Bill Text: FL S0948 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Homelessness
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-07 - Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration [S0948 Detail]
Download: Florida-2011-S0948-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2011 SB 948
By Senator Hill
1-01005-11 2011948__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to homelessness; amending ss. 320.02,
3 322.08, and 322.18, F.S.; requiring the motor vehicle
4 registration form and registration renewal form, the
5 driver license application form, and the driver
6 license application form for renewal issuance or
7 renewal extension to include an option to make a
8 voluntary contribution to aid the homeless; providing
9 for such contributions to be deposited into the Grants
10 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children
11 and Family Services and used by the State Office on
12 Homelessness for certain purposes; providing that
13 voluntary contributions for the homeless are not
14 income of a revenue nature for the purpose of applying
15 certain service charges; creating s. 414.161, F.S.;
16 establishing a homelessness prevention grant program;
17 requiring grant applicants to be ranked competitively;
18 providing preference for certain grant applicants;
19 providing eligibility requirements; providing grant
20 limitations and restrictions; requiring lead agencies
21 for local homeless assistance continuums of care to
22 track, monitor, and report on assisted families for a
23 specified period of time; amending s. 420.622, F.S.;
24 limiting the percentage of funding that lead agencies
25 may spend on administrative costs; amending s.
26 420.625, F.S.; deleting a cross-reference to conform;
27 amending s. 420.6275, F.S.; revising legislative
28 findings relating to the Housing First approach to
29 homelessness; repealing s. 414.16, F.S., relating to
30 the emergency assistance program for families with
31 children that have lost shelter or face loss of
32 shelter due to an emergency; providing an effective
33 date.
34
35 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
36
37 Section 1. Paragraph (o) is added to subsection (15) of
38 section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
39 320.02 Registration required; application for registration;
40 forms.—
41 (15)
42 (o) Notwithstanding s. 320.023, the application form for
43 motor vehicle registration and renewal of registration must
44 include language permitting a voluntary contribution of $1 per
45 applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made pursuant to
46 this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants and Donations
47 Trust Fund of the Department of Children and Family Services and
48 used by the State Office on Homelessness to supplement grants
49 made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to the
50 public about homelessness in the state, and provide literature
51 for homeless persons seeking assistance.
52
53 For the purpose of applying the service charge provided in s.
54 215.20, contributions received under this subsection are not
55 income of a revenue nature.
56 Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 322.08, Florida
57 Statutes, is amended to read:
58 322.08 Application for license; requirements for license
59 and identification card forms.—
60 (7) The application form for an original, renewal, or
61 replacement driver’s license or identification card shall
62 include language permitting the following:
63 (a) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
64 contribution shall be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund
65 for organ and tissue donor education and for maintaining the
66 organ and tissue donor registry.
67 (b) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
68 contribution shall be distributed to the Florida Council of the
69 Blind.
70 (c) A voluntary contribution of $2 per applicant, which
71 shall be distributed to the Hearing Research Institute,
72 Incorporated.
73 (d) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
74 shall be distributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
75 International.
76 (e) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
77 shall be distributed to the Children’s Hearing Help Fund.
78 (f) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
79 shall be distributed to Family First, a nonprofit organization.
80 (g) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Stop
81 Heart Disease, which shall be distributed to the Florida Heart
82 Research Institute, a nonprofit organization.
83 (h) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Senior
84 Vision Services, which shall be distributed to the Florida
85 Association of Agencies Serving the Blind, Inc., a not-for
86 profit organization.
87 (i) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant for
88 services for persons with developmental disabilities, which
89 shall be distributed to The Arc of Florida.
90 (j) A voluntary contribution of $1 to the Ronald McDonald
91 House, which shall be distributed each month to Ronald McDonald
92 House Charities of Tampa Bay, Inc.
93 (k) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
94 $1 per applicant, which shall be distributed to the League
95 Against Cancer/La Liga Contra el Cancer, a not-for-profit
96 organization.
97 (l) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Prevent
98 Child Sexual Abuse, which shall be distributed to Lauren’s Kids,
99 Inc., a nonprofit organization.
100 (m) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
101 shall be distributed to Prevent Blindness Florida, a not-for
102 profit organization, to prevent blindness and preserve the sight
103 of the residents of this state.
104 (n) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
105 $1 per applicant to the state homes for veterans, to be
106 distributed on a quarterly basis by the department to the State
107 Homes for Veterans Trust Fund, which is administered by the
108 Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
109 (o) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
110 $1 per applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made
111 pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants
112 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children and
113 Family Services and used by the State Office on Homelessness to
114 supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide
115 information to the public about homelessness in the state, and
116 provide literature for homeless persons seeking assistance.
117
118 A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust
119 funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the
120 service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
121 under paragraphs (b)-(o) (b)-(n) are not income of a revenue
122 nature.
123 Section 3. Subsection (9) is added to section 322.18,
124 Florida Statutes, to read:
125 322.18 Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
126 expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.—
127 (9) The application form for a renewal issuance or renewal
128 extension shall include language permitting a voluntary
129 contribution of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless.
130 Contributions made pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited
131 into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of
132 Children and Family Services and used by the State Office on
133 Homelessness to supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and
134 (5), provide information to the public about homelessness in the
135 state, and provide literature for homeless persons seeking
136 assistance. For the purpose of applying the service charge
137 provided in s. 215.20, contributions received under this
138 paragraph are not income of a revenue nature.
139 Section 4. Section 414.161, Florida Statutes, is created to
140 read:
141 414.161 Homelessness prevention grants.—
142 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is created a grant
143 program to provide emergency financial assistance to families
144 facing the loss of their current home due to a financial or
145 other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness, with the
146 concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, may accept and
147 administer moneys appropriated to it to provide homelessness
148 prevention grants annually to lead agencies for local homeless
149 assistance continuums of care, as recognized by the State Office
150 on Homelessness. These moneys shall consist of any sums that the
151 state may appropriate, as well as money received from donations,
152 gifts, bequests, or otherwise from any public or private source
153 that is intended to assist families to prevent them from
154 becoming homeless.
155 (2) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—Grant applicants shall be ranked
156 competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants who
157 leverage additional private funds and public funds, who
158 demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention
159 programs in keeping families housed, and who demonstrate the
160 commitment of other assistance and services to address family
161 health, employment, and education needs.
162 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to qualify for a grant, a lead
163 agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance
164 continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The
165 homelessness prevention program must be included in the
166 continuum of care plan.
167 (4) GRANT LIMITS.—The maximum grant amount per lead agency
168 may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used to pay
169 past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility costs,
170 other past due bills creating a family’s financial crisis,
171 provision of case management services, and program
172 administration costs not to exceed 3 percent of the grant award.
173 The homelessness prevention program must develop a case plan for
174 each family to be assisted setting forth what costs will be
175 covered and the maximum level of assistance to be offered.
176 (5) PERFORMANCE.—The lead agency shall be required to
177 track, monitor, and report on each family assisted for at least
178 12 months after the last assistance provided to the family. The
179 goal for the homelessness prevention program shall be to enable
180 at least 85 percent of the families assisted to remain in their
181 homes and avoid becoming homeless during the ensuing year.
182 Section 5. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
183 section 420.622, Florida Statutes, to read:
184 420.622 State Office on Homelessness; Council on
185 Homelessness.—
186 (4) Not less than 120 days after the effective date of this
187 act, the State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of
188 the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer moneys
189 appropriated to it to provide “Challenge Grants” annually to
190 lead agencies for homeless assistance continuums of care
191 designated by the State Office on Homelessness. A lead agency
192 may be a local homeless coalition, municipal or county
193 government, or other public agency or private, not-for-profit
194 corporation. Such grants may be up to $500,000 per lead agency.
195 (d) A lead agency may spend a maximum of 8 percent of its
196 funding on administrative costs.
197 Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
198 420.625, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
199 420.625 Grant-in-aid program.—
200 (3) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a grant-in
201 aid program to help local communities in serving the needs of
202 the homeless through a variety of supportive services, which may
203 include, but are not limited to:
204 (d) Emergency financial assistance for persons who are
205 totally without shelter or facing loss of shelter, but who are
206 not eligible for such assistance under s. 414.16.
207 Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
208 420.6275, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
209 420.6275 Housing First.—
210 (2) HOUSING FIRST METHODOLOGY.—
211 (a) The Housing First approach to homelessness differs from
212 traditional approaches by providing housing assistance, case
213 management, and support services responsive to individual or
214 family needs after housing is obtained. By using this approach
215 when appropriate, communities can significantly reduce the
216 amount of time that individuals and families are homeless and
217 prevent further episodes of homelessness. Housing First
218 emphasizes that social services provided to enhance individual
219 and family well-being can be more effective when people are in
220 their own home, and:
221 1. The housing is not time-limited.
222 2. The housing is not contingent on compliance with
223 services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard
224 lease agreement and are provided with the services and support
225 that are necessary to help them do so successfully.
226 3. A background check and any rehabilitation necessary to
227 combat an addiction related to alcoholism or substance abuse has
228 been completed by the individual for whom assistance or support
229 services are provided.
230 Section 8. Section 414.16, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
231 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.
