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Bill

SB 479

Homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel teams.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jesse Arreguín

SB 479 creates multidisciplinary homeless response teams combining social workers, healthcare providers, and other professionals to coordinate services for California's adult and family homeless populations.

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
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Bill Summary · SB 479

Legislative bill overview

SB 479 establishes multidisciplinary personnel teams to address homelessness among adults and families in California. The bill creates a coordinated framework bringing together social workers, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and other professionals to respond to homeless populations. The measure appears designed to replace fragmented, single-agency responses with integrated teams providing comprehensive services.

Why is this important

Homelessness remains a critical crisis in California, with unsheltered populations concentrated in urban areas. Current responses often duplicate services or leave gaps in care, with police handling situations better suited to social workers and healthcare providers. This bill attempts to improve outcomes by ensuring people experiencing homelessness receive appropriate support from the right professionals, potentially reducing emergency room costs, jail admissions, and repeat interventions.

Potential points of contention

  • Funding mechanisms – The bill does not clarify who pays for these teams or whether it requires new state appropriations versus reallocating existing local/county budgets
  • Liability and scope creep – Unclear whether teams will have enforcement authority, how they interact with law enforcement, and which agency bears liability for outcomes
  • Local implementation – Significant variation in how California cities/counties would establish teams could create equity gaps and inconsistent service quality across regions

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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