SECTIONS 9675-9681 - California Statutes

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.