(a) A homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel team established pursuant to Section 18999.8 in the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Ventura may additionally have the goal of facilitating the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of individuals at risk of homelessness to housing and supportive services within that county, and the goal of facilitating the expedited prevention of homelessness for those individuals.

(b) For the purposes of this section, “individual at risk of homelessness” means an individual who is indigent or receiving or eligible to receive public benefits in the form of cash aid, and who meets both of the following conditions:

(1) The individual experiences either of the following:

(A) Is exiting, or exited within the most recent 12 months, a state-funded or locally funded detention or treatment setting, including, but not limited to, a jail, prison, health facility, mental health facility, or substance use disorder treatment program.

(B) Is aging out, or aged out within the most recent 12 months, of the child welfare system or the juvenile justice system.

(2) The individual presents with, or received services within the most recent 12 months for, significant health, mental health, or substance use issues.

(c) The homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel teams described in this section shall also include persons who are trained in the prevention of homelessness.

(d) (1) Members of a homeless adult and family multidisciplinary personnel team engaged in the prevention of homelessness or linkage of housing and supportive services for individuals at risk of homelessness, may disclose to, and exchange with, one another, information and writings that relate to any information that may be designated as confidential under state law if the member of the team reasonably believes it is generally relevant to the identification of individuals at risk of homelessness or the prevention of homelessness or the provision of services.

(2) (A) The multidisciplinary personnel team member who first establishes contact with an individual at risk of homelessness, as defined in subdivision (b), shall notify the individual that the individual’s confidential information may be shared for the purpose of coordinating housing and supportive services to ensure continuity of care and shall attempt to obtain the individual’s consent for that information sharing.

(B) For individuals at risk of homelessness, members of the multidisciplinary personnel team may share with other members of the team confidential information for either of the following purposes:

(i) Identifying individuals at risk of homelessness, unless and until the individual affirmatively opts out of having their information shared.

(ii) Coordinating housing and supportive services to ensure continuity of care for a period not to exceed 30 days from the time a team member first establishes contact with the individual, or unless and until the individual affirmatively opts out of having their information shared, whichever occurs first.

(e) The confidentiality and privacy provisions contained in Section 18999.8 apply to information or writings disclosed, exchanged, or acquired pursuant to this section, and that information and writings shall not be disclosed in violation of existing federal or state privacy laws.

(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 337, Sec. 2. (AB 728) Effective January 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, by its own provisions.)