The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services
BILL: CS/SB 1442
INTRODUCER: Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services and Senator Grall
SUBJECT: Pregnancy Support Services
DATE: February 15, 2024
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Morgan Brown HP Favorable
2. Gerbrandt McKnight AHS Fav/CS
3. FP
I. Summary:
CS/SB 1442 creates s. 414.1611, F.S., to establish the Florida State Maternity Housing Grant
Program within the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide annual housing
grants to local homelessness continuums of care lead agencies. Grant funds must be used for
specified purposes to assist Florida’s women and families experiencing homelessness during the
prenatal period.
The bill authorizes the DCF to adopt rules to administer the program.
The bill has a significant, negative fiscal impact on state expenditures. See Section V., Fiscal
Impact Statement.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
II. Present Situation:
Homelessness in the United States
Homeless persons are defined as those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime
residence, or those living in shelters and temporary housing, or public and private places not
designed for sleeping accommodations. While many homeless individuals are alone, others are
couples, families with children, or unaccompanied youth.
1
1
Florida Department of Children and Families, Homelessness Frequently Asked Questions, available at
https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/homelessness/homelessness-frequently-asked-questions (last visited
Feb. 1, 2024).
REVISED: BILL: CS/SB 1442 Page 2
There are two types of homelessness: “sheltered” and “unsheltered.” Unsheltered homeless
persons live on the streets or live in tents, cars, or abandoned buildings. Sheltered homeless
persons stay in emergency or transitional housing temporarily. Sheltered homeless persons are
still considered homeless due to a lack of
stable permanent housing.
2
On a single night in 2023, roughly
653,100 people, about 20 of every
10,000 people in the U.S., were
experiencing homelessness. This is the
highest number reported since the
inception of point-in-time count
reporting in 2007. The data indicated that
six in ten people were experiencing
sheltered homelessness, while the
remaining four in ten were experiencing
unsheltered homelessness in places not
meant for human habitation.
3
Reporting has also shown experiences of
homelessness increased nationwide across all household types. Between 2022 and 2023, the
number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 12 percent, roughly 70,650 more
people. Nearly three of every ten people experiencing homelessness (28 percent or
approximately 186,100 people) did so as part of a family with children. Between 2022 and 2023,
the number of people in families with children who were experiencing homelessness increased
by more than 25,000 people (or 16 percent), ending a downward trend in families experiencing
homelessness that began in 2012.
4
The following exhibits demonstrate the approximate U.S. homeless population by state, as well
as the people in families with children experiencing homelessness by sheltered status from 2007
to 2023.
5
2
Florida Department of Children and Families, Homelessness Frequently Asked Questions, available at
https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/homelessness/homelessness-frequently-asked-questions (last visited
Feb. 1, 2024).
3
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development, The 2023 Annual
Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress – Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness (December 2023),
available at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
4
Id.
5
Id. BILL: CS/SB 1442 Page 3
BILL: CS/SB 1442 Page 4
Homelessness in Florida
On a given night in January 2023, more than half of all people experiencing homelessness in the
U.S. were in four states:
6
California (28 percent of all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S., or 181,399
people);
New York (16 percent or 103,200 people);
Florida (5 percent or 30,756 people); and
Washington (4 percent or 28,036 people).
Between 2022 and 2023, the states with the largest absolute increases in homelessness were:
7
New York (29,022 more people);
California (9,878);
Florida (4,797);
Colorado (4,042); and
Massachusetts (3,634).
Over a longer period, from 2007 to 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness
declined in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The largest absolute decreases were in Florida
(17,313 fewer people) and Texas (12,411 fewer people).
8
Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people in families with children experiencing
homelessness increased in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The largest increases were in:
9
New York (18,890 more people, a 54 percent increase);
Massachusetts (2,906 more people or 29 percent);
Colorado (1,490 more people or 69 percent);
Florida (1,391 more people or 22 percent); and
Illinois (1,077 more people or 36 percent).
Pregnant Women Experiencing Homelessness
Due to the very transient nature of homelessness, the exact number of pregnant homeless women
is difficult to determine. This represents a significant knowledge gap that could be used to inform
social and health policy, as well as service delivery, thus researchers have continued in their
attempts to identify the extent of pregnancy among the homeless population.
10
In the U.S., one study estimated that one in five homeless women are pregnant at any given time,
almost twice the rate of the general population. Other research uncovered even higher rates of
6
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development, The 2023 Annual
Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress – Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness (December
2023), available at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
7
Id.
8
Id.
9
Id.
10
Council to Homeless Persons, The Extent, Nature and Impact of Homelessness on Pregnant Women and Their Babies,
available at https://chp.org.au/parity/the-extent-nature-and-impact-of-homelessness-on-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/
(last visited Feb. 1, 2024). BILL: CS/SB 1442 Page 5
pregnancy among homeless women, finding that while ten percent of women in the U.S. were
pregnant in 2009, 50 to 60 percent of homeless women were pregnant.
11
Another study conducted in Florida determined about 183 pregnant homeless women live in
Northeast Florida in any given month.
12
The Impact of Homelessness on Maternal and Infant Health
Stable housing has been identified as one of the most important predictors of health as housing
instability or homelessness lessens access to health care. This is more pressing during pregnancy,
a time when access to affordable, high-quality health care is crucial. Although prenatal care is
available, pregnant mothers and parents experiencing homelessness face barriers (e.g., lack of
transportation, site-related factors, provider-client relationship, inconvenience, fear, cost, etc.).
13
For some, these obstacles bar them from accessing care altogether. Additionally, people
experiencing housing instability or homelessness are more likely to live in conditions that are
hazardous to their health.
14
Several studies have shown that homelessness has a negative impact on the health of pregnant
mothers and infants:
15
Pregnant mothers experiencing homelessness are significantly less likely to have a prenatal
visit during the first trimester, breastfeed, and have a well-baby checkup than their housed
counterparts.
In comparison with a housing-secure group with similar characteristics, pregnant mothers
experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to have various pregnancy-related
conditions and complications, including high blood pressure, iron deficiency and other
anemia, nausea and vomiting, hemorrhage, placental problems, and abdominal pain.
One in five mothers who experienced homelessness in the year before giving birth had an
infant with low birth weight, a nearly 50 percent increase in risk compared to consistently
housed people with otherwise similar characteristics.
Newborn infants of people experiencing homelessness have longer stays in the hospital and
are more likely to require intensive care than infants of consistently housed people.
People who were homeless as infants are more likely to have upper respiratory infections,
other respiratory diseases, fever, allergies, injuries, developmental disorders, and asthma,
compared to people who were stably housed during infancy. These individuals also show a
propensity for increased emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and health care costs.
11
Council to Homeless Persons, The Extent, Nature and Impact of Homelessness on Pregnant Women and Their Babies,
available at https://chp.org.au/parity/the-extent-nature-and-impact-of-homelessness-on-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/
(last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
12
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, Bloom, K. C., Bednarzyk, M. S., Devitt, D. L., Renault, R. A.,
Teaman, V., & Van Loock, D. M., Barriers to prenatal care for homeless pregnant women (2004), available at
https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(15)34192-7/fulltext (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
13
Id.
14
National Partnership for Women & Families, Homelessness Hurts Moms and Babies, available at
https://nationalpartnership.org/report/homelessness-hurts-moms-and-babies/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
15
Id. BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 6
The Department of Children and Families (DCF)
State Office on Homelessness
The State Office on Homelessness (State Office) within the Department of Children and Families
(DCF) was created in 2001 as a central point of contact within state government on
homelessness.
16
Section 420.622, F.S., requires the State Office to coordinate resources and
programs across all levels of government and with private providers that serve the homeless
pursuant to policies set by the Council on Homelessness and available funding.
17
The inter-agency Council on Homelessness (Council) is a 19-member council
18
required to
develop policy and advise the State Office on how to reduce homelessness statewide. The
Council is statutorily required to submit an annual report to the Governor, Legislature, and the
DCF’s Secretary that summarizes the extent of homelessness in Florida and recommendations
for ending homelessness.
19
Continuums of Care
Continuums of Care (CoC) groups organize to coordinate, plan, and pursue ending homelessness
in designated areas throughout Florida.
20
Section 420.621(1), F.S., requires CoCs to be
composed of representatives from certain organizations, including, but not limited to:
Nonprofit homeless providers,
Victim services providers,
Faith-based organizations,
Governments,
Businesses,
Advocates,
Public housing agencies,
16
Ch. 2001-98, Laws of Fla.
17
Section 420.622(3), F.S.
18
The individuals and agencies included in the Council of Homelessness are: the Secretary of Children and Families, or his
or her designee; the Secretary of Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, who shall advise the council on issues related
to rural development; the State Surgeon General, or his or her designee; the Executive Director of Veterans’ Affairs, or his or
her designee; the Secretary of Corrections, or his or her designee; the Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his or her
designee; the Commissioner of Education, or his or her designee; the Executive Director of CareerSource Florida, Inc., or his
or her designee; one representative of the Florida Association of Counties; one representative of the Florida League of Cities;
one representative of the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition; one representative of the Florida Housing Coalition; the
Executive Director of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, or his or her designee; one representative of the Florida
Coalition for the Homeless; the secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs, or his or her designee; and four members
appointed by the Governor.
19
Section 420.622, F.S.
20
Section 420.621, F.S. The Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency (Office) within the Department of Children and Families
employs a Continuum of Care (CoC) model to provide services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Local CoCs are
organizations composed of representatives of nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based
organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental
health agencies, etc. The Office designates local CoC entities to serve as lead agencies for homeless services throughout
Florida. The DCF, Homelessness, available at: https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/homelessness (last
visited Dec. 28, 2023).
BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 7
School districts,
Social service providers,
Mental health agencies,
Hospitals,
Universities,
Affordable housing developers,
Law enforcement, and
Organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless persons.
21
The purpose of a CoC is to coordinate community efforts to prevent and end homelessness in a
catchment area designated by the State Office. Florida’s designated catchment areas must be
consistent with the CoC catchment areas recognized by HUD for the purpose of awarding federal
homeless assistance grant funding.
22
The State Office recognizes one CoC lead agency for each
designated catchment area.
23
The following table lists Florida's CoC lead agencies and the counties served by each.
24
CoC Lead Agency Counties Served
Opening Doors of NWFL Escambia and Santa Rosa
Homelessness & Housing Alliance Okaloosa and Walton
Doorways of Northwest Florida
Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and
Washington
Big Bend Continuum of Care
Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon,
Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla
United Way of Suwannee Valley
Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette, and
Suwannee
United Way of North Central Florida
Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and
Putnam
Changing Homelessness Clay, Duval, and Nassau
Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless Flagler and Volusia
Flagler Hospital – St. Augustine St. Johns
Ocala/Marion Joint Office on Homelessness Marion
Mid Florida Homeless Coalition Citrus, Hernando, Lake, and Sumter
Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County Pasco
Homeless Services Network of Central Florida Orange, Osceola, and Seminole
Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative Hillsborough
Homeless Coalition of Polk County Polk
Brevard Homeless Coalition Brevard
Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council Indian River, Martin, and St Lucie
21
Section 420.621(1), F.S.
22
Section 420.6225(3), F.S.
23
Section 420.6225(4), F.S.
24
Florida Department of Children and Families, Continuums of Care and Local Providers of Service, available at:
https://www.myflfamilies.com/continuums-care-and-local-providers-service (last visited Jan. 6, 2024). BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 8
CoC Lead Agency Counties Served
Heartland Coalition for the Homeless
DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry,
Highlands, and Okeechobee
Big Bend Continuum of Care Marion
United Way of North Central Florida Pasco
Gulf Coast Partnership Charlotte
Lee County Human & Veteran Services Lee
Hunter & Homeless Coalition of Collier County Collier
Palm Beach County Human & Veteran Services Palm Beach
Broward Homeless Initiative Partnership Broward
Monroe County Homeless Services Continuum
of Care
Monroe
Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust Miami-Dade
Manatee-Sarasota Suncoast Partnership Manatee and Sarasota
Each CoC must create a continuum of care plan to implement an effective and efficient housing
crisis response system to prevent and end homelessness in its designated catchment area. A
continuum of care plan must include all of the following:
25
Outreach to unsheltered individuals and families to link them with appropriate housing
interventions.
A coordinated entry system that is compliant with federal requirements and is designed to
coordinate intake, utilize common assessment tools, prioritize households for housing
interventions, and refer households to the appropriate housing intervention.
Emergency shelter, designed to provide safe temporary shelter while the household is in the
process of obtaining permanent housing.
Supportive services, designed to maximize housing stability once the household is in
permanent housing.
Permanent supportive housing, designed to provide long-term affordable housing and support
services to persons with disabilities who are moving out of homelessness.
Rapid ReHousing, as specified in s. 420.6265, F.S.
Permanent housing, including links to affordable housing, subsidized housing, long-term
rental assistance, housing vouchers, and mainstream private sector housing.
An ongoing planning mechanism to end homelessness for all subpopulations of persons
experiencing homelessness.
The CoCs receive state and federal funding through the DCF. State funding is authorized for
challenge grants
26
and staffing grants through the General Appropriations Act. Staffing grant
funds are disseminated evenly among the CoCs to assist with their operating and staffing costs
and to help build capacity to coordinate care, carry out continuum planning and develop local
and federal funding opportunities to end homelessness.
25
Section 420.6225(5), F.S.
26
Section 420.624 (6), F.S. BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 9
Two main federal programs distribute federal homelessness grant funding: the Emergency
Solutions Grants (ESG) program and the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The ESG program
distributes grant funds primarily for emergency sheltering of the homeless. The CoC program
distributes grant funds to assist with the longer-term housing and service needs of the homeless.
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is defined in terms of household income. Housing is considered affordable
when it costs less than 30 percent of a family’s gross income.
27
A family paying more than 30
percent of its income for housing is considered “cost-burdened,” while those paying more than
50 percent are considered “extremely cost-burdened.”
28
Severely cost-burdened households are
more likely to sacrifice other necessities such as healthy food and healthcare to pay for housing,
and to experience unstable housing situations such as eviction.
29
Resident eligibility for Florida’s state and federally funded housing programs is typically
governed by area median income (AMI) levels. These levels are published annually by the
federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for every county and
metropolitan area. The following are standard household income level definitions and their
relationship to the 2023 Florida state AMI of $85,500
30
for a family of four (as family size
increases or decreases, the income range also increases or decreases):
31
Extremely low income – earning up to 30 percent AMI (at or below $25,650);
32
Very low income – earning from 30.01 to 50 percent AMI ($25,651 to $42,750);
33
Low income – earning from 50.01 to 80 percent AMI ($42,751 to $68,400);
34
and
Moderate income – earning from 80.01 to 120 percent of AMI ($68,401 to $102,600).
35
Housing costs reflect what people are willing to pay to live in an area, which may make it
difficult for growing families to find affordable homes and apartments. The government helps
make housing affordable through decreased monthly rent or mortgage payments so that income
eligible families can pay less for housing than it would otherwise cost at the “market rate.”
Lower monthly payments or down payment assistance is a result of affordable housing
financing.
36
27
Florida Housing Coalition, Affordable Housing in Florida, available at https://www.flhousing.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/03/Affordable-Housing-in-Florida-Book-WEB.pdf (last visited Feb. 2, 2024).
28
Id.
29
The Florida Senate Staff Analysis of SB 102, February 24, 2023, available at
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/102/Analyses/2023s00102.ap.PDF (last visited Feb. 2, 2024).
30
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2023 Median
Family Income for States, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Portions of States Attachment, available at
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il23/FY23-Median-Attachment-State-Medians.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
31
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research, Income Limits,
Access Individual Income Limits Areas – Click Here for FY 2023 IL Documentation, available at
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html#query_2023 (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
32
Section 420.0004(9), F.S.
33
Section 420.0004(17), F.S.
34
Section 420.0004(11), F.S.
35
Section 420.0004(12), F.S.
36
The Florida Senate Staff Analysis of SB 102, February 24, 2023, available at
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/102/Analyses/2023s00102.ap.PDF (last visited Feb. 2, 2024). BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 10
Impact on Homelessness
Over the last 30 years, the lack of affordable rental housing for low-income households has
fostered homelessness in the U.S. In 1970, there were 6.5 million low-cost rental units in the
U.S. and 6.2 million low-income renter households with 300,000 available units. By 1985, the
number of low-cost units fell to 5.6 million and the number of low-income renter households
grew to 8.9 million, a disparity of 3.3 million units. In 2019, the National Low Income Housing
Coalition reported that the State of Florida had a shortage of 428,622 affordable rental units.
37
In 2017, the median rent, including utilities, for an apartment in Florida was $1,130 per month, a
16 percent increase since 2001, while income only increased by a disproportionate one percent
38
.
As a result, 1,666,000 people in 769,400 low-income Florida households paid more than half
their income in rent. Often low-income individuals and families forego necessities, like food or
medicine, to keep a roof over their heads.
39
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 50 percent of low-income people in
Florida are homeless or pay over half their income in rent. Currently, most do not receive federal
rental assistance due to limited funding, but research has shown that rental assistance has helped
286,700 people in families with children in Florida avoid homelessness.
40
Florida Housing Finance Corporation
The 1997 Legislature created the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) as a public-
private entity to assist in providing a range of affordable housing opportunities for Floridians.
41
The FHFC is a corporation held by the state and housed within the Department of Commerce.
The FHFC is a separate budget entity, and its operations, including those relating to personnel,
purchasing, transactions involving real or personal property, and budgetary matters, are not
subject to control, supervision, or direction by the Department of Commerce.
42
The goal of the FHFC is to increase the supply of safe, affordable housing for individuals and
families with very low to moderate incomes by stimulating investment of private capital and
encouraging public and private sector housing partnerships. As a financial institution, the FHFC
administers federal and state resources to finance the development and preservation of affordable
rental housing and assist homebuyers with financing and down payment assistance.
43
37
Florida Coalition to End Homelessness, The Issue – The Fight to End Homelessness: Past, Present, and Future, available
at https://fchonline.org/the-issue/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
38
Id.
39
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Florida Federal Rental Assistance Fact Sheet, available at https://apps.cbpp.org/4-
3-19hous/PDF/4-3-19hous-factsheet-fl.pdf (last visited Feb. 1, 2024).
40
Id.
41
Chapter 97-167, Laws of Fla. From 1980 through 1997, the former Florida Housing Finance Agency, placed within the
former Department of Community Affairs, performed similar duties.
42
Section 420.504(1), F.S.
43
The Florida Senate Staff Analysis of SB 102, February 24, 2023, available at
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/102/Analyses/2023s00102.ap.PDF (last visited Feb. 2, 2024). BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 11
State Apartment Incentive Loan Program
The State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program is administered by the FHFC and provides
low-interest loans on a competitive basis to multifamily affordable housing developers.
44
These
funds often serve to bridge the gap between the developments’ primary financing and the total
cost of the development. SAIL dollars are available for developers proposing to construct or
substantially rehabilitate multifamily rental housing.
45
At a minimum, developments financed by SAIL must set aside 20 percent of units for
households at or below 50 percent of AMI, or if the development also receives Low Income
Housing Tax Credits
46
(LIHTC), 40 percent of units for households up to 60 percent of AMI.
47
Loan interest rates are set at zero percent for those developments that maintain 80 percent of
their occupancy for farmworkers, commercial fishing workers, or homeless people. The interest
rates are set at one percent for all other developments. Generally, loans are issued for 15 years
and cover approximately 25 to 35 percent of the total development cost.
48
State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program
The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program was created in 1992
49
to provide funds
to local governments as an incentive to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable
homeownership and multifamily housing. The SHIP program provides funds to all 67 counties
and 52 Community Development Block Grant
50
entitlement cities on a population-based formula
to finance and preserve affordable housing based on locally adopted housing plans.
51
The
program was designed to serve very low, low-, and moderate-income families and is
administered by the FHFC. SHIP funds may be used to pay for emergency repairs, rehabilitation,
down payment and closing cost assistance, impact fees, construction and gap financing,
mortgage buy-downs, acquisition of property for affordable housing, matching dollars for federal
housing grants and programs, and homeownership counseling.
52
Funds are expended per each local government’s adopted Local Housing Assistance Plan
(LHAP), which details the housing strategies that will be utilized, such as helping those affected
by mobile home park closures, encouraging innovative housing design to reduce long-term
housing costs, preserving assisted housing, and reducing homelessness.
53
Local governments
44
Section 420.5087, F.S.
45
Florida Housing Finance Corporation, State Apartment Incentive Loan, available at
https://floridahousing.org/programs/developers-multifamily-programs/state-apartment-incentive-loan (last visited Feb. 1,
2024).
46
Low Income Housing Tax Credits are a financial instrument administered by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development that provide financing for low income housing developments. Credits are allocated to states on a per capita
basis and state-level administration is performed by FHFC. Eligible developments are income-limited similarly to SAIL
requirements.
47
Section 420.5087(2), F.S.
48
Supra note 40.
49
Chapter 92-317, Laws of Fla.
50
The Community Development Block Grant program is a federal program created in 1974 that provides funding for housing
and community development activities.
51
See ss. 420.907-420.9089, F.S.
52
Section 420.9072(7), F.S.
53
Section 420.9075(3), F.S. BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 12
submit their LHAPs to the FHFC for review to ensure that they meet the broad statutory
guidelines and the requirements of the program rules.
Certain statutory requirements restrict a local government’s use of funds made available under
the SHIP program (excluding amounts set aside for administrative costs):
54
At least 75 percent of SHIP funds must be reserved for construction, rehabilitation, or
emergency repair of affordable, eligible housing; and
Up to 25 percent of SHIP funds may be reserved for allowed rental services.
55
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
The bill creates s. 4141611, F.S., to establish the Florida State Maternity Housing Program
(program) within the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and authorize the State Office
on Homelessness, with the concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, to provide annual
maternity housing grants to local homeless assistance continuums of care lead agencies. To be
eligible to receive a grant, a lead agency’s continuum of care plan must include a maternity
housing program.
The bill authorizes the State Office on Homelessness to rank lead agency grant applications and
give preference to applications that leverage private and public funds, demonstrate effective
maternity housing programs, and demonstrate a commitment to provide additional services to
reduce future homelessness. The total amount of grants awarded may not exceed the funding
appropriated or received as a donation, gift, or bequest for the program.
The bill requires a case plan for each woman or family that includes the costs that will be
covered and the maximum level of assistance that will be provided. Grant funds may be used to
cover the following expenses:
Housing assistance during pregnancy for a maximum of eight months, of which, eight weeks
may be postpartum;
Services to encourage economic independence and positive health outcomes;
Staffing and reimbursements for providers of authorized living arrangements; and
Any other cost related to administration of the program, not to exceed five percent of the
total grant funds.
The bill requires the lead agency to track, monitor, and report on each woman or family assisted
for a minimum of 12 months after receiving services.
The bill allows the DCF to adopt rules as necessary to implement the program.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
54
Section 420.9075(5), F.S.
55
Section 420.9075(5)(b), F.S. However, a local government may not expend money distributed to it to provide ongoing rent
subsidies, except for: security and utility deposit assistance; eviction prevention not to exceed six months’ rent; or a rent
subsidy program for very-low-income households with at least one adult who is a person with special needs or is homeless,
not to exceed 12 months’ rental assistance. BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 13
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
Since funding has not been appropriated under the bill, no fiscal impact exists at this time
for the private sector. However, should the Legislature appropriate funding for the
program, the program’s implementation may have an impact on community partners and
Florida residents who receive grant funds.
Additionally, health care providers that treat homeless women and families identified in
the bill may also be positively impacted. Through the provision of stable housing,
illnesses and injuries can be better prevented, and conditions can be improved or better
maintained. This could result in a decrease in potentially preventable emergency
department visits, reducing costs and allowing facilities such as hospitals to utilize
limited funds for others in need.
C. Government Sector Impact:
The bill will have a significant negative fiscal impact on state expenditures. Although no
appropriation is provided in the bill, the bill does authorize the lead agency to use five
percent of the grant funds appropriated to administer the Florida State Maternity Housing
Grant Program. Additionally, according to the Department of Children and Families BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 14
(DCF), to implement the provisions of the bill, the DCF will require $96,790 in recurring
general revenue funds and one full-time-equivalent position.
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VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill creates section 414.1611 of the Florida Statutes.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
CS by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services on February 13,
2024:
The committee substitute:
Establishes the Florida State Maternity Housing Program (program) within the
Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Authorizes the State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of the Council on
Homelessness, to provide annual maternity housing grants to lead agencies for local
homeless assistance continuums of care.
Provides for an application ranking process and grant eligibility requirements for lead
agencies.
Requires a case plan for each woman or family that sets forth the maximum level of
assistance that will be provided.
Authorizes grant funds to be used for the following purposes:
o Housing assistance during pregnancy;
o Services to encourage economic independence and positive health outcomes;
o Staffing and reimbursements for providers of authorized living arrangements; and
o Any other cost related to administration of the program, not to exceed five percent
of the total grant funds.
Requires the lead agency to track, monitor, and report on each woman or family
assisted for a minimum of 12 months.
B. Amendments:
None.
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Department of Children and Families, SB 1442 Bill Analysis, (on file with the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health
and Human Services). BILL: Continuums of Care
Page 15
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.