Bill Text: AZ SB1043 | 2025 | Fifty-seventh Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Homeless shelter services fund; appropriation
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-15 - Senate read second time [SB1043 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2025-SB1043-Introduced.html
PREFILED JAN 09 2025
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REFERENCE TITLE: homeless shelter services fund; appropriation |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
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SB 1043 |
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Introduced by Senators Miranda: Gabaldón, Kuby, Ortiz; Representative Crews
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AN ACT
Amending title 9, chapter 4, article 8, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 9-500.52; amending title 41, chapter 37, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by ADDING SECTION 41-3958; APPROPRIATING MONIES; RELATING TO THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 9, chapter 4, article 8, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 9-500.52, to read:
9-500.52. Homeless shelter beds; definitions
A. A city or town with more than seventy-five INDIVIDUALS experiencing homelessness IDENTIFIED in the 2024 point-in-time homelessness count shall do both of the following:
1. Provide or ensure that there is at least one shelter bed within the city's or town's jurisdiction for every four individuals experiencing homelessness identified in the 2024 point-in-time homelessness count.
2. Establish and maintain a judicial diversion program for INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING homelessness. Any judicial diversion program established pursuant to this paragraph may not DUPLICATE, DISRUPT or interfere with a homeless court pursuant to section 22-601 or any other court diversion programs for INDIVIDUALS living with serious mental ILLNESS.
B. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Judicial diversion program" means a specialized court designed to assist INDIVIDUALS experiencing mental illness, including serious mental illness, or homelessness to resolve minor legal fees.
2. "Point-in-time homelessness count" means the annual street and shelter count that determines the number of INDIVIDUALS experiencing homelessness.
Sec. 2. Title 41, chapter 37, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 41-3958, to read:
41-3958. Homeless shelter and services fund; exemption; grants; annual report; definitions
A. The homeless shelter and services fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations and other monies. The department shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.
b. on notice from the department, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund AS PROVIDED BY SECTION 35-313, AND MONIES EARNED FROM INVESTMENT SHALL BE CREDITED TO THE FUND.
c. The department shall use the monies to award grants pursuant to chapter 24 of this title to counties, cities, towns, indian tribes and nonprofit organizations for programs that provide shelter and services to INDIVIDUALS experiencing homelessness. The department shall prescribe a simplified form and procedure to apply for and approve grants and establish requirements and criteria by which grants will be awarded.
D. The department shall award grants for HOMELESS shelter and services for individuals experiencing homelessness, while giving priority to grants that do any of the following:
1. Increase the number of shelter beds and housing options and increase capacity and improve measurable outcomes of the existing HOMELESS shelter and services system, including sustaining operations of HOMELESS shelter AND services programs that would otherwise be discontinued.
2. Improve the homeless shelter and services system with enhanced triage and evidenced-based specialized service options, including any of the following:
(a) Behavioral health services, with priority given to assessment and enrollment of individuals who may be LIVING with a serious mental illness but are not currently enrolled in a system of care in this state for individuals living with a serious mental illness.
(b) Substance use treatment.
(c) Resources for veterans.
(d) Employment and workforce training.
(e) Family support services.
(f) Other shelter service models designed for hard-to-reach individuals EXPERIENCING homelessNESS.
3. Support heat relief efforts, including assistance with building leases, maintenance, staffing, security and transportation for heat respite services.
E. To be eligible for grant monies, AN applicant shall Provide local or donated matching monies equal to the amount of grant monies provided to the applicant pursuant to this section or AN applicant may demonstrate that the applicant SPENT local or donated monies on HOMELESS shelter AND services in the applicant's jurisdiction in the prior year IN AN AMOUNT that is greater than or equal to the amount of grant monies provided TO THE APPLICANT pursuant to this section.
F. AN Applicant may not Adopt or enforce any policy or practice that prohibits or deters enforcement of any order or ordinance THAT BANS public camping or sleeping.
G. EACH grantee shall track performance data, including certain key metrics prescribed by the department. THE Grantee shall report performance data, including certain key metrics, in a format and on a schedule as determined by the department.
H. EACH Grantee SHALL report relevant aggregated data from the homeless management information system to the department, including any of the following:
1. The number and demographic of individuals who receive services.
2. The number and demographic of individuals who did and did not end their homelessness.
3. The number and demographic of individuals who move from temporary emergency shelter to noncongregate or transitional shelter.
4. The number and demographic of individuals who move from sheltered status to unsheltered homelessness.
5. The number and demographic of individuals who were unemployed and who obtained and maintained nonsupported or supported employment.
6. The number and demograhic of individuals who left the program before completion of the program and the reason, if known.
I. Each recipient of A grant for heat REspite efforts SHALL report all of the following to the department:
1. The number and demographic of individuals who use heat respite, in the aggregate and on an hour-by-hour basis.
2. The number of individuals who self-report experiencing homelessness while using heat respite.
3. The number and demographic of individuals who receive services in addition to heat respite.
4. The number and demographic of individuals who ARE placed into HOMELESS shelter AND services while using heat respite.
J. On or before december 31 OF EACH YEAR, the department shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives outlining all of the following:
1. fund expenditures.
2. grant recipients.
3. the number and demographic of individuals served, the selected vendors and performance data reported by grantees.
K. For the purposes of this SECTION:
1. "Demographic" includes all of the following:
(a) Age.
(b) Self-identified gender.
(c) Ethnicity.
(d) Self-reported reason for homelessness.
(e) The length of the current period of homelessness.
(f) Prior criminal convictions, if any.
(g) The number and length of prison commitments, if any.
2. "INDIVIDUALs experiencing homelessness" means individuals who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
Sec. 3. Appropriation; homeless shelter and services fund
The sum of $__________ is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to the homeless shelter and services fund established by section 41-3958, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.
