Attachment B
Assembly Bill 1708
as currently
proposed
california legislature—2025–26 regular session
ASSEMBLY BILL No. 1708
Introduced by Assembly Member Solache
February 4, 2026
An act to add Section 50246 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing.
legislative counsel’s digest
AB 1708, as introduced, Solache. Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program: round 7.
Existing law establishes the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program for the purpose of providing jurisdictions with grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law provides for the allocation of funding under the program among continuums of care, cities, counties, and tribes in 6 rounds, with rounds 1 to 5, inclusive, administered by the Interagency Council on Homelessness and round 6 administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, as provided. Existing law establishes round 7 of the program and states the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that specifies the parameters, as specified.
Existing law, effective July 1, 2026, appropriates $500,000,000, as specified, provided that these funds be disbursed in accordance with specified requirements, including that funds from this appropriation be disbursed to a city, county, tribe, or continuum of care for round 7 of the program after a declaration by the director of the department, in consultation with the Director of Finance, that the department has substantially completed its initial disbursement of round 6 funds to the city, county, tribe, or continuum of care and that the city, county, tribe, or continuum of care has obligated at least 50% of its total round 6 award. Existing law requires the department, during the 2025–26 fiscal year, to prepare to administer round 7 of the program with the goal that initial round 7 disbursements will be available to grantees meeting the statutory provisions for disbursement beginning September 1, 2026, as specified.
This bill would require a continuum of care receiving funding pursuant to round 7, as described above, to allocate funds to a smaller jurisdiction, defined as a city with a population under 300,000. The bill would require a smaller jurisdiction, in order to be eligible for funding, to, among other things, adopt a resolution, as specified, have a compliant housing element, and have adopted a local encampment policy, as described.
The bill would require a continuum of care to accept applications for funding in accordance with specified procedures.
V ote: majority.
Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
line 1 SECTION 1. Section 50246 is added to the Health and Safety line 2 Code , to read:
line 3 50246. (a) A continuum of care receiving funding pursuant to line 4 paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 50245 shall allocate line 5 funds to smaller jurisdictions pursuant to this section. line 6 (b) In order to be eligible to receive funding pursuant to this line 7 section, the smaller jurisdiction shall comply with each of the line 8 following:
line 9 (1) (A) Adopt a resolution that does both of the following:
line 10 (i) Commits to participating in, and complying with, the line 11 regionally coordinated homelessness action plan. line 12 (ii) Directs the mayor to sign the memorandum of understanding line 13 that reflects the regionally coordinated homelessness action plan. line 14 (B) (i) Prior to adopting the resolution described in this line 15 paragraph, the smaller jurisdiction shall hold a public hearing to line 16 consider the regionally coordinated homelessness action plan. line 17 (ii) At least 30 days prior to the public hearing, the smaller line 18 jurisdiction shall post on its internet website the proposed, line 19 approved, and amended regionally coordinated homelessness action line 20 plan.
line 21 (2) Have a compliant housing element.
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line 1 (3) Have adopted a local encampment policy consistent with line 2 administration guidance.
line 3 (4) Demonstrate how its past actions, programs, and line 4 appropriation of funds have served the objectives and goals of the line 5 adopted regionally coordinated homelessness action plan and the line 6 intent of the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention line 7 program to prevent and expeditiously reduce unsheltered line 8 homelessness through homelessness prevention activities. line 9 (c) A continuum of care shall accept applications for funding line 10 in accordance with the following procedure:
line 11 (1) During an initial period of 30 days, for round 7 funding, a line 12 continuum of care shall accept only applications from smaller line 13 jurisdictions determined to be eligible pursuant to subdivision (b). line 14 (2) (A) The continuum of care shall evaluate the applications line 15 submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) and award funds in compliance line 16 with all round 7 rules and regulations.
line 17 (B) The continuum of care shall prioritize applications in which line 18 a smaller jurisdiction agrees to utilize round 7 funding in line 19 partnership with a nonprofit, another smaller jurisdiction, or other line 20 private organization eligible for round 7 funding. line 21 (3) If funding remains after the awards made pursuant to line 22 paragraph (2), the continuum of care shall accept and evaluate line 23 applications from other eligible applicants.
line 24 (d) For purposes of this section, “smaller jurisdiction” means a line 25 city with a population under 300,000.
AB 1708 — 3 —