Florida HB 1033: Procedures for Discharging Persons to Avoid Homelessness

Bill Text

HB 1033 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1033-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to procedures for discharging persons 2
to avoid homelessness; providing a short title; 3
amending s. 420.626, F.S.; revising legislative 4
intent; encouraging certain facilities and 5
institutions, in collaboration with a Continuum of 6
Care lead agency, to develop and implement certain 7
procedures for when persons are discharged from 8
certain facilities or institutions; requiring the 9
Department of Children and Families to conduct a pilot 10
program in specified counties; requiring the 11
department to submit certain quarterly and, beginning 12
on a specified date, annual reports to the Governor 13
and the Legislature; revising certain procedures; 14
defining the term "client-level data"; requiring the 15
sharing of client-level data to comply with specified 16
state and federal laws and regulations; requiring a 17
Continuum of Care lead agency to evaluate certain 18
procedures and identify gaps and opportunities for 19
improvement in its annual Continuum of Care plan; 20
authorizing the State Office on Homelessness, in 21
conjunction with the Council on Homelessness, to 22
provide guidance to a Continuum of Care lead agency 23
for a specified purpose; providing an effective date. 24
25

HB 1033 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26
27
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Bridging Systems 28
to Housing Act." 29
Section 2. Section 420.626, Florida Statutes, is amended 30
to read: 31
420.626 Homelessness; discharge guidelines.— 32
(1) It is the intent of the Legislature, to encourage 33
mental health facilities or institutions under contract with, 34
operated, licensed, or regulated by the state and local 35
governments to ensure, to the extent practicable, that persons 36
leaving the their care or custody of hospitals and other 37
facilities and institutions under contract with, operated, 38
licensed, or regulated by the state and local governments are 39
not discharged into homelessness without connecting such persons 40
to the Homeless Continuum of Care. 41
(2) The following facilities and institutions, in 42
collaboration with the Continuum of Care lead agency in the 43
facility's or institution's catchment area, are encouraged to 44
develop and implement procedures as provided under subsection 45
(4), which are designed to reduce the discharge of persons into 46
homelessness when such persons are admitted or housed for more 47
than 24 hours at such facilities or institutions: hospitals and 48
inpatient medical facilities not located in a county in which a 49
pilot program is conducted under subsection (3); crisis 50

HB 1033 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

stabilization units; residential treatment facilities; assisted 51
living facilities; and detoxification centers. 52
(3) The department shall conduct a pilot program in 53
Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, and Pinellas Counties for the 54
development and implementation of the procedures required under 55
subsection (4) for all hospitals and inpatient medical 56
facilities located in those counties. 57
(a) Until the pilot program is fully implemented, the 58
department must submit to the Governor, the President of the 59
Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 60
quarterly reports on the status of the pilot program in each 61
designated county. 62
(b) The department shall assess the effectiveness of each 63
pilot program and, by November 30, 2027, and annually 64
thereafter, submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 65
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report on the 66
effectiveness of each program. 67
(4)(3) The procedures, for persons who consent to 68
participate in services, must should include all of the 69
following: 70
(a) Development and implementation of an early assessment 71
a screening process or other mechanism for identifying persons 72
to be discharged from the facility or institution who reported 73
being homeless at the time of intake, are at considerable risk 74
for homelessness, or face some imminent threat to health and 75

HB 1033 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

safety upon discharge. 76
(b) Development and implementation of a discharge plan 77
that ensures addressing how identified persons are offered a 78
transition from the facility or institution to the local 79
Continuum of Care for connection to housing or shelter 80
resources, if available, or supportive s