Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) has sent a formal request to the Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee to designate $150 million in the 2022-23 state budget to provide local law enforcement agencies with grants to send homeless outreach teams, also known as “wrap-around” teams, into the field.
In his request, Jones noted:
“The homelessness crisis in California needs effective solutions that are compassionate and comprehensive. The funding request of $150 million is for a wrap-around service grant program that will immediately assess the needs of homeless individuals on the street, and determine the best option for their housing and/or medical treatment.”
If approved, the budget request would help fund Jones’s Senate Bill 1006 that 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 outreach (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.
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 that was never allowed to come up for a hearing or vote by any Senate committees due to COVID restrictions.