House Human Services reviews DCF implementation of General Assistance emergency-housing provisions in Act 113

The House Human Services Committee on Jan. 10 heard testimony from the Department for Children and Families and legislative counsel about how the FY25 budget law (Act 113 of 2024) is being applied to the General Assistance (GA) emergency housing program, including eligibility criteria, an 1,100-room cap for parts of the year, an 80-day maximum in a 12-month period and a $10 million appropriation to expand shelter capacity.

The matter matters because the GA emergency-housing rules determine who can access state-funded motel or hotel rooms and for how long during a statewide housing shortage. Committee members pressed DCF on how the department is implementing statutory limits, how it prioritizes households when demand exceeds capacity, and whether administrative procedures match legislative intent.

Katie, legislative counsel for the committee, reviewed the statutory language in Act 113 (2024), section E321, and told members that the statute sets out eligibility for GA emergency housing for households that attest they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and have a household member who falls into several categories (examples include a member age 65 or older; a child 19 or younger; someone who is pregnant; those with qualifying disabilities; victims of domestic violence; those who have suffered loss of housing because of the death of a household member, a natural disaster, or a court-ordered/constructive eviction). Katie also summarized program limits written into the budget language: a maximum of 80 days of hotel/motel emergency housing per household in a 12-month period (not counting the cold-weather period), a cold-weather period exemption that runs Dec.…