9675-9681
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 9675-9681
9675. This article shall be known and may be cited as the Program for Injury Prevention in the Home Environment. 9676. The Program for Injury Prevention in the Home Environment is hereby established. The department, through the Senior Housing and Information Support Center in the department, shall provide grants to eligible local level entities for injury prevention information and education programs and services pursuant to this article for the purpose of increasing the awareness and prevention of injuries. 9677. The department may provide a program grant to an eligible local public agency or nonprofit organization for the services specified in Section 9678 and for the following services: (a) Provision of information and education regarding injury prevention to seniors and persons with disabilities living in the community. (b) Comprehensive assessment of individual injury prevention needs. (c) Consultation and instruction in the behavioral, physical, and environmental aspects of injury prevention. (d) Mitigation of behavioral and physical factors. 9678. (a) The Program for Injury Prevention in the Home Environment shall include funding for injury prevention needs, including injury prevention equipment and activities as well as material and labor costs, for homeowners and renters meeting income requirements established pursuant to subdivision (d). A local level entity selected to participate in the program shall comply with all of the requirements of this section in implementing the program. (b) Equipment and activities covered under the program shall include all of the following: (1) Grab bars, nonskid surfaces, shower seats, and transfer benches. (2) Indoor and outdoor handrails. (3) Reconfiguration of furniture and other elements of the physical home environment to reduce hazards. (c) The payment for injury prevention equipment and services shall not exceed a seven-hundred-dollar ($700) maximum allowance per household. (d) Eligibility for equipment and services, as described in this section, shall be limited to families, households, and individuals whose incomes do not exceed 80 percent of the county median income, with adjustments for family and household size. 9679. (a) The department, in consultation with groups, including, but not limited to, the State and Local Injury Control section of the State Department of Health Services, and other groups knowledgeable and experienced in senior and disabled injury prevention, such as research-based university gerontology departments with extensive experience and work with the concept of aging in place and the benefits of home modification, a research center on gerontology, as well as local public health agencies, shall develop training and assessment tools necessary for carrying out this article. (b) The department shall establish service standards that ensure that members of the population needing services under this article are identified and that the services provided assist them in living safely in their homes and apartments. The department shall award grants based upon compliance with these standards. The standards shall include, but not be limited to, a service planning process that is target-population based and includes both of the following: (1) A determination of the number of clients to be served and the programs and services that will be provided to meet the injury prevention needs of those clients. (2) Plans for services including outreach, design of injury prevention services, coordination, and access to education and assessment services. 9680. (a) The director shall establish a methodology for awarding grants under this article, in consultation with groups described in subdivision (a) of Section 9679. The director shall consult with these groups to develop criteria for the award of grants and the identification of specific performance measures. (b) The criteria to be considered in the award of grants shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) The description of a plan for providing outreach, prevention, intervention, and evaluation in a cost appropriate manner. (2) The ability of the local level entities to engage in collaborations with local entities for purposes of program coordination, including, but not limited to, public and private nonprofit agencies that are experienced in injury prevention services, home modification services, home safety services, and services for seniors and persons with disabilities. (3) The ability of local level entities to gather and utilize other resources to supplant funding provided by the department. (4) Demonstrated proficiency in, and awareness of, relevant issues in working with senior and disabled populations, particularly in relation to home modification and injury prevention. (5) The description of the local population to be served, the ability to administer an effective service program, and the degree to which local agencies and advocates will support and collaborate with program efforts. (6) The geographical representation of the applicants. (7) The provision of a local match in funds. (c) The funding provided pursuant to this article shall be sufficient to provide injury prevention education and assessment services and equipment and activities necessary for injury prevention in the home. 9681. (a) Funding of projects pursuant to this article shall be subject to the appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the Budget Act or another statute. (b) Appropriations made pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be expended to fund grants to eligible local public agencies or nonprofit organizations in an amount not to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) each.