1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to housing; establishing a competitive grant program for rental subsidies 
1.3 	for exploited women and children; appropriating money for a competitive grant 
1.4 	program.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. EXPLOITED WOMEN AND CHILDREN RENTAL ASSISTANCE 
1.7 	PROGRAM.
 1.8 		Subdivision 1.Rental assistance program. The commissioner of housing finance 
1.9 	shall establish a competitive grant program to serve women and children from Asian and 
1.10 	other emerging ethnic communities who are at risk of being homeless who have been 
1.11 	victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, international abusive marriage, or 
1.12 	a forced marriage. The commissioner shall award grants to nonprofits that can provide 
1.13 	linguistically and culturally appropriate services or who have a plan to partner with an 
1.14 	organization that can provide appropriate services and that have the capacity to serve 
1.15 	immigrant women and children. At least one grant must be to a program that serves an 
1.16 	area outside of the seven-county metro area. The grant recipients must:
1.17 	(1) provide rental assistance to pregnant women or women with custody over a 
1.18 	minor child at risk of being homeless and who are victims of domestic violence, sexual 
1.19 	assault, trafficking, an international abusive marriage, or a forced marriage;
1.20 	(2) require the participant to pay 30 percent of the participant's income toward 
1.21 	the rent;
1.22 	(3) allow the families to choose their own housing, including single-family homes, 
1.23 	townhomes, and apartments;
2.1 	(4) give priority to families with more than four children and to heads of household 
2.2 	that are recent immigrants or refugees and have limited English proficiency;
2.3 	(5) provide rental assistance for up to 24 months;
2.4 	(6) provide linguistically and culturally appropriate victim advocacy and supportive 
2.5 	services or partner with a program that can provide appropriate services; and
2.6 	(7) require participants in the program to actively seek employment or activities that 
2.7 	will assist them in gaining future employment.
2.8 	For the purposes of this section, supportive services can include educational, social, legal 
2.9 	advocacy, child care, employment assistance, money management, mental health, health 
2.10 	care, or other services. Organizations providing services to emerging ethnic communities 
2.11 	are eligible to receive grants and can partner with other organizations to provide services.
2.12 		Subd. 2.Program information. All grant recipients must collect and make 
2.13 	available to the commissioner of housing finance aggregate data to assist the agency 
2.14 	in the evaluation of the program.

2.15 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.16 	(a) $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated 
2.17 	from the housing trust fund to the commissioner of housing finance for grants to the 
2.18 	exploited women and children rental assistance program.
2.19 	(b) $250,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $250,000 in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated 
2.20 	from the general fund to the commissioner of human services for grants to recipients of 
2.21 	funding under the exploited women and children rental assistance program to provide 
2.22 	supportive services. Organizations selected by grant recipients to provide supportive 
2.23 	services are also eligible for grants under this section.