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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Carraro

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/24/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Homeless Student Emergency Housing

SB 372

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$600.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates To: HB242, HB367, HB384, SB 159, SB 236, and SB302.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Human Services Department (HSD)

Public Education Department (PED)

Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 372 appropriates $$600.0 from the general fund to the local government division of

the department of finance and administration for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 to provide

emergency housing for homeless middle school and high school students.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

This appropriation of $600.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

DFA is the fiscal agent for SB 372. There is no fiscal responsibility for the Public Education

Department (PED).

Senate Bill 372 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to PED, emergency housing and transitional living services offer a home setting for

youth to facilitate their shift from dependence on care by others to caring for themselves. Youth

needing emergency housing, for any reason, are at a crossroads during a vulnerable stage in life,

going from youth to young adult. They have limited housing resources, few funds and

insufficient self-care skills. Within settings designed for safe co-ed living, staff oversees the

living environment, provides training and facilitates access to community resources and skill

development (Hogares Inc., 2008).

•

Homeless youth are individuals under the age of 18 who lack parental, foster or

institutional care. These young people are sometimes referred to as "unaccompanied"

youth. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the US Department

of Justice in 2002 estimated 1,682,900 homeless and runaway youth. This number is

equally divided among males and females, and the majority of them are between the ages

of 15 and 17. Causes of homelessness among youth fall into three inter-related

categories: family problems, economic problems and residential instability (National

Coalition for the Homeless, 2007).

•

Homeless youth face many challenges on the streets. Few homeless youth are housed in

emergency shelters as a result of lack of shelter beds for youth, shelter admission policies

and a preference for greater autonomy. Because of their age, homeless youth have few

legal means by which they can earn enough money to meet basic needs.

•

Many homeless adolescents find that exchanging sex for food, clothing and shelter is

their only chance of survival on the streets. In turn, homeless youth are at a greater risk of

contracting AIDS or HIV-related illnesses.

•

Homeless adolescents often suffer from severe anxiety and depression, poor health and

nutrition and low self-esteem. Homeless youth face difficulties attending school because

of legal guardianship requirements, residency requirements, improper records and lack of

transportation. As a result, homeless youth face severe challenges in obtaining an

education and supporting themselves emotionally and financially (National Coalition

forthe Homeless, 2007).

Homeless youth benefit from programs that meet immediate needs first and then help them

address other aspects of their lives. Programs that minimize institutional demands and offer a

range of services have had success in helping homeless youth regain stability (National Coalition

for the Homeless, 2007). Quality emergency housing can support youth by addressing and

supporting youth development in several areas:

•

Skill development

•

Effective communication

•

Awareness and use of community resources

•

Educational goals

•

Job-seeking skills

•

Money management skills

•

Transportation

•

Involvement in structured daily living

•

Growing confidence and self-respect.

In the 2006-07 Data Collection Report to the Federal government, PED sited serving 5,001

homeless children and youth through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program. The

Senate Bill 372 – Page

3

PED has identified the following barriers to the education of New Mexico homeless children and

youth: 1) school selection, 2) transportation, 3) school records, 4) immunization/medical records

and 5) lack of affordable housing (Public Education Department, 2007).

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

According to PED, in order to ensure New Mexico’s homeless children and youth have access to

education and other services needed to meet the state’s academic standards, barriers must be

lifted to school selection, transportation, school records, immunizations or other medical records,

affordable housing, public housing and medical care. Providing funding for youth emergency

housing statewide may assist youth in meeting their basic living requirements and support them

in acquiring life skills to meet academic standards and potentially close the achievement gap.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

According to CYFD, the bill does not clearly define “emergency housing for homeless middle

and high school students". If this bill is about Transitional Living, transitional living services

include behavioral health and related support services that may provide youth who are homeless

or at-risk of being homeless with support in successfully transitioning from unstable

environments to situations that are safe, permanent and increase youths’ ability to successfully

live independently in the community.

In 2002, the US Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

estimated that there are nearly 1.7 million homeless and runaway youth in the United States.

Many homeless youth leave home after years of physical and/or sexual abuse, addiction of a

family member, and/or parental neglect; and many of these youth have been in child welfare

custody or foster care. Studies show that homeless youth benefit from programs that meet

immediate and basic needs first, including housing, and then help them to address other aspects

of their lives (National Coalition for the Homeless, Fact Sheet #13, August 2007). A Colorado

study suggests it costs less than $6,000 to permanently move a homeless youth off the streets,

compared to the more than $53,000 required to maintain a youth in the criminal justice system

for one year (

www.medicalnewstoday.com

, June 12, 2007).

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

According to PED, HB 367 relates to HB 242, which appropriates $50,000 to Santa Fe County

through DFA to provide transitional living services for youth; relates to SB 302, which

appropriates $125,000 to Bernalillo County through DFA to provide transitional living services

for youth; and HB 367, which provides $30,000 to Taos County through CYFD to provide

transitional living services.

PME/mt