reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
FL Stat § 420.531 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part V - Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Ss. 420.501-420.55)|420.531 - Affordable Housing Catalyst Program.

420.531 Affordable Housing Catalyst Program.—(1) The corporation shall operate the Affordable Housing Catalyst Program for the purpose of securing the expertise necessary to provide specialized technical support to local governments and community-based organizations to implement the HOME Investment Partnership Program, State Apartment Incentive Loan Program, State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program, and other affordable housing programs. To the maximum extent feasible, the entity to provide the necessary expertise must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization. It must have as its primary mission the provision of affordable housing training and technical assistance, an ability to provide training and technical assistance statewide, and a proven track record of successfully providing training and technical assistance under the Affordable Housing Catalyst Program. The technical support shall, at a minimum, include training relating to the following key elements of the partnership programs:(a) Formation of local and regional housing partnerships as a means of bringing together resources to provide affordable housing.(b) Implementation of regulatory reforms to reduce the risk and cost of developing affordable housing.(c) Implementation of affordable housing programs included in local government comprehensive plans.(d) Compliance with requirements of federally funded housing programs.(2) In consultation with the corporation, the entity providing statewide training and technical assistance shall convene and administer biannual regional workshops for the locally elected officials serving on affordable housing advisory committees as provided in s. 420.9076. The regional workshops may be conducted through teleconferencing or other technological means and must include processes and programming that facilitate peer-to-peer identification and sharing of best affordable housing practices among the locally elected officials. Annually, calendar year reports summarizing the deliberations, actions, and recommendations of each region, as well as the attendance records of locally elected officials, must be compiled by the entity providing statewide training and technical assistance for the Affordable Housing Catalyst Program and must be submitted to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the corporation by March 31 of the following year.History.—s. 19, ch. 2004-243; s. 16, ch. 2020-27.
FL Stat § 420.55 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part V - Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Ss. 420.501-420.55)|420.55 - Housing; response to disasters.

420.55 Housing; response to disasters.—The Florida Housing Finance Corporation is authorized to provide funds to eligible entities for affordable housing recovery in those areas of the state which sustained housing damage due to hurricanes during 2004 and 2005. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation shall utilize data provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in its allocation of funds to local jurisdictions. To administer these programs, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation shall be guided by the “Hurricane Housing Work Group Recommendations to Assist in Florida’s Long Term Housing Recovery Efforts” report dated February 16, 2005, and may adopt emergency rules pursuant to s. 120.54. The Legislature finds that emergency rules adopted pursuant to this section meet the health, safety, and welfare requirement of s. 120.54(4). The Legislature finds that such emergency rulemaking power is necessary for the preservation of the rights and welfare of the people in order to provide additional funds to assist those areas of the state that sustained housing damage due to hurricanes during 2004 and 2005. Therefore, in adopting such emergency rules, the corporation need not make the findings required by s. 120.54(4)(a). Emergency rules adopted under this section are exempt from s. 120.54(4)(c). The sum of $75.9 million is appropriated from the Local Government Housing Trust Fund to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for the Rental Recovery Loan Program. The sum of $15 million is appropriated from the State Housing Trust Fund to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for the Farmworker Housing Recovery Program and the Special Housing Assistance and Development Program, and the sum of $17 million is appropriated from the State Housing Trust Fund to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for the Rental Recovery Program. The sum of $100,000 is appropriated from the State Housing Trust Fund to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for technical and training assistance.History.—ss. 48, 53, ch. 2006-26; s. 31, ch. 2006-69.
FL Stat § 420.601 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.601 - Short title.

420.601 Short title.—Sections 420.601-420.609 may be cited as the “Affordable Housing Planning and Community Assistance Act.”History.—s. 2, ch. 86-192; s. 27, ch. 92-317.
FL Stat § 420.6015 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.6015 - Legislative findings.

420.6015 Legislative findings.—In addition to the findings and declarations in ss. 420.0002, 420.502, 421.02, 422.02, and 423.01, which are hereby reaffirmed, the Legislature finds that:(1) Decent, safe, and sanitary housing for persons of very low income, low income, and moderate income are a critical need in the state.(2) New and rehabilitated housing must be provided at a cost affordable to such persons in order to alleviate this critical need.(3) The private sector housing construction industry primarily produces housing units for middle-income households and upper-income households and often has limited experience in housing development which provides quality housing for low-income persons in economically declining or distressed areas.(4) Among other things, the high cost of project financing tends to restrict the development of housing affordable to very-low-income persons, low-income persons, and moderate-income persons.(5) For these reasons, private capital and existing state housing programs do not provide an adequate remedy to this situation.(6) Special programs are needed to stimulate private enterprise to build and rehabilitate housing in order to help eradicate slum conditions and provide housing for very-low-income persons, low-income persons, and moderate-income persons as a matter of public purpose.(7) Public-private partnerships are an essential means of bringing together resources to provide affordable housing.(8) The department shall facilitate the mobilization of public and private resources to provide affordable housing through its responsibilities in the areas of housing, comprehensive planning, and community assistance.History.—s. 3, ch. 86-192; s. 28, ch. 92-317; s. 6, ch. 2000-342; s. 20, ch. 2004-243.
FL Stat § 420.6075 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.6075 - Research and planning for affordable housing; annual housing report.

420.6075 Research and planning for affordable housing; annual housing report.—(1) The research and planning functions of the department shall include the collection of data on the need for affordable housing in this state and the extent to which that need is being met through federal, state, and local programs, in order to facilitate planning to meet the housing needs in this state and to enable the development of sound strategies and programs for affordable housing. To fulfill this function, the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing at the University of Florida shall perform the following functions:(a) Quantify affordable housing needs in the state by analyzing available data, including information provided through the housing elements of local comprehensive plans, and identify revisions in the housing element data requirements that would result in more uniform, meaningful information being obtained.(b) Document the results since 1980 of all programs administered by the department which provide for or act as incentives for housing production or improvement. Data on program results must include the number of units produced and the unit cost under each program.(c) Inventory the supply of affordable housing units made available through federal, state, and local programs. Data on the geographic distribution of affordable units must show the availability of units in each county and municipality.(2) By December 31 of each year, the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing shall submit to the Legislature an updated housing report describing the supply of and need for affordable housing. This annual housing report shall include:(a) A synopsis of training and technical assistance activities and community-based organization housing activities for the year.(b) A status report on the degree of progress toward meeting the housing objectives of the department’s agency functional plan.(c) Recommended housing initiatives for the next fiscal year and recommended priorities for assistance to the various target populations within the spectrum of housing need.(3) The Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing shall:(a) Conduct research on program options to address the need for affordable housing.(b) Conduct research on training models to be replicated or adapted to meet the needs of community-based organizations and state and local government staff involved in housing development.History.—s. 11, ch. 89-121; s. 14, ch. 90-275; s. 30, ch. 92-317; s. 20, ch. 93-260; s. 23, ch. 95-144; s. 6, ch. 95-396.
FL Stat § 420.615 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.615 - Affordable housing land donation density bonus incentives.

420.615 Affordable housing land donation density bonus incentives.—(1) A local government may provide density bonus incentives pursuant to the provisions of this section to any landowner who voluntarily donates fee simple interest in real property to the local government for the purpose of assisting the local government in providing affordable housing. Donated real property must be determined by the local government to be appropriate for use as affordable housing and must be subject to deed restrictions to ensure that the property will be used for affordable housing.(2) For purposes of this section, the terms “affordable,” “extremely-low-income persons,” “low-income persons,” “moderate-income persons,” and “very-low-income persons” have the same meaning as in s. 420.0004.(3) The density bonus may be applied to any land within the local government’s jurisdiction provided that residential use is an allowable use on the receiving land.(4) The density bonus, identification of receiving land for the bonus, and any other conditions associated with the donation of the land for affordable housing are the subject of review and approval by the local government. The award of density bonus pursuant to this section, the legal description of the land receiving the bonus, and any other conditions associated with the bonus shall be memorialized in a development agreement or other binding agreement and recorded with the clerk of court in the county where the donated land and receiving land are located.(5) The local government, as part of the approval process, shall adopt a comprehensive plan amendment, pursuant to part II of chapter 163, for the receiving land that incorporates the density bonus. Such amendment shall be adopted in the manner as required for small-scale amendments pursuant to s. 163.3187 and is not subject to the requirements of s. 163.3184(4)(b)-(d).(6) The deed restrictions required pursuant to subsection (1) for an affordable housing unit must also prohibit the unit from being sold at a price that exceeds the threshold for housing that is affordable for low-income or moderate-income persons or to a buyer who is not eligible due to his or her income under this chapter. The deed restriction may allow affordable housing units created under subsection (1) to be rented to extremely-low-income, very-low-income, low-income, or moderate-income persons.(7) The local government may transfer all or a portion of the donated land to a nonprofit housing organization, such as a community land trust, housing authority, or community redevelopment agency, to be used for the production and preservation of permanently affordable housing.History.—s. 28, ch. 2006-69; s. 65, ch. 2011-139.
FL Stat § 420.621 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.621 - Definitions.

420.621 Definitions.—As used in ss. 420.621-420.628, the term:(1) “Continuum of care” means a group organized to carry out the responsibilities imposed under ss. 420.621-420.628 to coordinate, plan, and pursue ending homelessness in a designated catchment area. Such a group shall be composed of representatives from certain organizations, including, but not limited to, nonprofit homeless providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement, organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless veterans, and organizations that serve homeless and formerly homeless persons, to the extent that these organizations are represented within the designated catchment area and are available to participate.(2) “Continuum of care lead agency” or “continuum of care collaborative applicant” means the organization designated by a continuum of care under s. 420.6225.(3) “Council on Homelessness” means the council created in s. 420.622.(4) “Department” means the Department of Children and Families.(5) “Homeless” means:(a) An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence as defined under “homeless” in 24 C.F.R. s. 578.3; or(b) An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence as defined under “homeless” in 24 C.F.R. s. 578.3.(6) “State Office on Homelessness” means the state office created in s. 420.622.History.—s. 9, ch. 87-106; s. 18, ch. 92-58; s. 20, ch. 93-200; s. 202, ch. 99-8; s. 9, ch. 2001-98; s. 2, ch. 2009-164; s. 238, ch. 2014-19; s. 1, ch. 2020-44.
FL Stat § 420.6227 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.6227 - Grant-in-aid program.

420.6227 Grant-in-aid program.—(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds and declares that many services for households experiencing homelessness have been provided by local communities through voluntary private agencies and religious organizations and that those resources have not been sufficient to prevent and end homelessness in the state. The Legislature recognizes that the level of need and types of problems associated with homelessness may vary from community to community, due to the diversity and geographic distribution of the homeless population and the resulting differing needs of particular communities.(2) PURPOSE.—The principal purpose of the grant-in-aid program is to provide needed assistance to continuums of care to enable them to do all of the following:(a) Assist persons in their communities who have become, or may likely become, homeless.(b) Help homeless households move to permanent housing as quickly as possible.(3) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a grant-in-aid program to help continuums of care prevent and end homelessness, which may include any aspect of the local continuum of care plan, as described in s. 420.6225.(4) APPLICATION PROCEDURE.—Continuums of care that intend to apply for the grant-in-aid program must submit an application for grant-in-aid funds to the State Office on Homelessness for review.(5) SPENDING PLANS.—The State Office on Homelessness shall develop guidelines for the development, evaluation, and approval of spending plans that are created by local continuum of care lead agencies.(6) ALLOCATION OF GRANT FUNDS.—The State Office on Homelessness shall administer grant-in-aid funds for continuums of care, which must be awarded on a competitive basis.(7) DISTRIBUTION TO LOCAL AGENCIES.—The State Office on Homelessness shall distribute funds awarded under subsection (6) to local agencies to fund programs that are required by the local continuum of care plan, as described in s. 420.6225 and provided in subsection (3), based upon the recommendations of the local continuum of care lead agencies, in accordance with spending plans that are developed by the lead agencies and approved by the office. Not more than 10 percent of the total state funds awarded under a spending plan may be used by the continuum of care lead agency for staffing and administrative expenditures.(8) LOCAL MATCHING FUNDS.—If an entity contracts with local agencies to provide services and receives financial assistance obtained under this section, the entity must provide at least 25 percent of the funding necessary for the support of project operations. In-kind contributions, including, but not limited to, materials, commodities, transportation, office space, other types of facilities, or personal services may be evaluated and counted as part or all of the required local funding, at the discretion of the State Office on Homelessness.History.—s. 4, ch. 2020-44.
FL Stat § 420.626 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.626 - Homelessness; discharge guidelines.

420.626 Homelessness; discharge guidelines.—(1) It is the intent of the Legislature, to encourage mental health facilities or institutions under contract with, operated, licensed, or regulated by the state and local governments to ensure that persons leaving their care or custody are not discharged into homelessness.(2) The following facilities and institutions are encouraged to develop and implement procedures designed to reduce the discharge of persons into homelessness when such persons are admitted or housed for more than 24 hours at such facilities or institutions: hospitals and inpatient medical facilities; crisis stabilization units; residential treatment facilities; assisted living facilities; and detoxification centers.(3) The procedures should include all of the following:(a) Development and implementation of a screening process or other mechanism for identifying persons to be discharged from the facility or institution who are at considerable risk for homelessness or face some imminent threat to health and safety upon discharge.(b) Development and implementation of a discharge plan addressing how identified persons will secure housing and other needed care and support upon discharge.(c) Communication with the entities to whom identified persons may potentially be discharged to determine their capability to serve such persons and their acceptance of such persons into their programs, and selection of the entity determined to be best equipped to provide or facilitate the provision of suitable care and support.(d) Coordination of effort and sharing of information with entities that are expected to bear the responsibility for providing care or support to identified persons upon discharge.(e) Provision of sufficient medication, medical equipment and supplies, clothing, transportation, and other basic resources necessary to ensure that the health and well-being of identified persons are not jeopardized upon their discharge.(4) This section is intended only to recommend model guidelines and procedures that mental health facilities or institutions under contract with or operated, licensed, or regulated by the state or local governments may consider when discharging persons into the community. This section is not an entitlement, and no cause of action shall arise against the state, the local government entity, or any other political subdivision of this state for failure to follow any of the procedures or provide any of the services suggested under this section.History.—s. 13, ch. 2001-98; s. 8, ch. 2020-44.
FL Stat § 420.6265 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.6265 - Rapid ReHousing.

420.6265 Rapid ReHousing.—(1) The Rapid ReHousing response to homelessness differs from traditional approaches to addressing homelessness by focusing on each individual’s or family’s barriers to housing. By using this approach, communities can significantly reduce the amount of time that individuals and families are homeless and prevent further episodes of homelessness.(2) In Rapid ReHousing, when an individual or a family is identified as being homeless, the individual or family is assessed and prioritized for housing through the continuum of care’s coordinated entry system, temporary assistance is provided to allow the individual or family to obtain permanent housing as quickly as possible, and necessary assistance is provided to allow the individual or family to retain housing.(3) The objective of Rapid ReHousing is to provide assistance for as short a term as possible so that the individual or family receiving assistance attains stability and integration into the community as quickly as possible.History.—s. 7, ch. 2016-210; s. 9, ch. 2020-44.
FL Stat § 420.6275 (2021)
2021 Florida Statutes|Title XXX - Social Welfare|Chapter 420 - Housing|Part VI - Affordable Housing; Coalitions for Homeless; Family Emergency Assistance (Ss. 420.601-420.635)|420.6275 - Housing First.

420.6275 Housing First.—(1) The Housing First approach to homelessness provides permanent housing assistance, followed by support services responsive to individual or family needs once housing is obtained. By using this approach, communities can significantly reduce the amount of time that individuals and families are homeless and prevent further episodes of homelessness. Housing First emphasizes that social services provided to enhance individual and family well-being can be more effective when people are in their own home, and:(a) The housing is not time-limited.(b) The housing is not contingent on compliance with services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard lease agreement.(c) Individuals and families are provided with individualized services and support necessary to help them maintain stable housing.(2) The Housing First approach addresses the societal causes of homelessness and advocates for the immediate return of individuals and families into housing and communities. Housing First links affordable housing with community-based social service and health care organizations and consists of four components:(a) Crisis intervention and short-term stabilization.(b) Screening, intake, and needs assessment.(c) Provision of housing resources.(d) Provision of case management.History.—s. 4, ch. 2009-164; s. 10, ch. 2020-44.