Chapter 495 Oregon Laws 2005

AN ACT

HB 2202

Relating to State Commission on Children and Families; and declaring an emergency.

Whereas Oregon lacks a comprehensive policy for systematically addressing the issues and needs of runaway and homeless youth and their families; and

Whereas communities have few options to hold families of runaway and homeless youth accountable; and

Whereas significant gaps exist in the availability and coordination of services for runaway and homeless youth; now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. Sections 2, 3 and 5 of this 2005 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 417.705 to 417.797.

SECTION 2. (1) The State Commission on Children and Families is responsible for coordinating statewide planning for delivery of services to runaway and homeless youth and their families.

(2) The State Commission on Children and Families shall lead a process that will allow the state commission, the Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, the Employment Department, the Department of Human Services, the Housing and Community Services Department, the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, the Department of Education and the Oregon Youth Authority to develop a comprehensive and coordinated approach for services and support for runaway and homeless youth and their families. The approach shall include an assessment of service needs, the integration of existing services and the identification and tracking of a statewide high-level outcome related to runaway and homeless youth and their families.

(3) Through the process, the agencies and other persons and entities involved in the process shall:

(a) Recommend funding mechanisms, financial resources and policy changes that will support a continuum of services and that will ensure integration of services among state agencies that provide services to runaway and homeless youth and their families;

(b) Identify means of service delivery that are culturally competent, gender specific and evidence based and that reflect differences in approaches for urban and rural runaway and homeless youth and their families;

(c) Develop urban and rural demonstration sites to test effective service delivery models for the urban and rural populations;

(d) Recommend policies and services that specifically address the needs and responsibilities of parents of runaway and homeless youth;

(e) Review existing state laws regarding parental accountability to determine recommended enforcement levels and examine new strategies to encourage parents to be accountable for positive development of their children; and

(f) Recommend policies that integrate a system of services for runaway and homeless youth into the state’s continuum of care for children who are 0 through 18 years of age.

(4) In addition to the state agencies listed in subsection (2) of this section, the state commission shall include representatives of youth, nonprofit organizations and statewide coalitions related to runaway and homeless youth services and supports in the joint process described in subsection (2) of this section.

SECTION 3. The State Commission on Children and Families shall coordinate the collection of data, provision of technical assistance to communities for assessing the needs of runaway and homeless youth, and identification and promotion of the best practices for service delivery, and shall recommend long term goals to identify and address the underlying causes of homelessness of youth.

SECTION 4. The joint process described in section 2 of this 2005 Act shall be completed no later than January 1, 2007. Prior to January 1, 2007, the State Commission on Children and Families shall report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate and the interim legislative committees on children and families on the recommendations developed through the joint process under section 2 of this 2005 Act.

SECTION 5. Local commissions on children and families shall consider the needs, resources and support for runaway and homeless youth and their families as part of the development of local coordinated comprehensive plans. As part of this process, local commissions shall provide information to the State Commission on Children and Families on the barriers to local implementation of care and services to runaway and homeless youth and their families that result from existing state level policies.

SECTION 6. This 2005 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2005 Act takes effect on its passage.

Approved by the Governor July 13, 2005

Filed in the office of Secretary of State July 14, 2005

Effective date July 13, 2005

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