Homelessness prevention grants.

(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is created a grant program to provide emergency financial assistance to families facing the loss of their current home due to a financial or other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer moneys appropriated to the Department of Children and Families to provide homelessness prevention grants annually to lead agencies for local homeless assistance continuums of care, as recognized by the State Office on Homelessness. These moneys shall consist of any sums that the state may appropriate, as well as money received from donations, gifts, bequests, or otherwise from any public or private source that is intended to assist families to prevent them from becoming homeless.

(2) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—Grant applicants shall be ranked competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants who leverage additional private funds and public funds, who demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention programs in keeping families housed, and who demonstrate the commitment of other assistance and services to address family health, employment, and education needs.

(3) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to qualify for a grant, a lead agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The homelessness prevention program must be included in the continuum of care plan.

(4) GRANT LIMITS.—The maximum grant amount per lead agency may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used to pay past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility costs, provision of case management services, and program administration costs not to exceed 3 percent of the grant award. The homelessness prevention program must develop a case plan for each family to be assisted, setting forth what costs will be covered and the maximum level of assistance to be offered.

(5) PERFORMANCE.—The lead agency must track, monitor, and report on each family assisted for at least 12 months after the last assistance provided to the family. The goal for the homelessness prevention program is to enable at least 85 percent of the families assisted to remain in their homes and avoid becoming homeless during the ensuing year.