Florida Senate - 2025 CS for CS for SB 584
By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; and Education Postsecondary;
and Senators Garcia and Osgood
594-03711-25 2025584c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to young adult housing support;
3 amending s. 409.1452, F.S.; requiring each Florida
4 College System institution and state university to
5 develop plans for prioritizing the placement of
6 certain students; requiring a Florida College System
7 institution or state university to provide certain
8 students with first priority for housing and work
9 study opportunities under certain circumstances;
10 prohibiting Florida College System institutions and
11 state universities from requiring that certain
12 students have a cosigner or guarantor; creating s.
13 409.14525, F.S.; requiring the Department of Children
14 and Families, community-based care lead agencies, and
15 housing authorities to take any action required by the
16 United States Department of Housing and Urban
17 Development to administer the federal Foster Youth to
18 Independence initiative and other federal programs and
19 vouchers; requiring the department, community-based
20 care lead agencies, and certain subcontracted service
21 providers to document certain actions; providing
22 applicability; requiring the Office of Program Policy
23 Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to
24 conduct a study of the barriers to housing faced by
25 young adults who are homeless or were formerly in
26 foster care; requiring OPPAGA to consult with certain
27 entities in conducting the study; requiring OPPAGA to
28 provide a report to the Governor and the Legislature
29 by a certain date; providing an effective date.
30
31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32
33 Section 1. Subsections (4), (5), and (6) are added to
34 section 409.1452, Florida Statutes, to read:
35 409.1452 Collaboration with State University System,
36 Florida College System, and Department of Education to assist
37 children and young adults who have been or are in foster care or
38 are experiencing homelessness; documentation regarding
39 eligibility for tuition and fee exemptions; housing assistance.
40 The department shall collaborate with the State University
41 System, the Florida College System, and the Department of
42 Education to address the need for a comprehensive support
43 structure in the academic arena to assist children and young
44 adults who have been or remain in the foster care system in
45 making the transition from a structured care system into an
46 independent living setting.
47 (4) Each Florida College System institution and state
48 university shall, in consultation with the State Office on
49 Homelessness within the Department of Children and Families,
50 develop plans for prioritizing the placement of students who are
51 or were formerly in foster care and those experiencing
52 homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including,
53 but not limited to, students eligible for a tuition and fee
54 exemption under s. 1009.25(1)(c)1.-4. or (e), in residence halls
55 and dormitory residences owned by the institution or university.
56 The Office of Continuing Care established under s. 414.56 is
57 responsible for determining whether a student is or was formerly
58 in foster care. Each Florida College System institution and
59 state university is responsible for determining whether a
60 student is eligible for a tuition or fee exemption under s.
61 1009.25(1)(e).
62 (5) If a Florida College System institution or state
63 university implements a priority system for the assignment of
64 students to or the award of any of the following, the
65 institution or university must provide students eligible for the
66 tuition and fee exemption under s. 1009.25(1)(c)1.-4. or (e)
67 with first priority:
68 (a) Institution-operated or university-operated housing.
69 (b) Year-round housing.
70 (c) Work-study opportunities.
71 (6) Florida College System institutions and state
72 universities may not require students to have a cosigner or
73 guarantor to obtain housing if the student receives housing
74 support under s. 409.1451(2) or (3) or is in care under s.
75 39.6251.
76 Section 2. Section 409.14525, Florida Statutes, is created
77 to read:
78 409.14525 Housing support for young adults; federal housing
79 vouchers.—The department, community-based care lead agencies,
80 and housing authorities created under s. 421.04 shall take any
81 action required by the United States Department of Housing and
82 Urban Development to administer the federal Foster Youth to
83 Independence (FYI) initiative and other federal programs and
84 vouchers offered by the United States Department of Housing and
85 Urban Development, which may include the department, the
86 community-based care lead agencies, and their subcontractors
87 doing any of the following:
88 (1) Entering into a memorandum of understanding or a letter
89 of intent with all of the housing authorities within their
90 service areas.
91 (2) Providing or securing supportive services for
92 participating youth for the duration of the FYI initiative
93 voucher.
94 (3) Providing a written certification to the housing
95 authority verifying the youth’s child welfare history.
96 (4) Identifying youth eligible for an FYI initiative
97 voucher within the community-based care lead agency’s caseload
98 and communicating their eligibility to the youth.
99
100 The department, community-based care lead agencies, and their
101 subcontracted service providers that administer housing funds
102 for young adults in the child welfare system shall document
103 actions taken to facilitate a young adult’s acquisition of a
104 residential lease, which may include, but are not limited to,
105 providing assurances to a landlord that funding will be provided
106 on a monthly basis through a housing voucher. This section
107 applies to entities that serve young adults receiving
108 postsecondary educational services and support or aftercare
109 services under s. 409.1451 or young adults receiving continuing
110 care under s. 39.6251.
111 Section 3. (1) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
112 Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study of the
113 barriers that young adults who are homeless or were formerly in
114 foster care face when trying to obtain housing. The study must
115 include recommendations for overcoming those barriers.
116 (2) In conducting the study, OPPAGA shall consult with the
117 Department of Children and Families, the Board of Governors of
118 the State University System, the Florida College System, the
119 Department of Commerce, public housing authorities, affected
120 young adults, and other stakeholders.
121 (3) OPPAGA must issue its findings by December 1, 2026, in
122 a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
123 Speaker of the House of Representatives.
124 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.