Legislative Advocacy
The Florida Coalition to End Homelessness (FCEH) members stand as one voice to improve policy and increase funding to prevent and end homelessness in the State of Florida.
Legislative Agenda and Information
Pin Point Results (PPR) is the legislative advocate for FCEH and its members. Legislative Advocacy begins with you locally. Please utilize the information below to meet with your local representatives during delegation meetings and in their local offices to provide them with FCEH’s Legislative Agenda.
FCEH2021-Legislative-Priorities
ASK
- Florida Coalition to End Homelessness supports maintaining the homeless challenge grant and DCF staffing grant at the same level as current funding.
- Florida Coalition to End Homelessness supports full funding of the affordable housing trust fund – no sweeps.
Find Your Legislator
Join FCEH Today
The 2021 State of Florida Legislative Session is underway. Members will remain updated via weekly emails and conference calls with our legislative advocates, PinPoint Results. Do you want to stay informed?
CoC Members will receive a custom legislative handout illustrating their local homeless data and the return on investment to support local funding for homeless services. For more information, please click here.
Updates:
1/25/21: Current Affordable Housing Trust Funds available in Housing Trust Fund $648.3 M
HB 13 – State Funds, by Representative Killebrew (Co-Sponsor – Silvers) was recently filed. The bill, which exempts State Housing Trust Funds & Local Government Housing Trust Fund from legislative “sweeps”, is the same legislation that was filed last year. SB 510 – State Funds, by Senator Hooper. Identical to HB 13.
12/28/20: Senator Berman (Palm Beach County) and Representative Geller (Broward, Miami-Dade County) recently filed legislation, which expands the grounds for the reclassification of crimes to include prejudice based on the gender or gender identity of any person; specifying that the reclassification occurs if the crime was based in whole or in part on the race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status, advanced age, gender, or gender identity of any person. Please see: HB43 and SB 194
Bills:
Stop Sweeps from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Florida Coalition to End Homelessness Advocacy Goals
Secure Funding
Florida Coalition to End Homelessness has been instrumental in securing recurring Challenge Grant and CoC Staffing Grant contracts. This work has resulted in a three-year unified contract for all CoC staffing, Challenge Grant, ESG, and TANF dollars. These funds are provided directly to all of the Continuum of Care Lead Agencies in the State of Florida. This allows the CoC to plan ahead and to identify and fund homeless programs throughout the State.
Florida Coalition to End Homelessness worked with the State Office on Homelessness to reduce the number of homeless contracts to the 27 Lead Agencies. The goal was to move all funding streams to a unified RFA for lead agencies with a 3 year contract. This has resulted in an extension of the expenditure window to a full 12 months year to year. This has also reduced the dollars being returned unspent. The reversion rate started at 21% in FY ’12-13. With Unified Contracts in FY ’17-18, the reversion rate was only 1.9%.
Improve Policy
FCEH is a leading voice on state homeless policy. From advocating for improved state policy to analyzing enacted and proposed legislation, FCEH actively engages in the legislative process. FCEH works collaboratively with public, private, and nonprofit partners to develop, analyze, and advocate for policy solutions to end homelessness.
Legislative Advocacy History
This is a summary of the advocacy work completed for FCEH and its members since 2013.
| Yearly Appropriation Advocacy Success | |||||
| Year | Recurring Staffing Grant | Non-Recurring Staffing Grant | Recurring Challenge Grant | Non-Recurring Challenge Grant | Total Staffing / Challenge Grant Funding |
| 2019 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $3,181,500 | $0 | $6,181,500 |
| 2018 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,181,500 | $6,181,500 |
| 2017 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $5,000,000 | $0 | $8,000,000 |
| 2016 | $2,700,000 | $300,000 | $5,000,000 | $0 | $8,000,000 |
| 2015 | $2,000,000 | $50,000 | $3,800,000 | $0 | $5,850,000 |
| 2014 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $0 | $3,800,000 | $6,800,000 |
| 2013 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,000,000 |
| Legislation Advocacy Success | ||
| Year | Legislation | Importance To FCEH |
| 2019 | HB 1353 / SB 1218 – Homeless Statute rewrite | Homeless statute rewrite. SB 1218 by Senator Book and HB 1353 by Representative Altman updates Florida’s current statutes governing Homelessness Programs administered by the State Office on Homelessness to more effectively and efficiently prevent and end homelessness in our State. HB 1353 passed the Full House, however; SB 1218 was one of the many bills stuck in Senate Appropriations due to budget posturing between the two Chambers. Both members have already agreed to re-file the bills for the upcoming 2020 legislative session. |
| 2017 | HB 1013 / SB 854 – Affordable Housing Task Force | Affordable Housing Task Force – FCEH advocated for and was successful in securing, an amendment to include ‘a homeless advocate’ as a task force member. |
| 2016 | HB 1235/SB 1534 – Housing Assistance | The original bill text attempted changes to current law that were adverse to FCEH’s efforts. FCEH successfully advocated for a number of amendments to the bill in FCEH’s favor. |
| 2015 | HB 1291/SB 586 – Amendment 1 Implementation | The bill amended the underlying doc stamp distribution statute to implement Amendment 1. FCEH advocated protecting the provisions within the bill to preserve the existing distributions to the Housing Trust Funds. Because of FCEH’s legislative advocacy, the doc stamp distribution to the housing trust funds were held harmless preserving critical funds for ending homelessness in the State of Florida. |
| 2014 | HB 203/SB 260 – Unaccompanied Homeless Youths | Establishes the legal authority for unaccompanied homeless youth to consent to certain medical procedures and care or consent to a forensic medical examination without a parent’s permission. |
| 2014 | HB 979/SB1500 – Homelessness | The bill modified the training and technical assistance program under the Affordable Housing Planning and Community Assistance Act (Act), to provide that an acceptable use of the Act is to meet the needs of the homeless. Further, the bill also modifies qualifications and eligible activities for “Challenge Grants” administered by the Office of Homelessness within the Department of Children and Families. FCEH successfully advocated for a number of amendments to the bill in FCEH’s favor. |
| 2013 | HB 93/SB 402 – Homeless | The bill allows voluntary contributions of $1 per applicant for motor vehicle registration, renewal of registration, license application, renewal issuance or renewal extension, to aid the homeless. As of May 31, 2016, $178,566.88 has been collected. |