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SB 479 would let certain cities form multidisciplinary homeless response teams with data‑sharing safeguards
Summary
SB 479 would permit designated cities to form multidisciplinary teams that can share specified information to coordinate housing and services for people experiencing homelessness while maintaining privacy protections for vulnerable individuals, supporters said.
Senator Arreguin presented SB 479, a district bill sponsored by the city of Berkeley, to allow up to three designated cities to implement homeless response multidisciplinary teams that can share specified information among providers. Scott Gilman, Berkeley’s director of Housing and Community Services, testified the current legal framework limits city teams from sharing information that would improve coordination and safety in encampment outreach.
"Current state law prevents those teams from being truly effective," Gilman said, describing instances where staff arrived at encampments without the information needed to manage risk or to tailor housing placements. Peter Radu, Berkeley’s neighborhood services manager, said the city has reduced unsheltered homelessness by more than 40% since 2022 and that improved information sharing could expand that progress.
Oakland Privacy and other advocates praised newly added privacy amendments and dropped prior opposition. The committee passed the bill as amended to Appropriations for additional review.
