SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Assemblyman James Gallagher’s (R-Yuba City) Assembly Bill 2174 was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The new law authorizes Yuba and Sutter counties to establish a joint multidisciplinary personnel team (MDT) to combat homelessness.

“We must allow and encourage counties to work more effectively to address homelessness by permitting information sharing on their homeless populations.  Homelessness does not occur in a one-county vacuum, and counties must be able to work together to provide essential services,” said Assemblyman Gallagher. “It is my hope that the Yuba-Sutter partnership can become a model for other counties and the State.”

MDTs are a proven tool that allow teams from a variety of disciplines to coordinate their efforts. MDTs have been used for the past thirty years to address child abuse, allowing county service providers to work together and share case information.  More recently, MDTs have been used to address homelessness.  Unfortunately, current law limits the utilization of homeless MDTs to providers within a single county.  AB 2174 allows Yuba and Sutter counties to form the first bi-county homeless MDT in California.

“Yuba and Sutter Counties have made a concentrated effort to work together to address homeless issues as our homeless population often moves freely between our counties.  AB 2174 furthers these efforts by allowing us to share information on this population,” said Yuba County Administrator Kevin Mallen. “AB 2174 allows us to create a bi-county homeless engagement team that will help prevent any delays in connecting homeless individuals to housing and supportive services,” added Sutter County Administrator Steve Smith. 

Homeless service providers are located in both Yuba and Sutter counties.  Additionally, the counties already have a bi-county health department and a bi-county homeless consortium.  AB 2174 furthers this coordination amongst the counties’ agencies and service providers by authorizing the formation of a joint MDT to facilitate information sharing that will support the identification, assessment, and linkage of homeless individuals to housing and supportive services.  This will create cost savings and improve government efficiency by preventing duplicative efforts through better coordination, while enhancing the continuity of care for homeless individuals and families.

For more information on Assemblyman Gallagher, and to track legislation visit www.assembly.ca.gov/Gallagher

Assemblyman James Gallagher represents the 3rd Assembly District, which encompasses all of Glenn, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties as well as portions of Butte and Colusa counties.