1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; continuing and expanding the homeless outreach grant 
1.3 	program; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes, chapter 299A.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [299A.201] HOMELESS OUTREACH GRANTS.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Grant program. The commissioner of public safety shall administer 
1.8 	a grant program to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and services for 
1.9 	purposes of reducing recidivism and promoting stronger communities.
1.10 		Subd. 2.Grant recipients. The commissioner, in consultation with the director 
1.11 	of ending long-term homelessness and the Office of Economic Opportunity of the 
1.12 	Department of Human Services, shall award grants to agencies and local government 
1.13 	entities prepared to offer homeless outreach services to work with people with serious 
1.14 	mental illness or chemical dependency. Grant recipients must be qualified to work with 
1.15 	racially and culturally diverse populations.
1.16 		Subd. 3.Project design. Projects eligible for grants under this section must do 
1.17 	the following:
1.18 	(1) provide outreach services that may be targeted to, but are not limited to, people 
1.19 	experiencing long-term homelessness and homeless people who have had repeated 
1.20 	interactions with law enforcement;
1.21 	(2) provide outreach services that will provide intervention strategies linking people 
1.22 	to housing and services as an alternative to arrest;
1.23 	(3) provide a plan to connect people experiencing homelessness to services for 
1.24 	which they may be eligible, such as Supplemental Security Income, veterans benefits, 
2.1 	health care, housing assistance, and long-term support programs for those with significant 
2.2 	barriers to living on their own;
2.3 	(4) demonstrate partnership or collaboration with local law enforcement, which may 
2.4 	include joint application for homeless outreach grants, joint sharing in administration of 
2.5 	the grant, development of protocol defining when outreach workers are called upon, 
2.6 	and shared training opportunities;
2.7 	(5) promote community collaboration with local and county governments, social 
2.8 	services providers, mental health crisis providers, and other community organizations 
2.9 	that address homelessness;
2.10 	(6) provide a plan to leverage resources from the entities listed in clause (5) and other 
2.11 	private sources to accomplish the goal of moving people into housing and services; and
2.12 	(7) provide a plan to measure and evaluate the program's effectiveness in connecting 
2.13 	people experiencing homelessness to housing and services and reducing the use of public 
2.14 	safety, corrections, and emergency resources.
2.15 		Subd. 4.Annual reports. Grant recipients shall report to the commissioner 
2.16 	by June 30 of each year on the services and programs provided, expenditures of 
2.17 	grant money, and an evaluation of the program's success in connecting individuals 
2.18 	experiencing homelessness to housing and services, and reducing the use of public safety, 
2.19 	corrections, and emergency resources. The commissioner shall independently evaluate 
2.20 	the effectiveness of the grant recipients in achieving the goals of the program and report 
2.21 	the results of this evaluation and other information on the grant program to the chairs and 
2.22 	ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives divisions having 
2.23 	jurisdiction over criminal justice funding by January 15 of each year.

2.24 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.25 	$1,000,000 is appropriated to the commissioner of public safety from the general 
2.26 	fund for the fiscal biennium ending June 30, 2011, to implement Minnesota Statutes, 
2.27 	section 299A.201. This appropriation is added to the department's base budget. The 
2.28 	commissioner shall use this money to continue to fund the three existing homeless 
2.29 	outreach programs funded by Laws 2007, chapter 54, article 1, section 10, subdivision 6, 
2.30 	and for grants to two new programs in greater Minnesota.