{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-194a.735","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 194A.735","heading":"Homelessness  Prevention Project -- Goals -- Support -- Timetables","body":"-- Participation -- Discharge plan -- Administrative regulations -- Data\ncollection -- Reports -- Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness.\n(1) Subject to sufficient funding, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and\nthe Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, in consultation with any other state\nagency  as appropriate, shall develop and  implement the Homelessness\nPrevention Project, which offers institutional discharge planning on a voluntary\nbasis to:\n(a) Persons  with serious mental illness, persons between  the ages of\neighteen (18) and twenty-five (25) who  may  be at risk of developing\nserious mental illness who are being released from a mental health facility\noperated or contracted by the cabinet, or persons with a history of\nmultiple utilizations of health care, mental health care, or judicial systems;\n(b) Persons who are being released after serving out a sentence from any\nstate-operated prison or persons who  are being paroled from any\nstate-operated prison; or\n(c) Persons who will be aging out of foster care or who have aged out of\nfoster care.\n(2) The primary goal of the project shall be to prepare a limited number of persons\nin a foster home  under supervision by the Cabinet for Health and Family\nServices, state-operated prisons under supervision by the Justice and Public\nSafety Cabinet, and mental health facilities operated or contracted by the\nCabinet  for Health and  Family Services for return or reentry into the\ncommunity, and to offer information about any necessary linkage of the person\nto needed community services and supports.\n(a) The  project shall be jointly supported by each of the cabinets and\nmanaged  under the direction of the Cabinet for Health and Family\nServices, Department  for Behavioral Health, Developmental  and\nIntellectual Disabilities, Division of Behavioral Health.\n(b) Subject to sufficient funding as provided by an executive branch budget\nbill, the Division of Behavioral Health shall select the Homelessness\nPrevention Project sites. These sites shall be in addition to and integrated\nwith the site located in and serving Jefferson County and the site located\nin a community  mental health center serving Clinton, Cumberland,\nMcCreary, and Wayne  Counties.\n(c) Within thirty (30) days of July 15, 2016, the cabinets shall supply the\nproject director at each site with the collection of information on available\nemployment, social, housing, educational, medical, mental health, and\nother community services in the county. The information shall include but\nnot be limited to the service area of each public and private provider of\nservices, the capacity of each provider to render services to persons\nserved by the project, the fees of each provider, contact names  and\ntelephone numbers for each provider, and an emergency contact for each\nprovider.\n(d) Within thirty (30) days of July 15, 2016, the cabinets and directors shall\nbegin a program of education for each of the cabinet and foster home and\nmental health and appropriate state-operated prison facility staff who will\nparticipate in the development  of a  discharge plan for volunteer\nparticipants under this section.\n(3) The project shall operate on a voluntary basis. Persons eligible for discharge or\ncompleting their sentence or who are being paroled from any state-operated\nprison shall be offered the opportunity to participate in the project. This offer\nshall be made at least six (6) months prior to discharge. There shall be a cap\non the number of persons served in each Homelessness Prevention Project\noffice, to be determined by available funding and staffing requirements.\n(a) The  staff member  designated as  the  homelessness  prevention\ncoordinator for each foster home or mental health facility shall maintain a\nfile for each volunteer participant in the foster home  or mental health\nfacility, relating to the participant's employment,  social, housing,\neducational, medical, and mental health needs. This file shall be updated\nfrom  time to time as appropriate and pursuant to an administrative\nregulation promulgated by the cabinet in accordance with KRS  Chapter\n13A  that establishes standards for the discharge summary. The staff\nmember  designated as the homelessness prevention coordinator for the\nappropriate state-operated prison participating in the project shall\nmaintain a file containing appropriate forms completed and updated by\neach  person voluntarily participating in the project, relating to the\ninformation provided under subsection (6) of this section. All applicable\nprivacy and confidentiality laws shall be followed in assembling and\nmaintaining this file.\n(b) Six (6) months prior to the expected date of discharge, the discharge\ncoordinator for each foster home  and mental health and state-operated\nprison facility shall contact the homelessness prevention director for the\nappropriate site where  the volunteer participant chooses  to locate\nfollowing discharge about the pending release of the volunteer participant\nwho  is eligible for discharge from a foster home  or mental health\nfacility,who will have served out his or her sentence in a state-operated\nprison facility, or who is being paroled from any state-operated prison that\nis participating in the project. The director shall visit the home  or facility,\nas appropriate, to assist with the preparation of the final comprehensive\ndischarge plan.\n(c) The homelessness prevention director from the site where the participant\nchooses  to locate and the discharge coordinator for each participating\nfoster home  and mental health and state-operated prison facility shall\nwork  together to develop a final comprehensive discharge plan that\naddresses the employment, health care, educational, housing, and other\nneeds of the person to be released, subject to the consent of the person\nand  the funding and staffing capabilities of the director. Information\nprovided by the coordinator may include and be limited to, subject to the\nstaffing and funding capabilities of the coordinator, information provided\nby the person to be released on a form or forms made  available by the\nfoster home  or mental health or state-operated prison facility. The\ndischarge plan shall contain but not be limited to the following:\n1. Estimated discharge date from the foster home,  state-operated\nprison facility, or mental health facility, or identification by a social\nservice provider of a person who  meets  the criteria listed in\nsubsection (1) of this section;\n2. Educational background of the person to be released, including any\nclasses completed or skills obtained by the person while in the foster\nhome, state-operated prison facility, or mental health facility;\n3. The person's medical and mental health needs;\n4. Other relevant social or family background information;\n5. A listing of previous attempts to arrange for post-release residence,\nemployment,  medical  and  mental  health services, housing,\neducation, and other community-based services for the person; and\n6. Other available funding and public programs that may  reimburse\nany services obtained from a provider listed in the discharge plan.\nEvery effort shall be made in the discharge plan to refer the person\nto a provider that has agreed to an arranged public or private\nfunding arrangement.\nNo  discharge plan shall be completed unless the written consent,\nconsistent with state and federal privacy laws, to compile the information\nand prepare the plan has been given by the person eligible for release\nwho  has volunteered to participate in the project.\n(4) The  homelessness prevention director from the site where the participant\nchooses  to locate shall assist with the completion of a final comprehensive\ndischarge plan that may include but need not be limited to the following:\n(a) Availability of appropriate housing, including but not limited to a\ntwenty-four (24) month  transitional program, supportive housing, or\nhalfway house. Planning discharge to an emergency  shelter is not\nappropriate to meet the housing needs of the person being discharged\nfrom foster care, a state-operated prison facility, or a mental health\nfacility;\n(b) Access  to appropriate treatment services for participants who  require\nfollow-up treatment;\n(c) Availability of  appropriate employment  opportunities, including\nassessment of vocational skills and job training; and\n(d) Identification of appropriate opportunities to further education.\n(5) Discharge planning shall be individualized, comprehensive, and coordinated\nwith community-based services.\n(a) Each  discharge plan shall create a  continuous, coordinated, and\nseamless system that is designed to meet the needs of the person.\n(b) Staff of the foster home or facility and staff of community-based services\nproviders shall be involved in the planning.\n(c) Each  facility shall utilize, wherever possible, community-based services\nwithin the facility to establish familiarity of the person residing in the\nfacility with the community services.\n(6) The  Department of Corrections shall, through an administrative regulation\npromulgated in accordance with KRS  Chapter 13A, develop a discharge plan\nthat addresses the education; employment, technical, and vocational skills; and\nhousing, medical, and mental health needs of a person who is to be released\nafter serving out his or her sentence in a state-operated prison facility\nparticipating in the project.\n(7) Appropriate data about discharge placements and follow-up measures shall be\ncollected and analyzed. The analysis shall be included in the interim and final\nreports of the project specified in subsection (8) of this section.\n(8) Each  homelessness  prevention director shall have regular meetings with\nappropriate state cabinet and agency staff to review the project and make\nrecommendations for the benefit of the project. Each director shall be assisted\nby  a local advisory council composed  of local providers of services and\nconsumer  advocates who are familiar with homelessness prevention issues.\nPriority for membership  on the advisory council shall be given to existing\nresources and regional mental health and substance abuse advisory councils\nat the discretion of the director.\n(9) Each  cabinet shall collect data about the discharge plans, referrals, costs of\nservices, and rate of recidivism related to the homelessness prevention project,\nand  shall submit an annual report to the Governor and  the Legislative\nResearch Commission no later than October 1 that summarizes the data and\ncontains recommendations for the improvement of the project. The annual\nreport also shall be forwarded to the Kentucky Interagency Council on\nHomelessness.\n(10)(a) The  Kentucky  Interagency Council on  Homelessness  is hereby\nestablished to plan, develop, coordinate, and implement programs for the\npurpose  of improving the well-being of homeless  Kentuckians. The\ncouncil shall be attached to the Homeless  and Housing Coalition of\nKentucky for administrative purposes.\n(b) The council shall include but not be limited to the following members:\n1. The secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;\n2. The  executive director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of\nKentucky;\n3. The chief executive officer of the Kentucky Housing Corporation;\n4. The commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs;\n5. The secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet;\n6. The secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet;\n7. The secretary of the Transportation Cabinet;\n8. The executive director of the Administrative Office of the Courts;\n9. The state budget director;\n10. A  representative from  the  Kentucky  Housing  Association,\nrepresenting public housing authorities, appointed by the Governor\nfor a two (2) year term; and\n11. An  individual who has previously experienced homelessness and\naddiction, appointed by the Governor for a two (2) year term.\n(c) The chair of the council shall be appointed by the Governor for a two (2)\nyear term and the vice chair shall be elected by the members  of the\ncouncil for a two (2) year term.\n(d) Members  of the council who are not state employees shall be reimbursed\nfor actual expenses  incurred in the performance of their duties in\naccordance with KRS  45.101 and administrative regulations promulgated\nthereunder.\n(e) The council shall have the following functions and duties:\n1. To  serve as the single statewide homeless planning and policy\ndevelopment resource for the Commonwealth  of Kentucky;\n2. To  review, update, and  recommend  changes  to Kentucky's\nTen-Year  Plan  to  End  Homelessness  and  monitor  its\nimplementation;\n3. To serve as a state clearinghouse for information on services and\nhousing options for the homeless population;\n4. To conduct other activities as appropriate and necessary; and\n5. To report to the Governor and General Assembly as requested.","path":["KRS Chapter 194A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=52405","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:47Z","sha256":"0f21b7a449302cbd03115fcffc34aacbb2d9729da988f3fe6a697b1042051c45","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-194a.729","next":"us-ky/krs-194a.750"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}