Formerly Homeless Youth To Be Granted Priority Enrollment And Additional Resources At The Community College Level

Lozano Smith Client News Brief
November 2019
Number 72

Assembly Bill (AB) 806 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on July 31, 2019, extending the following postsecondary educational resources to formerly homeless youth:

  • Priority enrollment for community college districts and California State University.

  • The services of a Community College Homeless and Foster Student Liaison.

  • Access to the Community College Student Financial Aid Outreach Program and the Student Opportunity and Access Programs.

  • Eligibility for a community college enrollment fee waiver.
Previously, the resources listed above were made available to homeless youth, current and former foster youth, and youth from low-income households. Through this bill, Education Code section 66025.9 has been amended to define "homeless youth" and "former homeless youth" as a student under 25 years of age, who has been verified, in the case of a former homeless youth, at any time during the 24 months immediately preceding the receipt of the youth's application for admission by a postsecondary educational institution that is a qualifying institution, as a homeless child or youth, as defined in subsection (2) of Section 725 of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11434a(2)). Education Code §66025.9 states that verification of "homeless youth" or "formerly homeless youth status" must be provided by one of the following:

  • A homeless services provider, as that term is defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 103577 of the Health and Safety Code.

  • The director of a federal TRIO program or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs program, or a designee of that director.

  • A financial aid administrator for an institution of higher education.

  • A homeless and foster student liaison designated pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 67003.5 of the Education Code.
The priority enrollment provision of existing law was originally set to be repealed on January 1, 2020, but under AB 806, it has been extended indefinitely.

Takeaways

Community colleges must ensure that application forms allow students to identify as formerly homeless and that priority enrollment and fee waivers are made available to these students. A community college must ensure that its Homeless and Foster Student Liaison's services are extended to any formerly homeless student. A community college's Community College Student Financial Aid Outreach Program and Student Opportunity and Access Program must also ensure that services are available to formerly homeless youth.

If you have any questions about AB 806 or postsecondary educational student support, please contact the authors of this Client News Brief or an attorney at one of our eight offices located statewide. You can also subscribe to our podcast, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or download our mobile app.
 
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As the information contained herein is necessarily general, its application to a particular set of facts and circumstances may vary. For this reason, this News Brief does not constitute legal advice. We recommend that you consult with your counsel prior to acting on the information contained herein.