Florida Senate - 2009                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/HB 597, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 697510                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             04/29/2009 05:36 PM       .                                
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       Senator Storms moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 248 - 307
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 5. Section 420.6275, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         420.6275 Housing First.—
    8         (1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
    9         (a) The Legislature finds that many communities plan to
   10  manage homelessness rather than plan to end it.
   11         (b) The Legislature also finds that for most of the past
   12  two decades, public and private solutions to homelessness have
   13  focused on providing individuals and families who are
   14  experiencing homelessness with emergency shelter, transitional
   15  housing, or a combination of both. While emergency shelter
   16  programs may provide critical access to services for individuals
   17  and families in crisis, they often fail to address their long
   18  term needs.
   19         (c) The Legislature further finds that Housing First is an
   20  alternative approach to the current system of emergency shelter
   21  or transitional housing which tends to reduce the length of time
   22  of homelessness and has proven to be cost-effective.
   23         (d) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to
   24  encourage homeless continuums of care to adopt the Housing First
   25  approach to ending homelessness for individuals and families.
   26         (2) HOUSING FIRST METHODOLOGY.—
   27         (a) The Housing First approach to homelessness differs from
   28  traditional approaches by providing housing assistance, case
   29  management, and support services responsive to individual or
   30  family needs after housing is obtained. By using this approach
   31  when appropriate, communities can significantly reduce the
   32  amount of time that individuals and families are homeless and
   33  prevent further episodes of homelessness. Housing First
   34  emphasizes that social services provided to enhance individual
   35  and family well-being can be more effective when people are in
   36  their own home, and:
   37         1. The housing is not time-limited.
   38         2. The housing is not contingent on compliance with
   39  services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard
   40  lease agreement and are provided with the services and support
   41  that are necessary to help them do so successfully.
   42         3. A background check and any rehabilitation necessary to
   43  combat an addiction related to alcoholism or substance abuse has
   44  been completed by the individual for whom assistance or support
   45  services are provided.
   46         (b) The Housing First approach addresses the societal
   47  causes of homelessness and advocates for the immediate return of
   48  individuals and families into housing and communities. Housing
   49  First provides a critical link between the emergency and
   50  transitional housing system and community-based social service,
   51  educational, and health care organizations and consists of four
   52  components:
   53         1. Crisis intervention and short-term stabilization.
   54         2. Screening, intake, and needs assessment.
   55         3. Provision of housing resources.
   56  4. Provision of case management.
   57  
   58  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   59         And the title is amended as follows:
   60         Delete lines 18 - 19
   61  and insert:
   62         creating s. 420.6275, F.S.; creating the Housing