The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
- (a) Stable housing is a fundamental component of self-sufficiency and child well-being.
- (b) According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, residential stability is a necessary precursor to effectively addressing barriers that inhibit self-sufficiency, and research is clear that children who lack safe and stable housing demonstrate worse academic and social outcomes.
- (c) Housing support in the CalWORKs program is minimal and families struggle to find and retain safe, affordable, and stable housing.
- (d) Expanding homeless and housing support in the CalWORKs program would help meet a critical need for families working to achieve self-sufficiency.