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Bringing Families Home program expanded rapidly; CDSS and counties warn many grantees will exhaust one‑time funds
Summary
CDSS and county officials said the Bringing Families Home program, which links child‑welfare‑involved families to housing, expanded quickly after recent one‑time funding and that many grantees are likely to exhaust allocations within 6–12 months without further support.
The subcommittee reviewed Bringing Families Home (BFH), a program that supports child‑welfare‑involved families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness with rental assistance, housing navigation and wraparound services.
CDSS Deputy Director Hannah Zamati said BFH grew rapidly after one‑time state funding in 2021–22, expanding from 22 counties and one tribe to 53 counties and 25 tribes by fiscal year 2023–24. That year, grantees served 4,929 families — more than half of all families served since the program began in 2016 — and county claims for BFH totaled about $56.7 million in FY 2023–24.
Independent evaluations cited by CDSS and presenters found measurable benefits: a UC Berkeley/USC analysis showed more than half of BFH families who exited the program left to permanent housing, and reunification rates improved for families with children in foster care. A Chapin Hall study in San Francisco reported families often secured stable housing within four months and that the program produced cost savings.
But CDSS said seven county programs have already closed and estimated another 21 county programs could close by July if no further funding is provided. Closing would entail ending contracts, reducing staff and discharging participants even if they had not yet achieved stable housing.
Diana Boyer of CWDA said maintaining BFH infrastructure statewide would cost an estimated $81 million general fund annually based on county spending patterns during the program’s peak year; she acknowledged that full funding in the current budget climate may be unlikely and suggested phased approaches given some counties retain carryover funds.
Lawmakers asked CDSS for clarifications on near‑term spend‑down timelines and urged efforts to prioritize transitions that avoid exits to homelessness for families still in the program.
