(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—

(a) The Legislature finds that Rapid ReHousing is a strategy of using temporary financial assistance and case management to quickly move an individual or family out of homelessness and into permanent housing.

(b) The Legislature also finds that public and private solutions to homelessness in the past have focused on providing individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness with emergency shelter, transitional housing, or a combination of both. While emergency shelter and transitional housing programs may provide critical access to services for individuals and families in crisis, the programs often fail to address their long-term needs.

(c) The Legislature further finds that most households become homeless as a result of a financial crisis that prevents individuals and families from paying rent or a domestic conflict that results in one member being ejected or leaving without resources or a plan for housing.

(d) The Legislature further finds that Rapid ReHousing is an alternative approach to the current system of emergency shelter or transitional housing which tends to reduce the length of time a person is homeless and has proven to be cost effective.

(e) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to encourage homeless continuums of care to adopt the Rapid ReHousing approach to preventing homelessness for individuals and families who do not require the intense level of supports provided in the permanent supportive housing model.

(2) RAPID REHOUSING METHODOLOGY.—

(a) 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.

(b) In Rapid ReHousing, an individual or family is identified as being homeless, temporary assistance is provided to allow the individual or family to obtain permanent housing as quickly as possible, and, if needed, assistance is provided to allow the individual or family to retain housing.

(c) The objective of Rapid ReHousing is to provide assistance for as short a term as possible so that the individual or family receiving assistance does not develop a dependency on the assistance.

History.—s. 7, ch. 2016-210.