PRINTER'S NO. 2070
No. 1641 Session of 1983
INTRODUCED BY IRVIS, MANDERINO, WACHOB, TRELLO, KUKOVICH,
HOEFFEL, RICHARDSON, PRESTON, PETRONE, MISCEVICH, PISTELLA,
BARBER, FATTAH, LINTON, RYBAK AND HARPER, OCTOBER 26, 1983
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, OCTOBER 26, 1983
AN ACT
1 Providing emergency shelter assistance to certain individuals
2 and families.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Emergency
7 Shelter Assistance Act.
8 Section 2. Purpose.
9 The General Assembly finds that during this period of high
10 unemployment in this Commonwealth, many families and
11 individuals, through no fault of their own, cannot provide for
12 their basic shelter needs. In order to alleviate suffering and
13 promote the health and safety of homeless families and
14 individuals in dire need, the General Assembly hereby
15 establishes a program of emergency shelter assistance to be
16 administered by the Department of Public Welfare.
17 Section 3. Determination of eligibility and application for
1 emergency shelter assistance.
2 In order to qualify for emergency shelter assistance, an
3 individual or family cannot be receiving cash assistance and
4 cannot have income which exceeds the income level for cash
5 assistance provided under the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31,
6 No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, for an assistance unit
7 of the same size. The department through each county board of
8 assistance shall be responsible for accepting applications for
9 emergency shelter assistance and determining eligibility for
10 assistance immediately upon application and in no less than
11 three working days of application for shelter assistance.
12 Section 4. Voucher for emergency shelter assistance.
13 In order to alleviate or prevent homelessness, the department
14 is authorized to issue a voucher in the amount of no more than
15 $150 per month for an individual and for no more than $20 for
16 each additional person in the assistance unit, up to a maximum
17 of $200 per month. The department is authorized to issue an
18 emergency shelter assistance voucher for up to four months to
19 provide shelter to eligible individuals and families. The
20 department shall by regulation establish a system of vouchers to
21 be used by eligible individuals and families for the purchase of
22 shelter.
23 Section 5. Federal financial participation.
24 To the extent that Federal funds are available for any
25 emergency shelter assistance provided under this act, the
26 Department of Public Welfare shall make timely application for
27 Federal reimbursement.
28 Section 6. Effective date.
29 This act shall take effect immediately.
J20L67JRW/19830H1641B2070 - 2 -