate Budget Committee requesting funding for initial implementation of the measure.
SB 1006 is similar to Jones’s Senate Bill 1203 of 2020, which was part of his comprehensive six-bill package dealing with homelessness issues which was never allowed to come up for a hearing or vote by any Senate committees.