Assembly Bill (AB) 362 (Chapter 395, Statutes of 2021) amended the Health and Safety Code to require California cities and counties to investigate complaints of substandard housing claims in homeless shelters made by an occupant or agent of an occupant to determine if the complaint is valid. Health and Safety Code (HSC) section 17974.5 mandates cities and counties submit a report of the complaints to HCD annually by April 1. The information required in the report includes:
- Any pending uncorrected violations determined by the city or county, pursuant to HSC section 17974.1.
- Any determinations by the city or county that conditions exist or existed that make or made the homeless shelter dangerous, hazardous, imminently detrimental to life or health, or otherwise render the homeless shelter unfit for human habitation.
- A list of any emergency orders issued pursuant to HSC section 17974.1(c)(3).
- A list of any owners or operators who received 3 or more violations within any six-month period.
- Any corrected violations from the prior year.
If a shelter is deemed unhabitable and does not correct the violations as outlined in law, they may be subject to penalties and a loss of state funding.
Reports, ordinances, and amendments can be electronically submitted using the Local Ordinance, Amendment, and Report Portal. See Information Bulletin 2023-03 (PDF) for more information.