2023 Legislative Priorities

Prevent and End Homelessness Among Older Adults

SB 37 (Caballero): Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act

LeadingAge California is co-sponsoring legislation with Justice in Aging, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles that creates a targeted rent stabilization program to prevent and end homelessness among older adults and people with disabilities.

The rent stabilization program will fund housing subsidies that meet the specific needs of acutely low-income older adults and people with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness or at high risk of homelessness using predictive indicators.

The program seeks to ensure that people receiving subsidies under the program will be able to transition into permanent affordable housing through the Section 8 voucher program, or another federally subsidized affordable housing program.

Link to fact sheet

Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing

LeadingAge California is sponsoring legislation to ensure the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (Program) allocates a share of tax credits for senior housing projects that is more reflective of the growing older adult population. This legislation will require the Program to ensure the percentage of tax credits awarded for lower-income senior housing projects is no less than the state’s share of low-income senior renters.

The percentage of total renter households headed by someone age 50 and over is expected to grow to 40 percent in the next 15 years, with it already over 20%. Many older adults are already seeking homelessness services due to their inability to afford rent or find affordable housing options.

This legislation will increase the supply of affordable senior housing by tying the goal of 9% LIHTC allocated to senior affordable housing communities to the proportion of the state’s low-income renters that are older adults. The current goal is set at 15%.

Create More Nonprofit Assisted Living and Memory Care

LeadingAge California is sponsoring legislation to modernize and update the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA) Act to allow nonprofit RCFEs, regardless of their connection to a skilled nursing facility (SNF), to utilize the programs.

Current law requires a multilevel facility to have an adjacent SNF in order to take advantage of lower interest rate tax-exempt financing through CHFFA for new or renovation projects.

The changes proposed by this legislation will reduce borrowing costs to create more nonprofit assisted living and memory care to meet the needs of our growing older adult population.

Ensure Older Adults Can Age in Place

California Integrated Care at Home (CICH) proposes to adapt and implement a proven, evidence-based health and social care model to significantly increase the ability of older adults in California to age with dignity in their own homes and communities. Using low-income senior housing as care hubs, the CICH model will be adapted from Vermont’s SASH® model for the diverse communities of Los Angeles County.

LeadingAge California is requesting $15 million for the California Department of Aging to conduct a three-year demonstration of CICH in Los Angeles County. The demonstration CICH pilot will serve 2,000 older adults and people with disabilities living in 20 publicly assisted housing sites and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Expand the Aging Services Workforce

The Governor’s January budget proposal included the deferral of health care workforce funding that was appropriated in the 2022-2023 budget, including $125 million from the Nursing Initiative through 2026. Since California is in dire need of support to bolster its older adult care workforce, deferring this funding at this time would have significant negative implications for the future of California’s health care workforce and would impact hundreds of thousands of older adults throughout California as the nurse staffing shortage accelerates in the coming years.

LeadingAge California anticipated this funding to further our highly successful career lattice program, The Gateway-In Project, which is highly effective and in high demand. LeadingAge California is working to launch The Gateway-In “Plus” Project – a program built on the same
model – for LVNs, RNs through associate and bachelor’s degree programs, and master’s degree nurses. This robust career ladder would be the first in the nation to focus exclusively on older adults served in post-acute, home- and community-based settings.

LeadingAge California is requesting the preservation of funding for the Nursing Initiative so that programs like The Gateway-In “Plus” Project can be brought to fruition and scaled up to create a full and necessary career lattice for clinicians serving older adults.

Accelerate the Hiring Process for Aging Services Providers

The background check system used by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Guardian, is leading to serious delays in hiring staff in all settings licensed by CDSS, impacting direct care in environments already plagued with severe workforce shortages. Specifically, LeadingAge California members have experienced months-long delays due to this process.

CDSS licenses and oversees approximately 74,000 community care facilities throughout California, including childcare facilities, foster family homes, and care facilities for the adult and senior population. Replacing the Guardian system is a long-term solution. However, an interim solution is still needed to reduce the extreme challenges and delays and timely process background checks until a new system is operational.

LeadingAge California is requesting a limited-term investment of $1.558 million GF for 12 limited-term staff needed to supplement the Guardian system so that processing background checks are done in a timely manner.