2002 Minnesota Statutes

CHAPTER 256K. Work first program pilot projects

  256K.01 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.015 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.02 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.03 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.04 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.05 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.06 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.07 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.08 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

  256K.09 Repealed, 2002 c 220 art 16 s 3 

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND MANAGED CARE PILOT PROJECT

     256K.25 Supportive housing and managed care pilot 
  project. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment and purpose.  (a) The 
 commissioner shall establish a supportive housing and managed 
 care pilot project to determine whether the integrated delivery 
 of employment services, supportive services, housing, and health 
 care into a single, flexible program will: 

    (1) reduce public expenditures on homeless families with 
 minor children, homeless noncustodial parents, and other 
 homeless individuals; 

    (2) increase the employment rates of these persons; and 

    (3) provide a new alternative to providing services to this 
 hard-to-serve population. 

    (b) The commissioner shall create a program for counties 
 for the purpose of providing integrated intensive and 
 individualized case management services, employment services, 
 health care services, rent subsidies or other short- or 
 medium-term housing assistance, and other supportive services to 
 eligible families and individuals.  Minimum project and 
 application requirements shall be developed by the commissioner 
 in cooperation with counties and their nonprofit partners with 
 the goal to provide the maximum flexibility in program design. 

    (c) Services available under this project must be 
 coordinated with available health care services for an eligible 
 project participant. 

    Subd. 2.    Definition.  For purposes of this section, 
 "homeless" means having no appropriate housing available and 
 lacking the resources necessary to access permanent housing, as 
 determined by the county requesting funding under subdivision 3, 
 and: 

    (1) living, or being at imminent risk of living, on the 
 street or in a shelter; or 

    (2) having been evicted from a dwelling or discharged from 
 a regional treatment center, state-operated community-based 
 program, community hospital, or residential treatment program.  

    Subd. 3.    County eligibility.  (a) A county may 
 request funding under this pilot project if the county: 

    (1) agrees to develop, in cooperation with nonprofit 
 partners, a supportive housing and managed care pilot project 
 that integrates the delivery of employment services, supportive 
 services, housing and health care for eligible families and 
 individuals, or agrees to contract with an existing integrated 
 program; 

    (2) for eligible participants who are also MFIP recipients, 
 agrees to develop, in cooperation with nonprofit partners, 
 procedures to ensure that the services provided under the pilot 
 project are closely coordinated with the services provided under 
 MFIP; 

    (3) develops a method for evaluating the quality of the 
 integrated services provided and the amount of any resulting 
 cost savings to the county and state; and 

    (4) addresses in the pilot design the prevalence in the 
 homeless population served those individuals with mental 
 illness, a history of substance abuse, or HIV. 

    (b) Preference may be given to counties that cooperate with 
 other counties participating in the pilot project for purposes 
 of evaluation and counties that provide additional funding. 

    Subd. 4.    Participant eligibility.  (a) In order to 
 meet initial eligibility criteria for the pilot project, the 
 county must determine that a participant is homeless or is at 
 risk of homelessness and is a family that meets the criteria in 
 paragraph (b) or is an individual who meets the criteria in 
 paragraph (c). 

    (b) An eligible family must include a minor child or a 
 pregnant woman, and: 

    (1) be receiving or be eligible for MFIP assistance under 
 chapter 256J; or 

    (2) include an adult caregiver who is employed or is 
 receiving employment and training services, and have household 
 income below the MFIP exit level in section 256J.24, subdivision 
 10.  

    (c) An eligible individual must: 

    (1) meet the eligibility requirements of the group 
 residential housing program under section 256I.04, subdivision 
 1; or 

    (2) be a noncustodial parent who is employed or is 
 receiving employment and training services, and have household 
 income below the MFIP exit level in section 256J.24, subdivision 
 10.  

    (d) Counties participating in the pilot project may develop 
 and initiate disenrollment criteria, subject to approval by the 
 commissioner of human services. 

    Subd. 5.    Funding.  A county may request funding from 
 the commissioner for a specified number of project participants. 
 The commissioner shall review the request for compliance with 
 subdivisions 1 to 4 and may approve or disapprove the request.  
 If other funds are available, the commissioner may allocate 
 funding for project participants who meet the eligibility 
 requirements of subdivision 4, paragraph (c).  The commissioner 
 may also redirect funds to the pilot project. 

    Subd. 6.    Report.  Participating counties and the 
 commissioner shall collaborate to prepare and issue an annual 
 report, beginning December 1, 2001, to the chairs of the 
 appropriate legislative committees on the pilot project's use of 
 public resources, including other funds leveraged for this 
 initiative and an assessment of the feasibility of financing the 
 pilot through other health and human services programs, the 
 employment and housing status of the families and individuals 
 served in the project, and the cost-effectiveness of the 
 project.  The annual report must also evaluate the pilot project 
 with respect to the following project goals:  that participants 
 will lead more productive, healthier, more stable and better 
 quality lives; that the teams created under the project to 
 deliver services for each project participant will be 
 accountable for ensuring that services are more appropriate, 
 cost-effective and well-coordinated; and that the systemwide 
 costs of serving this population, and the inappropriate use of 
 emergency, crisis-oriented or institutional services, will be 
 materially reduced.  The commissioner shall provide data that 
 may be needed to evaluate the project to participating counties 
 that request the data. 

    Subd. 7.    Sunset.  The pilot project under this 
 section sunsets on June 30, 2006. 

    HIST: 2000 c 488 art 10 s 25; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 55-59; 2002 
 c 379 art 1 s 113 

NONTRADITIONAL CAREER GRANTS

     256K.30 Grants for nontraditional career assistance and 
  training programs. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment and purpose.  The 
 commissioner shall establish a program of reimbursement-based 
 grants to nonprofit organizations to provide nontraditional 
 career assistance and training (NCAT) programs that encourage 
 and assist low-income women with minor children to enter 
 nontraditional careers in the trades and in manual and technical 
 operations. 

    Subd. 2.    Requirements for grantees.  To be eligible 
 for a grant under this section, an NCAT program must include the 
 career assistance component specified in subdivision 4. 

    Subd. 3.    Outreach component.  An NCAT program may 
 include an outreach component that provides outreach to girls 
 and women through public and private elementary and secondary 
 schools, appropriate community organizations, or existing state 
 and county employment and training programs.  The outreach must 
 consist of:  general information concerning opportunities for 
 women in the trades, manual, and technical occupations, 
 including specific fields where worker shortages exist; and 
 specific information about training programs offered.  The 
 outreach may include printed or recorded information, hands-on 
 experiences for women and girls, presentations to women and 
 girls, or ongoing contact with appropriate staff. 

    Federal TANF funds may not be used for the outreach 
 component of an NCAT program. 

    Subd. 4.    Career assistance component.  An NCAT 
 program may include a career assistance component that provides 
 the following assistance for low-income women to enter careers 
 in the trades and technical occupations: 

    (1) training designed to prepare women to succeed in 
 nontraditional occupations, conducted by an NCAT grantee or in 
 collaboration with another institution.  The training must cover 
 the knowledge and skills required for the trade, information 
 about on-the-job realities for women in the particular trade, 
 physical strength and stamina training as needed, opportunities 
 for developing workplace problem-solving skills, and information 
 about the current and projected future job market and likely 
 career path for the trade; 

    (2) assistance with child care and transportation during 
 training, during job search, and for at least the first two 
 months of posttraining employment; 

    (3) job placement assistance during training, during job 
 search, and for at least two years after completion of the 
 training program; and 

    (4) job retention support may be in the form of mentorship 
 programs, support groups, or ongoing staff contact for at least 
 the first year of posttraining employment, including access to 
 job-related information, assistance with workplace issue 
 resolution, and access to advocacy services. 

    Subd. 5.    NCAT; eligible participants.  To be eligible 
 to enroll in an NCAT program under this section, a participant 
 must be a female caregiver receiving assistance under chapter 
 256J or this chapter.  

    Subd. 6.    Accessibility required.  Approved NCAT 
 programs must be accessible to women who are MFIP participants.  
 Factors that contribute to a program's accessibility include: 

    (1) affordability of tuition and supplies; 

    (2) geographic proximity to low-income neighborhoods, child 
 care, and public transportation routes; and 

    (3) flexibility of the hours per week required by the 
 program and the duration of the program, in order to be 
 compatible with the program participants' family needs and the 
 need for participants to be employed during training. 

    HIST: 2000 c 488 art 10 s 26 

AT-RISK YOUTH OUT-OF-WEDLOCK PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM

     256K.35 At-risk youth out-of-wedlock pregnancy 
  prevention program. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment and purpose.  The 
 commissioner shall establish a statewide grant program to 
 prevent or reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies 
 among homeless, runaway, or thrown-away youth who are at risk of 
 being prostituted or currently being used in prostitution.  The 
 goal of the out-of-wedlock pregnancy prevention program is to 
 significantly increase the number of existing short-term shelter 
 beds for these youth in the state.  By providing street outreach 
 and supportive services for emergency shelter, transitional 
 housing, and services to reconnect the youth with their families 
 where appropriate, the number of youth at risk of being sexually 
 exploited or actually being sexually exploited, and thus at risk 
 of experiencing an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, will be reduced. 

    Subd. 2.    Funds available.  The commissioner shall 
 make funds for street outreach and supportive services for 
 emergency shelter and transitional housing for out-of-wedlock 
 pregnancy prevention available to eligible nonprofit 
 corporations or government agencies to provide supportive 
 services for emergency and transitional housing for at-risk 
 youth.  The commissioner shall consider the need for emergency 
 and transitional housing supportive services throughout the 
 state, and must give priority to applicants who offer 24-hour 
 emergency facilities. 

    Subd. 3.    Application; eligibility.  (a) A nonprofit 
 corporation or government agency must submit an application to 
 the commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner 
 establishes.  The application must describe how the applicant 
 meets the eligibility criteria under paragraph (b).  The 
 commissioner may also require an applicant to provide additional 
 information. 

    (b) To be eligible for funding under this section, an 
 applicant must meet the following criteria: 

    (1) the applicant must have a commitment to helping the 
 community, children, and preventing juvenile prostitution.  If 
 the applicant does not have any past experience with youth 
 involved in or at risk of being used in prostitution, the 
 applicant must demonstrate knowledge of best practices in this 
 area and develop a plan to follow those practices; 

    (2) the applicant must present a plan to communicate with 
 local law enforcement officials, social services, and the 
 commissioner consistent with state and federal law; and 

    (3) the applicant must present a plan to encourage 
 homeless, runaway, or thrown-away youth to either reconnect with 
 family or to transition into long-term housing. 

    Subd. 4.    Uses of funds.  (a) Funds available under 
 this section must be used to create and maintain supportive 
 services for emergency shelter and transitional housing for 
 homeless, runaway, and thrown-away youth.  Federal TANF funds 
 must be used to serve youth and their families with household 
 income below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.  If 
 other funds are available, services may be provided to youth 
 outside of TANF-eligible families. 

    (b) Funds available under this section shall not be used to 
 conduct general education or awareness programs unrelated to the 
 operation of an emergency shelter or transitional housing. 

    HIST: 2000 c 488 art 10 s 27