Arkansas State Laws for Transitional Housing
- Many transitional housing facilities must be prepared to serve children also.Mother and child image by Dumitrescu Ciprian from Fotolia.com
Each year in Arkansas, thousands of people seek transitional housing for several reasons, many because they are homeless. According to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, there were 3,255 homeless people in Arkansas on a single night in January and 3,366 beds available. Fewer than 20 percent of the beds are in transitional housing, according to the same report.
There are also transitional housing facilities in Arkansas to serve newly released inmates, 720 placed annually, and addicts, 339 units available in 2009. Whether the housing units are faith-based, non-profit, or government-run, they all must meet state standards for licensing and certification. - A facility that accepts children will have a liaison from the school in its district.children waiting on bus image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
Transitional housing facilities for the homeless must be prepared to accept children. In Arkansas, therefore, they must be in compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, through which the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) funds districts to help them provide required services to homeless children.
The McKinney-Vento Act was reauthorized in 2001 with the requirement that every school district have a homeless education liaison. The Task Force to Study Homelessness reported that 4,300 children in Arkansas were homeless at some point in 2008.
A key aspect of the McKinney-Vento Act is its requirement that organizations work with agencies to better serve their populations. Services will include physical and mental health screening, rehabilitation, and drug and alcohol treatment. McKinney-Vento also requires all staff in facilities to be appropriately trained and educated. - Transitional housing for those leaving prisons help individuals "transition" into the workforce.man working, stucco image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
All transitional housing facilities for men and women leaving the prison system, once called halfway houses, come under the jurisdiction of Arkansas' Department of Community Corrections (DCC). A facility must be approved for licensing by the Transitional Housing Review Team in its area.
The DCC's policies for licensing require the facility to comply with building, health, housing, safety, food service, fire, plumbing and electrical codes. It also must have a business license or proof of 501c (3) status; transportation with proof of insurance; first aid and fire equipment with proof of training.
Among other requirements, the Arkansas facility may not be managed by a person who is on probation for a felony. Ex-offenders must provide proof of discharge of the felony sentence. - All staff in health-related facilities must be trained and credentialed.pr??paratrices en pharmacie image by c??dric chabal from Fotolia.com
According to the latest report by Arkansas Legislative Task Force on Substance Abuse Treatment Services, which is dated Sept. 22, 2008, the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention funds 339 residential treatment slots in Arkansas. The same report claims that more than 250,000 Arkansans are in need of treatment for alcohol and drug addictions.
Transitional housing facilities that treat drug dependency are licensed or certified by the Arkansas Department of Health. Its "Rules and Regulations for Hospitals and Related Institutions in Arkansas (2007)," include drug treatment centers that are maintained as transitional housing facilities.
