Essay
I’m representative Xiong and I am proud to present House File 2272. The purpose of my bill is to make sure counties are required to provide families with the help, care, and hospitality they need, especially shelter, when they are experiencing homelessness. The word “homeless” refers to when an individual lacks a regular residence, which includes situations where they are fleeing dangerous conditions like domestic violence. They deserve to have shelters that include heated indoor sleeping and sanitary facilities with 24-hour access, which means it may also include hotels/motels. There are also other alternatives to traditional shelter that counties could provide like security deposits (an amount of money that a renter pays when beginning to rent a property and can be used to pay for damage that the renter caused) or transportation to other shelter locations.
It would be a county’s obligation to provide shelter when families are experiencing homelessness with no other safe shelter available, and to reach out with help within one business day of an oral or written request by the family. The shelter must be provided during specific times when protections (which can relate to energy service disconnections, ex: electricity, gas, or water provider cuts off a customer's energy supply due to non-payment or failure to comply with service agreements) are in place.
If a family is receiving state benefits, for example the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (U.S. government program designed to provide financial assistance to low-income individuals and families to help them purchase nutritious food) it is the responsibility of the county that issues the benefits to provide shelter. If a family is not receiving any benefits, it is the responsibility of the county where the family is physically located at the time of the shelter request to provide shelter. As for transportation, if it is not immediately possible to provide to the designated county, the county where the family is located must still provide shelter and may bill the responsible county later.
Each county should also submit a plan that details how they will provide shelter. This can include locations, availability, request procedures, back up shelter options, and anticipated demand and how the county will meet it. They will also have to take action to budget, issuing from the Minnesota Family Investment Program fund.
When it comes to funding, shelters must be provided at no cost to the families. Counties must have to use both local funding and Minnesota Family Investment Program funds to cover for the shelter costs. This bill expands the allowable uses of the Minnesota Family Investment Program consolidated funds to include emergency shelter or shelter diversion services to homeless families. The goal is to make sure funds meant for family assistance can be used flexibly for housing support services. If these funds are not good enough, the state will repay the counties using general fund dollars. Another option can include TANF funds, (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) which can be raised up to $15 million and can be used for hotel/motel vouchers for families experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness is a growing issue for families, so it is important that they get access to shelter without delay, which can offer quick and effective relief to the families in need. Homelessness not only affects adults, but also young children, pregnant women, and those fleeing domestic situations. These groups are often the most vulnerable and hardest to support, so they deserve safety, stability, and access to the resources they need in order to take care of themselves. This would also help families in the harsh winters in Minnesota, which are the toughest and most life-threatening time of the year for people. No family should have to struggle to survive the extreme weather conditions, and we are fortunate enough to have homes to go to when we can’t stand being in the cold, so imagine how these families would feel.
This bill makes sure that local county governments are directly responsible for sheltering families and provides flexibility in how this is achieved. The shelter plans required from counties confirm they are prepared to meet demand and are held accountable in their role to help. This bill also has an unwasteful approach as it uses both local and state funds efficiently which highlights that counties can use these funds to support emergency shelter, showing that resources are used where they are most needed. Lastly, the flexibility of the bill supports local communities as it allows counties to plan accordingly to their local needs and address specific challenges in different regions. Each county can make a plan that works for their own population while also meeting statewide standards.
I think it’s a good idea to pass this bill as it would reduce the number of homeless families, offer safety, support local communities, and make Minnesota a place where no one is left without a place to stay.