Prepared Meals Delivery Program.

Existing law establishes various nutrition and housing assistance programs within the jurisdiction of the State Department of Social Services, including, among others, the CalFresh program, the State Emergency Food Assistance Program (CalFood) , the Bringing Families Home Program, and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program. This bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for this purpose, require the department to establish the Prepared Meals Delivery Program for the purpose of providing meals to unhoused individuals. The bill would require the County of Alameda to participate in the program and to select a community-based organization as a grantee of funding for the program based on a bidding process, as specified. The bill would require the delivery of food directly to unhoused encampments, as specified. The bill would require the grantee to provide to recipients information on enrollment within the CalFresh program as part of the grantee's meal delivery services. The bill would require the County of Alameda to submit periodic reports of performance data to the department during the course of implementing the program, as specified. The bill would require the department, no later than June 1, 2026, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the program. By creating new duties for the County of Alameda, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Alameda. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.