Bill > HB689

This bill establishes a homelessness prevention program within Georgia's existing housing trust fund for the homeless, aiming to keep low-income individuals and families housed and avoid evictions. The program will define "homelessness prevention program" to include initiatives that prevent homelessness, support housing stability for low-income individuals, and help avoid evictions, provided they are certified by the commission and not already covered by other housing programs. It expands the definition of a "qualified sponsor" to include entities like legal aid services, mediation providers focused on eviction diversion, coalitions offering a single point of entry for rental assistance, and local housing authorities, all of whom can apply for funding. The bill outlines the duties of the commission to accept applications for these new prevention programs, similar to how it handles applications for residential housing projects and stable housing accountability programs. It also allows the commission to accept federal funds, appropriations, and donations specifically for homelessness prevention programs. A new section details the process for these prevention programs, including the commission's role in authorizing disbursements, consulting with housing experts, developing an application process, and setting minimum statewide standards. These standards require programs to build capacity for prevention services, short-term rental assistance, and eviction diversion, or to provide specific services like emergency rental and utility assistance, legal representation in eviction cases, mediation for eviction diversion, or operate a portal for assistance applications. The bill also specifies criteria for approving applications, such as the number of people served, the applicant's ability to leverage resources, geographic distribution, quality of assistance, and likelihood of success, with all program details to be published online. Finally, it mandates that no funds will be disbursed until a contract is signed, requiring financial assurance from the sponsor.