(a)  Each designated local board shall submit to the department for approval, a local emergency shelter strategy for its region, describing the procedures for complying with requirements pursuant to this chapter and the regulations promulgated thereunder. The department shall establish, by regulation, the types of information that each designated local board shall include in the strategy, including, but not limited to, each of the following:

(1)  A statement of goals and how goals will be achieved.

(2)  A statement of priorities and how the priorities complement the local continuum of care planning process.

(3)  A description of the application process and ranking criteria for the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program.

(4)  Copies of application forms for the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program that the designated local board will use to evaluate requests for grants.

(5)  A statement of how grant recipients shall be encouraged to develop year-round emergency shelters and transitional housing to meet the diverse needs of the homeless populations that include families, youth, and persons with physical and mental disabilities, people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs, people living with HIV/AIDS, veterans, the elderly, and pregnant women. Also, a description of how the local plan serves the needs of individuals and families at risk of homelessness as a result of eviction.

(b)  The department shall establish a deadline, by which date the designated local board shall be required to submit a strategy for the department’s review.

(c)  Upon the department’s approval of a strategy, the designated local board shall make the strategy broadly available to shelter and service providers and to other interested persons in its region.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 667, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2001.)