1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to housing; establishing an emergency 
  1.3             services grant program; appropriating money; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 268.38, subdivision 
  1.5             6; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.6             chapter 268. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [268.3715] [EMERGENCY SERVICES GRANTS.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] (a) For the purposes of this 
  1.10  section, the terms in this subdivision have the meanings given 
  1.11  them. 
  1.12     (b) "Emergency services" means: 
  1.13     (1) providing emergency shelter for homeless persons; 
  1.14     (2) assisting homeless persons in obtaining essential 
  1.15  services, including: 
  1.16     (i) access to permanent housing; 
  1.17     (ii) medical and psychological help; 
  1.18     (iii) employment counseling and job placement; 
  1.19     (iv) substance abuse treatment; 
  1.20     (v) financial assistance available from other programs; 
  1.21     (vi) emergency child care; 
  1.22     (vii) transportation; or 
  1.23     (viii) other services needed to stabilize housing; or 
  1.24     (3) both emergency shelter and essential services. 
  1.25     (c) "Eligible organization" means a local governmental unit 
  1.26  or nonprofit organization providing or seeking to provide 
  2.1   emergency services for homeless persons. 
  2.2      Subd. 2.  [PROGRAM ESTABLISHED; PURPOSE.] An emergency 
  2.3   services grant program is established to provide homeless 
  2.4   persons essential services and emergency shelter in safe, 
  2.5   sanitary, and decent facilities.  The grant program is to help 
  2.6   eligible organizations improve the quality of existing shelters, 
  2.7   make available other emergency housing, meet the operating and 
  2.8   maintenance costs of shelters, and provide essential services to 
  2.9   homeless persons.  The program shall be administered by the 
  2.10  commissioner. 
  2.11     Subd. 3.  [DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.] The commissioner shall 
  2.12  make grants so as to ensure that emergency services are 
  2.13  available to meet the needs of homeless persons statewide. 
  2.14     Subd. 4.  [MATCHING FUNDS.] The commissioner may require a 
  2.15  grantee to match the grant amount with $1 of nonstate funds for 
  2.16  every $2 of grant funds.  The match may be in-kind, including 
  2.17  the value of volunteer time, or in cash, or a combination of the 
  2.18  two. 
  2.19     Subd. 5.  [APPLICATIONS.] An eligible organization may 
  2.20  apply to the commissioner for a grant to initiate, maintain, or 
  2.21  expand a program providing emergency services for homeless 
  2.22  persons.  The commissioner shall determine the timing and form 
  2.23  of the application for the program. 
  2.24     Subd. 6.  [CRITERIA FOR GRANT AWARDS.] The commissioner 
  2.25  shall develop specific criteria on which grants shall be 
  2.26  awarded.  The criteria must include: 
  2.27     (1) that the application meets all program requirements; 
  2.28     (2) evidence of the applicant's need for state assistance 
  2.29  and of the need for the particular emergency services to be 
  2.30  funded; and 
  2.31     (3) long-range plans for future funding if the need 
  2.32  continues to exist for the emergency services. 
  2.33     Subd. 7.  [PROGRAM INFORMATION.] In order to collect 
  2.34  uniform data to measure better the nature and extent of the need 
  2.35  for emergency services, grant recipients shall collect and make 
  2.36  available to the commissioner the following information: 
  3.1      (1) the number of persons who seek emergency shelter and 
  3.2   where; 
  3.3      (2) the number of persons for whom shelter is provided and 
  3.4   where, by age, sex, and whether as an individual or part of a 
  3.5   family; 
  3.6      (3) the reasons for seeking assistance; 
  3.7      (4) the length of stay; 
  3.8      (5) the reasons for leaving the shelter; and 
  3.9      (6) the demand for essential services. 
  3.10     Subd. 8.  [PRIVATE DATA.] Personal history information and 
  3.11  other information collected, used, or maintained by a grant 
  3.12  recipient from which the identity of any individual receiving 
  3.13  services may be determined is private data on individuals, as 
  3.14  defined in section 13.02, subdivision 12, and the grant 
  3.15  recipient shall maintain the data in accordance with the 
  3.16  provisions of chapter 13. 
  3.17     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 268.38, 
  3.18  subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  3.19     Subd. 6.  [PROGRAMS DESIGNATED.] At least two programs 
  3.20  funded must be located in the seven-county metropolitan area and 
  3.21  at least one program must be located outside of the metropolitan 
  3.22  area.  The commissioner may fund programs designed primarily to 
  3.23  serve families with children, single persons, and persons 
  3.24  leaving a shelter for family abuse.  The commissioner shall fund 
  3.25  programs that will include provision of transitional housing for 
  3.26  (1) families who are homeless or about to become homeless 
  3.27  because of lead orders issued in response to a child with an 
  3.28  elevated blood lead level, and (2) women leaving systems of 
  3.29  prostitution. 
  3.30     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.31     Subdivision 1.  [ECONOMIC SECURITY; EMERGENCY SERVICES 
  3.32  PROGRAM.] $2,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to 
  3.33  the commissioner of economic security for the purposes of the 
  3.34  emergency services grant program.  This appropriation is 
  3.35  available until June 30, 1999.  
  3.36     Subd. 2.  [ECONOMIC SECURITY; TRANSITIONAL 
  4.1   HOUSING.] $3,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to 
  4.2   the commissioner of economic security for the transitional 
  4.3   housing program under Minnesota Statutes, section 268.38.  This 
  4.4   amount is in addition to the base appropriation for the program 
  4.5   and is added to the base appropriation.  This appropriation is 
  4.6   available until expended. 
  4.7      Subd. 3.  [ECONOMIC SECURITY; CONTINGENT 
  4.8   APPROPRIATION.] $10,000,000 is appropriated from the budget 
  4.9   reserve account in the general fund to the commissioner of 
  4.10  economic security for the emergency services grants program or 
  4.11  the transitional housing program under Minnesota Statutes, 
  4.12  section 268.38, or for transfer to the housing development fund 
  4.13  for the purposes of the family homeless prevention and 
  4.14  assistance program under Minnesota Statutes, section 462A.204, 
  4.15  contingent on the governor's determination that homeless persons 
  4.16  are turned away from emergency shelters due to lack of capacity 
  4.17  on a regular basis or that, in any part of the state, there are 
  4.18  inadequate emergency services for homeless persons or evidence 
  4.19  of need in the continuum of care plan.  The commissioner shall 
  4.20  certify to the commissioner of finance the need for additional 
  4.21  emergency services and the amount of money from this 
  4.22  appropriation needed to provide those services.