Bill Text: FL S1130 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Homelessness
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2012-03-09 - Died in Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations [S1130 Detail]
Download: Florida-2012-S1130-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2012 SB 1130
By Senator Storms
10-00643A-12 20121130__
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 to changes made by the act; amending s. 420.6275,
28 F.S.; revising legislative findings relating to the
29 Housing First approach to homelessness; repealing s.
30 414.16, F.S., relating to the emergency assistance
31 program for families that have lost shelter or face
32 loss of shelter due to an emergency; providing an
33 effective 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 allowing 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 pursuant to s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to
50 the public about homelessness in the state, and provide
51 literature 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) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to the
110 Disabled American Veterans, Department of Florida, which shall
111 be distributed quarterly to Disabled American Veterans,
112 Department of Florida, a nonprofit organization.
113 (p) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
114 $1 per applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made
115 pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants
116 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children and
117 Family Services and used by the State Office on Homelessness to
118 supplement grants made pursuant to s. 420.622(4) and (5),
119 provide information to the public about homelessness in the
120 state, and provide literature for homeless persons seeking
121 assistance.
122
123 A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust
124 funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the
125 service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
126 under paragraphs (b)-(p) (b)-(o) are not income of a revenue
127 nature.
128 Section 3. Subsection (9) is added to section 322.18,
129 Florida Statutes, to read:
130 322.18 Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
131 expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.—
132 (9) The application form for a renewal issuance or renewal
133 extension shall include language allowing a voluntary
134 contribution of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless.
135 Contributions made pursuant to this subsection shall be
136 deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the
137 Department of Children and Family Services and used by the State
138 Office on Homelessness to supplement grants made pursuant to s.
139 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to the public about
140 homelessness in the state, and provide literature for homeless
141 persons seeking assistance. For the purpose of applying the
142 service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
143 under this subsection are not income of a revenue nature.
144 Section 4. Section 414.161, Florida Statutes, is created to
145 read:
146 414.161 Homelessness prevention grants.—
147 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is created a grant
148 program to provide emergency financial assistance to families
149 that face the loss of their current home due to a financial or
150 other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness, in consultation
151 with the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer
152 moneys given to the Department of Children and Family Services
153 to annually provide homelessness prevention grants to lead
154 agencies for local homeless assistance continuums of care, as
155 recognized by the State Office on Homelessness. These moneys
156 shall consist of sums that the state may appropriate, as well as
157 money received from donations, gifts, bequests, or otherwise
158 from any public or private source that is intended to assist
159 families by preventing them from becoming homeless.
160 (2) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—Grant applications shall be ranked
161 competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants that
162 leverage additional private funds and public funds, that
163 demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention
164 programs in keeping families housed, and that demonstrate the
165 commitment of other assistance and services to address family
166 health, employment, and education needs.
167 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to qualify for a grant, a lead
168 agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance
169 continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The
170 homelessness prevention program must be included in the
171 continuum of care plan.
172 (4) GRANT LIMITS.—The maximum grant amount per lead agency
173 may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used to pay
174 past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility costs,
175 provision of case management services, and program
176 administration costs, which may not exceed 3 percent of the
177 grant award. The homelessness prevention program must develop a
178 case plan for each family that will receive assistance,
179 specifying covered costs and the maximum level of assistance
180 that will be offered.
181 (5) PERFORMANCE.—The lead agency shall track, monitor, and
182 report on each family that receives assistance for at least 12
183 months after the last assistance is provided to the family. The
184 goal for the homelessness prevention program is to enable at
185 least 85 percent of families that receive assistance to remain
186 in their homes and avoid becoming homeless during the ensuing
187 year.
188 Section 5. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
189 section 420.622, Florida Statutes, to read:
190 420.622 State Office on Homelessness; Council on
191 Homelessness.—
192 (4) Not less than 120 days after the effective date of this
193 act, the State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of
194 the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer moneys
195 appropriated to it to provide “Challenge Grants” annually to
196 lead agencies for homeless assistance continuums of care
197 designated by the State Office on Homelessness. A lead agency
198 may be a local homeless coalition, municipal or county
199 government, or other public agency or private, not-for-profit
200 corporation. Such grants may be up to $500,000 per lead agency.
201 (d) A lead agency may spend a maximum of 8 percent of its
202 funding on administrative costs.
203 Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
204 420.625, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
205 420.625 Grant-in-aid program.—
206 (3) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a grant-in
207 aid program to help local communities in serving the needs of
208 the homeless through a variety of supportive services, which may
209 include, but are not limited to:
210 (d) Emergency financial assistance for persons who are
211 totally without shelter or facing loss of shelter, but who are
212 not eligible for such assistance under s. 414.16.
213 Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
214 420.6275, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
215 420.6275 Housing First.—
216 (2) HOUSING FIRST METHODOLOGY.—
217 (a) The Housing First approach to homelessness differs from
218 traditional approaches by providing housing assistance, case
219 management, and support services responsive to individual or
220 family needs after housing is obtained. By using this approach
221 when appropriate, communities can significantly reduce the
222 amount of time that individuals and families are homeless and
223 prevent further episodes of homelessness. Housing First
224 emphasizes that social services provided to enhance individual
225 and family well-being can be more effective when people are in
226 their own home, and:
227 1. The housing is not time-limited.
228 2. The housing is not contingent on compliance with
229 services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard
230 lease agreement and are provided with the services and support
231 that are necessary to help them do so successfully.
232 3. A background check and any rehabilitation necessary to
233 combat an addiction related to alcoholism or substance abuse has
234 been completed by the individual for whom assistance or support
235 services are provided.
236 Section 8. Section 414.16, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
237 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
