The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee advanced AB 1924 on a 7-0 vote Tuesday, sending the bill to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The measure would direct the state to build a comprehensive homelessness prevention strategy with goals, best practices and accountability measures, according to the committee hearing summary from the April 15 hearing.
Supporters pointed to Santa Clara County’s homelessness prevention system as a model. Testimony cited the county program as having stabilized nearly 44,000 at-risk people, with 93% still housed after two years and a return of nearly $2.50 for every $1 invested, according to the hearing materials.
Committee discussion also framed homelessness as a regional problem and contrasted prevention costs with the cost of shelter placement, the transcript summary said.
The bill’s advance keeps it moving in a session where lawmakers are weighing whether California should rely more on statewide prevention infrastructure rather than a patchwork of local efforts. The hearing materials did not include the final committee amendments, if any, and the next step in Appropriations could still shape the bill’s scope or funding.
