1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; establishing homeless outreach grant program; 
1.3 	appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.4 	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 establish a 
1.8 	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, the Ending Long-Term Homelessness Advisory 
1.12 	Council, and the Office of Economic Opportunity of the Department of Human Services, 
1.13 	shall award grants to agencies experienced in homeless outreach services and provide 
1.14 	needed staff qualified to work with people with serious mental illness or chemical 
1.15 	dependency, and employ outreach staff who are trained and qualified to work with racially 
1.16 	and culturally diverse populations.
1.17 		Subd. 3.Project design. Projects eligible for grants under this section must:
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 and corrections resources.
2.15 		Subd. 4.Annual report. Grant recipients shall report to the commissioner by June 
2.16 	30 of each year on the services and programs provided, expenditures of grant money, 
2.17 	and an evaluation of the program's success in connecting individuals experiencing 
2.18 	homelessness to housing and services, and reducing the use of public safety and 
2.19 	corrections resources.

2.20 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.21 	$2,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund for the biennium ending June 30, 
2.22 	2009, to the commissioner of public safety for purposes of section 1.

2.23 	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 2.24 	Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 2007.