Emergency Family Stabilization Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 220 To provide emergency relief to youth, children, and families experiencing homelessness, in light of the health and economic consequences of COVID–19. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 4, 2021 Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. MANCHIN, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. SINEMA, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. CASEY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. KELLY, and Mr. SULLIVAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To provide emergency relief to youth, children, and families experiencing homelessness, in light of the health and economic consequences of COVID–19. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Family 4 Stabilization Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 220 IS (1) CURRENT ACF GRANT OR SUBGRANT RE- 1 CIPIENT.—The term ‘‘current ACF grant or 2 subgrant recipient’’ means an Indian Tribe, Tribal 3 organization, Native Hawaiian organization, local 4 educational agency, or a local public, private, or In- 5 dian nonprofit agency or organization (including cul- 6 turally specific community-based and faith-based or- 7 ganizations) that, as of the date of application for 8 a grant under section 3, is also receiving another 9 grant or subgrant administered by the Administra- 10 tion for Children and Families. 11 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 12 the Director of the Office of Community Services of 13 the Department of Health and Human Services. 14 (3) DIRECT SERVICES.— 15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 16 subparagraph (B), the term ‘‘direct services’’ 17 does not include providing referrals or oper- 18 ating a coordinated entry system or homeless 19 management information system, by itself. 20 (B) INDIAN TRIBES, TRIBAL ORGANIZA- 21 TIONS, OR NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZA- 22 TIONS.—An Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, 23 or Native Hawaiian organization that provides 24 referrals or assists other service providers with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 220 IS direct services shall be considered as providing 1 direct services for purposes of this Act. 2 (4) FAMILY STABILIZATION AGENCY.—The 3 term ‘‘family stabilization agency’’ means— 4 (A) a current ACF grant or subgrant re- 5 cipient; 6 (B) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza- 7 tion; 8 (C) an urban Indian organization; 9 (D) a Native Hawaiian organization, 10 (E) a local educational agency; or 11 (F) a local public, private, or Indian non- 12 profit agency or organization (including com- 13 munity-based and faith-based organizations), 14 with expertise and demonstrated experience 15 providing direct services to one or more of the 16 following populations: 17 (i) Children experiencing homeless- 18 ness, including children under age 6. 19 (ii) Unaccompanied homeless youth 20 under the age of 18. 21 (iii) Unaccompanied homeless youth 22 between the ages of 18 and 25. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 220 IS (iv) Pregnant women, and pregnant or 1 parenting youth, experiencing homeless- 2 ness. 3 (v) Families experiencing homeless- 4 ness. 5 (vi) Survivors of dating violence, do- 6 mestic violence, family violence, or traf- 7 ficking. 8 (5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 9 means an Indian tribe, as defined in section 4 of the 10 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 11 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 12 (6) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 13 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ has the mean- 14 ing given that term in section 6207 of the Elemen- 15 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 16 U.S.C. 7517). 17 (7) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 18 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 19 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec- 20 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 21 (8) RURAL.—The term ‘‘rural’’ means a unit of 22 local government with a population of less than 23 50,000. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 220 IS (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 2 (10) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Trib- 3 al organization’’ means a tribal organization, as de- 4 fined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 5 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 6 (11) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 7 ‘‘urban Indian organization’’ has the meaning given 8 the term ‘‘Urban Indian organization’’ in section 4 9 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 10 U.S.C. 1603). 11 (12) YOUTH, CHILD, OR FAMILY EXPERIENCING 12 HOMELESSNESS.—The term ‘‘youth, child, or family 13 experiencing homelessness’’ means— 14 (A) a homeless child or youth, as defined 15 in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento 16 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 17 11434a(2)), who is under the age of 25; 18 (B) an unaccompanied youth, as defined in 19 section 725(6) of the McKinney-Vento Home- 20 less Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(6)), who 21 is under the age of 25; or 22 (C) a household of not less than 2 people 23 that includes not less than 1 person under age 24 22 who is a homeless child or youth, as defined 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 220 IS in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento 1 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 2 11434a(2)). 3 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO FAMILY STABILIZATION AGENCIES. 4 (a) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail- 6 able under section 4 and not reserved under sub- 7 section (b), the Secretary, acting through the Direc- 8 tor, shall, on a competitive basis in accordance with 9 subsection (d), award grants to family stabilization 10 agencies (including current ACF grant or subgrant 11 recipients and entities that have not previously re- 12 ceived grants from the Administration for Children 13 and Families) to enable the family stabilization 14 agencies to carry out the activities described in sub- 15 section (e). 16 (2) DISTRIBUTION TIMING.— 17 (A) CURRENT ACF GRANT OR SUBGRANT 18 RECIPIENTS.—The Secretary shall award grants 19 under this section, in accordance with sub- 20 section (d), to family stabilization agencies that 21 are current ACF grant or subgrant recipients 22 by not later than the date that is 45 days after 23 the date of enactment of this Act. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 220 IS (B) ADDITIONAL GRANTEES.—The Sec- 1 retary shall award grants under this section, in 2 accordance with subsection (d), to family sta- 3 bilization agencies that are not current ACF 4 grant or subgrant recipients by not later than 5 the date that is 130 days after the date of en- 6 actment of this Act. 7 (3) DISSEMINATION OF APPLICATIONS.—The 8 Secretary shall— 9 (A) ensure the application for grants under 10 this Act is broadly disseminated, including 11 through public posting on the website of the 12 Administration for Children and Families and 13 sharing with current ACF grant or subgrant re- 14 cipients; and 15 (B) make special dissemination efforts to 16 rural areas and among Indian Tribes, Tribal 17 organizations, and Native Hawaiian organiza- 18 tions. 19 (b) RESERVATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not 20 less than 1 percent and not more than 1.5 percent of the 21 amount appropriated under this Act to be used for admin- 22 istration, oversight, and technical assistance activities 23 through the Administration for Children and Families. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 220 IS (c) APPLICATION.—A family stabilization agency that 1 desires to receive a grant under this Act shall submit an 2 application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 3 and containing or accompanied by such information as the 4 Secretary may reasonably require. Such application shall 5 include the following: 6 (1) A description of the housing, education, 7 health, mental and behavioral health, employment, 8 and other needs of youth, children, and families ex- 9 periencing homelessness, in the area served by such 10 agency, specifically including youth, children, and 11 families who are sharing the housing of other per- 12 sons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or 13 a similar reason. 14 (2) Available data on the extent of youth, child, 15 and family homelessness in the area served by such 16 agency, including data available from local edu- 17 cational agencies and data on child poverty in the 18 area. 19 (3) A description of barriers youth, children, 20 and families experiencing homelessness face in ac- 21 cessing services, including barriers related to dating 22 violence, domestic violence, family violence, poverty, 23 lack of employment, lack of transportation, lack of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 220 IS telephone and internet connectivity, educational 1 needs, and language accessibility. 2 (4) A description of such agency’s direct service 3 expertise and experience with youth, child, or family 4 homelessness, specifically including youth, children, 5 and families who are sharing the housing of other 6 persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, 7 or a similar reason. 8 (5) A description of the area served by such 9 agency, including whether the service area is urban, 10 suburban, rural, or Tribal. If the applicant claims to 11 cover a Tribal service area but is not an Indian 12 Tribe or Tribal organization, the applicant shall pro- 13 vide evidence of having consulted with the Indian 14 Tribe or Tribal organization whose service area the 15 applicant claims to cover and provide proof that the 16 Indian Tribe or Tribal organization supports the ap- 17 plicant’s application. 18 (6) A description of such agency’s existing part- 19 nerships with other agencies or organizations with 20 experience serving youth, children, and families ex- 21 periencing homelessness. 22 (7) A description of how funds received under 23 the grant will be used to provide emergency relief to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 220 IS youth, children, and families experiencing homeless- 1 ness, specifically including— 2 (A) youth, children, and families who are 3 sharing the housing of other persons due to loss 4 of housing, economic hardship, or a similar rea- 5 son; and 6 (B) youth, children, and families experi- 7 encing homelessness who are not receiving serv- 8 ices through the Continuum of Care program 9 under subpart C of title IV of the McKinney- 10 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11 11381 et seq.) as of the date of the application. 12 (d) AWARD BASIS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 14 grants under this section on the basis of— 15 (A) the need in the area served by each ap- 16 plicant; 17 (B) the quality of each application; and 18 (C) the distribution and priority require- 19 ments under paragraphs (4) and (5). 20 (2) NEED.—In determining need under para- 21 graph (1)(A), the Secretary shall consider— 22 (A) the extent of children, youth, and fam- 23 ilies experiencing homelessness in the area 24 served by the family stabilization agency, in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 220 IS cluding data available from local educational 1 agencies and data on child poverty; 2 (B) the extent to which the proposed uses 3 of funds will provide emergency relief to meet 4 unmet needs of youth, children, and families ex- 5 periencing homelessness, specifically including 6 youth, children, and families who are sharing 7 the housing of other persons due to loss of 8 housing, economic hardship, or a similar rea- 9 son; 10 (C) the extent to which the proposed uses 11 of funds will provide emergency relief to youth, 12 children, and families experiencing homeless- 13 ness who are not currently receiving services 14 through the Continuum of Care program under 15 subpart C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento 16 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et 17 seq.); and 18 (D) the extent to which the application ad- 19 dresses the particular needs of pregnant 20 women, pregnant and parenting youth, Indian 21 or Native Hawaiian women, children under age 22 6, children with disabilities, families experi- 23 encing domestic violence, survivors of sexual as- 24 sault or human trafficking, or historically 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 220 IS marginalized and underserved communities of 1 color. 2 (3) QUALITY.—In determining quality under 3 paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall consider, for 4 both current ACF grant or subgrant recipients and 5 not current ACF grant or subgrant recipients, the 6 following: 7 (A) The family stabilization agency’s needs 8 assessment under subsection (c)(1) and the 9 likelihood that the program presented in the ap- 10 plication will meet such needs. 11 (B) The types, intensity, and coordination 12 of the emergency relief to be provided under the 13 program to youth, children, and families experi- 14 encing homelessness. 15 (C) The extent of the family stabilization 16 agency’s demonstrated expertise and experience 17 providing direct services to youth, children, and 18 families experiencing homelessness who are 19 sharing the housing of other persons due to loss 20 of housing, economic hardship, or a similar rea- 21 son. 22 (D) The robustness of such agency’s plan 23 to reach youth, children, and families experi- 24 encing homelessness who are sharing the hous- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:32 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S220.IS S220 pbinns on DSKJLV [Text truncated for display. 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