In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.
“Client” means an individual or a family who is in need of housing and is not eligible for other available housing services.
“Program” means the Crisis Shelter Home Program for the Homeless.
The General Assembly finds and declares that:
an increasing number of people in the State are homeless;
homeless people have been ignored by State units;
current State–operated programs do not adequately address the problem; and
as a result, there is a lack of quality emergency public or private housing available for homeless people.
There is a Crisis Shelter Home Program for the Homeless in the Department.
The purpose of the Program is to provide crisis shelter homes, meals, and counseling to clients.
At least one crisis shelter home shall be located in a major population center of the State to facilitate the use of the shelter by clients living in the region surrounding the shelter.
The Maryland Department of Health may not use a shelter home as part of its discharge service plan.
A shelter home:
shall provide clients with a temporary residence and necessary counseling to link clients to appropriate community services to stabilize the clients’ living conditions;
shall accept, from the police and other referral sources in the community, clients for temporary shelter;
shall conform to applicable State and local fire codes, health codes, and zoning ordinances; and
is subject to the regulations adopted by the Department.
The Department shall:
establish standards of care and admission policies for shelter homes;
monitor the operation of the shelter homes; and
annually evaluate the effectiveness of the shelter homes.
The Department may contract with private nonprofit organizations to operate the Program.
Clients shall have cooperative responsibility for housekeeping duties in a shelter home.
The Maryland Department of Health shall:
give a client evaluated by a shelter home priority access, as appropriate, to an institution that the Maryland Department of Health supervises; and
supply appropriate mental health services to the client.
Housing may not be provided under this subtitle to an applicant for housing who is not a resident of the State at the time the application is made.
Funds to operate the Program shall be as provided in the State budget.