1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; creating a group 
  1.3             residential housing block grant pilot project; 
  1.4             appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [GROUP RESIDENTIAL BLOCK GRANT PILOT PROJECT.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PILOT PROJECT.] The 
  1.8   group residential block grant pilot project is established for 
  1.9   purposes of providing rent subsidies and social services to 
  1.10  eligible individuals through a block grant to interested 
  1.11  counties.  A portion of the group residential housing funds 
  1.12  shall be set aside for this pilot project to serve up to 350 
  1.13  homeless people with mental illness, a history of substance 
  1.14  abuse, or a person with the human immunodeficiency virus.  The 
  1.15  purpose of the pilot project is to demonstrate that by 
  1.16  integrating the delivery of housing, support services, and 
  1.17  health care, systemwide public spending on individuals will be 
  1.18  reduced, employment rates of the individuals being served will 
  1.19  increase, and accountability among service systems will improve. 
  1.20     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] In order to be eligible for the 
  1.21  pilot project, an individual must: 
  1.22     (1) meet the group residential housing eligibility 
  1.23  requirements in Minnesota Statutes, section 256I.04, subdivision 
  1.24  1; and 
  1.25     (2) be a homeless person with mental illness, a history of 
  2.1   substance abuse, or a person with the human immunodeficiency 
  2.2   virus.  For purposes of this pilot project, "homeless person" 
  2.3   means a person who is living on the street, in a shelter, or is 
  2.4   evicted from a dwelling or discharged from a regional human 
  2.5   services center, community hospital, or residential treatment 
  2.6   program, and has no appropriate housing available and lacks the 
  2.7   resources and support necessary to access appropriate housing. 
  2.8      Subd. 3.  [BLOCK GRANT TO COUNTIES.] A portion of the group 
  2.9   residential housing appropriation shall be distributed to 
  2.10  participating counties in block grant form, up to the amount of 
  2.11  the appropriation, for purposes of the pilot project established 
  2.12  in subdivision 1.  Each block grant must be equal to the maximum 
  2.13  of $10,000 per eligible individual per year.  Other than 
  2.14  participant eligibility guidelines, the commissioner shall waive 
  2.15  existing group residential housing program rules for purposes of 
  2.16  this pilot.  The intent of these program waivers is to provide 
  2.17  counties with a flexible, integrated fund for this array of 
  2.18  housing assistance and services.  The block grant must be 
  2.19  available to participating counties 90 days after the enactment 
  2.20  of this section of law.  Participating counties shall combine 
  2.21  these funds with other public and private funds to serve 
  2.22  eligible individuals.  
  2.23     Subd. 4.  [REPORT.] Participating counties and the 
  2.24  commissioner of human services shall issue an annual report 
  2.25  beginning December 1, 2001, to the legislature on the use of 
  2.26  state resources, including other funds leveraged for this 
  2.27  initiative, the status of individuals being served in the pilot 
  2.28  project, and the cost-effectiveness of waiving group residential 
  2.29  requirements in order to streamline services to needy 
  2.30  individuals.  The commissioner shall provide data that may be 
  2.31  necessary to evaluate the pilot project to counties that request 
  2.32  the data.  The commissioner shall respond to requests for data 
  2.33  within 30 days. 
  2.34     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.35     $....... is appropriated for the biennium beginning July 1, 
  2.36  1999, from the general fund to the commissioner of human 
  3.1   services to the group residential housing program and 
  3.2   transferred to counties for purposes of section 1.  Any unspent 
  3.3   portion of this appropriation does not cancel and is carried 
  3.4   forward to the next year.