S 1132

Florida Senate - 2026  SB 1132
By Senator Rouson
16-00991B-26  20261132__
1A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to procedures for discharging persons
3to avoid homelessness; providing a short title;
4amending s. 420.626, F.S.; revising legislative
5intent; encouraging certain facilities and
6institutions, in collaboration with a continuum of
7care lead agency, to develop and implement certain
8procedures for when persons are discharged from
9certain facilities or institutions; requiring the
10Department of Children and Families to conduct a pilot
11program in specified counties; requiring the
12department to submit certain quarterly and, beginning
13on a specified date, annual reports to the Governor
14and the Legislature; revising certain procedures;
15defining the term “client-level data”; requiring the
16sharing of client-level data to comply with specified
17state and federal laws and regulations; requiring a
18continuum of care lead agency to evaluate certain
19procedures and identify gaps and opportunities for
20improvement in its annual continuum of care plan;
21authorizing the State Office on Homelessness, in
22conjunction with the Council on Homelessness, to
23provide guidance to a continuum of care lead agency
24for a specified purpose; providing an effective date.
25
26Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Bridging Systems
29to Housing Act.”
30Section 2. Section 420.626, Florida Statutes, is amended to
31read:
32420.626 Homelessness; discharge guidelines.—
33(1) It is the intent of the Legislature[, to encourage]
34[mental health facilities or institutions under contract with,]
35[operated, licensed, or regulated by the state and local]
36[governments] to ensure, to the extent practicable, that persons
37leaving the [their] care or custody of hospitals and other
38facilities and institutions under contract with, operated by,
39licensed by, or regulated by the state and local governments are
40not discharged into homelessness without connecting such persons
41to the continuum of care.
42(2) The following facilities and institutions, in
43collaboration with the continuum of care lead agency in the
44facility’s or institution’s catchment area, are encouraged to
45develop and implement procedures as provided under subsection
46(4) which are designed to reduce the discharge of persons into
47homelessness when such persons are admitted or housed for more
48than 24 hours at such facilities or institutions: hospitals and
49inpatient medical facilities not located in a county in which a
50pilot program is conducted under subsection (3); crisis
51stabilization units; residential treatment facilities; assisted
52living facilities; and detoxification centers.
53(3)The department shall conduct a pilot program in
54Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, and Pinellas Counties for the
55development and implementation of the procedures required under
56subsection (4) for all hospitals and inpatient medical
57facilities located in those counties.
58(a)Until the pilot program is fully implemented, the
59department must submit to the Governor, the President of the
60Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
61quarterly reports on the status of the pilot program in each
62designated county.
63(b)By November 30, 2027, and annually thereafter, the
64department shall assess and submit a report on the effectiveness
65of the pilot program in each designated county to the Governor,
66the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
67Representatives.
68(4)[(3)] The procedures for persons who consent to
69participate in services must [should] include all of the
70following:
71(a) Development and implementation of an early assessment [a]
72screening process or other mechanism for identifying persons to
73be discharged from the facility or institution who reported
74being homeless at the time of intake, are at considerable risk
75for homelessness, or face an [some] imminent threat to their
76health and safety upon discharge.
77(b) Development and implementation of a discharge plan that
78ensures [addressing how] identified persons are offered a
79transition from the facility or institution to the local
80continuum of care for connection to housing or shelter
81resources, if available, or supportive services [will secure]
82[housing and other needed care and support] upon discharge.
83(c) Communication with the entities to whom identified
84persons may potentially be discharged to determine their
85capability to serve such persons and their acceptance of such
86persons into their programs, and selection of the entity
87determined to be best equipped to provide or facilitate the
88provision of suitable care and support. A discharge to an entity
89may only occur during normal operating hours when the receiving
90entity is open to receive the discharged person.
91(d) Coordination of effort and sharing of information with
92entities that are expected to bear the responsibility for
93providing care or support to identified persons upon discharge
94through the following processes:
951.Enrollment in the Homeless Management Information System
96to collect and share client-level data in order to gain an
97understanding of an identified person’s characteristics,
98eligibility, and needs for housing and related services; or
992.With an identified person’s consent, development and
100implementation of a process or mechanism to share client-level
101data regarding a person’s medical and mental health needs
102outside of the Homeless Management Information System.
103
104As used in this paragraph, the term “client-level data” means
105detailed, individual-level information regarding the housing and
106other relevant needs, such as mental health support, of a person
107being discharged from a facility or institution. Client-level
108data sharing is used to ensure the timely, continuous, and
109coordinated delivery of housing-related services and supports
110after an identified person is stabilized and before the person
111is released from the facility or institution. The sharing of
112client-level data must comply with federal and state privacy and
113confidentiality laws and regulations.
114(e) Provision of sufficient medication, medical equipment
115and supplies, clothing, transportation, and other basic
116resources necessary to ensure that the health and well-being of
117identified persons are not jeopardized upon their discharge.
118(f)Development and implementation of a process for
119facilities and institutions to verify in the Homeless Management
120Information System whether a person is registered with the
121continuum of care and, if so, the entry of a referral in the
122Homeless Management Information System for such person. If a
123person is identified at intake as homeless or is at considerable
124risk of homelessness upon discharge, but the person is not
125registered in the Homeless Management Information System, the
126facility or institution must ensure such person contacts the 211
127call center or other local nonemergency service referral hotline
128to facilitate registration in the Homeless Management
129Information System in order to receive a referral to the
130continuum of care’s coordinated entry system.
131(g)Provision of information, such as a website or other
132resource guides if available, to identified persons regarding
133resource availability through the 211 call center, any other
134local nonemergency service referral hotline, or the continuum of
135care.
136(5)The continuum of care lead agency shall evaluate the
137procedures developed and implemented under subsection (4) and
138identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in its annual
139continuum of care plan submitted to the State Office on
140Homelessness. The State Office on Homelessness, in conjunction
141with the Council on Homelessness, may provide the continuum of
142care lead agency guidance to address ongoing gaps in services to
143strengthen local discharge planning practices.
144(6)[(4)] [This section is intended only to recommend model]
145[guidelines and procedures that mental health facilities or]
146[institutions under contract with or operated, licensed, or]
147[regulated by the state or local governments may consider when]
148[discharging persons into the community.] This section is not an
149entitlement, and no cause of action shall arise against the
150state, the local government entity, or any other political
151subdivision of this state for failure to follow any of the
152procedures or provide any of the services suggested under this
153section.
154Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.