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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of community collaboratives by local |
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entities to provide services to and coordinate the care of persons |
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who are homeless, persons with mental illness, and persons with |
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substance abuse problems. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subtitle I, Title 4, Government Code, is amended |
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by adding Chapter 539 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 539. COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES |
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Sec. 539.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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(1) "Department" means the Department of State Health |
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Services. |
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(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive |
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commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. |
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Sec. 539.002. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY |
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COLLABORATIVES. (a) To the extent funds are appropriated to the |
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department for that purpose, the department shall make grants to |
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local entities, including local governmental entities, nonprofit |
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community organizations, and faith-based community organizations, |
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to establish community collaboratives that bring the public and |
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private sectors together to provide services to and coordinate the |
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care of persons who are homeless, persons with mental illness, and |
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persons with substance abuse problems. |
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(b) The amount of a grant made to a local entity by the |
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department under this section may not exceed $7.5 million and, up to |
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that amount, shall be equal to the amount of money provided to the |
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entity from private funding sources for the establishment of a |
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community collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.003. ACCEPTABLE USES OF GRANT MONEY. A local |
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entity shall use money received from a grant made by the department |
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and private funding sources for the establishment of a community |
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collaborative for the development of the infrastructure of the |
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collaborative and the start-up costs of the collaborative, provided |
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that a collaborative must be self-sustaining within seven years. |
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Other acceptable uses for the money include: |
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(1) the establishment, operation, or maintenance of |
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intake centers, detoxification units, sheltering centers for food, |
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workforce training centers, microbusinesses, and educational |
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centers in the community served by the collaborative; |
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(2) the provision of clothing, hygiene products, and |
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medical services to and the arrangement of transitional and |
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permanent residential housing for persons served by the |
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collaborative; and |
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(3) the establishment of triage procedures to protect |
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the public safety in the community served by the collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.004. ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES. If |
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appropriate, a local entity shall incorporate into the community |
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collaborative established by the entity the use of the |
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department-operated Texas Electronic Registrar, transportation |
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plans, and case managers. An entity shall also consider |
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incorporating into a collaborative mentoring and volunteering |
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opportunities, strategies to reintegrate persons recently released |
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from prison into the community, and services for veterans. |
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Sec. 539.005. OUTCOME MEASURES FOR COMMUNITY |
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COLLABORATIVES. Each local entity that receives a grant from the |
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department to establish a community collaborative shall select at |
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least three of the following outcome measures that the entity will |
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focus on meeting through the implementation of the collaborative: |
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(1) persons served by the collaborative will find |
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regular employment that results in those persons having incomes |
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that are at or above 125 percent of the federal poverty level; |
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(2) persons served by the collaborative will find |
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permanent housing; |
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(3) persons served by the collaborative will complete |
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alcohol or substance abuse programs; |
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(4) the collaborative will help start social |
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businesses in the community and those businesses will create jobs |
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and provide funding that will enable the collaborative to |
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eventually become self-sustaining; |
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(5) there will be a decrease in the local recidivism |
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rate and an increase in the availability of jail beds in the |
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community served by the collaborative; and |
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(6) there will be a decrease in the number of emergency |
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room visits by persons served by the collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.006. ANNUAL REVIEW OF OUTCOME MEASURES. The |
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department shall contract with an independent third party to verify |
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annually whether a community collaborative is meeting the outcome |
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measures under Section 539.005 selected by the local entity that |
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established the collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.007. RECOVERY OF FUNDS. The department shall |
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establish processes by which the department may recover funds from |
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a local entity if the community collaborative established by the |
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entity does not meet the outcome measures selected by the entity for |
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the collaborative under Section 539.005 or is not self-sustaining |
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after seven years. |
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Sec. 539.008. RULES. The executive commissioner shall |
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adopt any rules necessary to implement the community collaborative |
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grant program established under this chapter, including rules to |
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establish the requirements for a local entity to be eligible to |
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receive a grant, the required elements of a community collaborative |
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established by a local entity, and permissible and prohibited uses |
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of money received by a local entity from a grant made by the |
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department under this chapter. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |