41-3955.02. Military transitional housing fund; purposes; annual report; definition

491 words·~2 min read·/az/title-41/41-3955-02

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

A. The military transitional housing fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations and monies allocated from any federal sources, including monies provided by affordable housing legislation and unused or undesignated donations and undesignated federal monies for which military transitional housing is eligible. The director shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated. Monies shall be deposited in the fund by order of the governor and shall be spent on newly constructed transitional housing, in cooperation with veteran owned and operated nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations that serve military members who are transitioning to veteran status.

Monies may also be used for supportive services and transitional unit rehabilitation for veterans. Monies in the fund are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.

B. Fund monies shall be spent for developing projects and programs to provide transitional housing opportunities for military members separating from the military to be housed in newly constructed housing facilities and rehabilitated housing for veterans. Monies cannot be spent on unoccupied hotels and motels designated for homeless veterans. Fund monies may only be spent for the specific purpose of providing transitional housing for military members who will be separating or who have recently separated from the military or for veterans and may be spent on purchasing and constructing transitional housing facilities for military members who are transitioning into civilian life and rehabilitating housing units for veterans.

C. On or before September 1 of each year, the director shall submit a report on the status of the military transitional housing fund, including a summary of facilities for which funding was provided during the preceding fiscal year, the cost and geographic location of each facility and the number of individuals benefiting from the operation, purchase or construction of the facility, to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and provide a copy of the report to the secretary of state.

D. The department may use not more than ten percent of the fund monies annually to administer the fund.

E. For any construction project financed by the department pursuant to this section, the department shall notify a city, town, county or tribal government that a project is planned for its jurisdiction and, before proceeding, shall seek comment from the governing body of the city, town, county or tribal government or an official authorized by the governing body of the city, town, county or tribal government. The department may not interfere with or attempt to override the local jurisdiction's planning, zoning or land use regulations.

F. For the purposes of this section, "undesignated federal monies" means federal stimulus monies and monies originating from federal affordable housing legislation, the United States department of veterans affairs or the United States department of housing and urban development that have not been allocated or approved for a specific purpose or project within three months after the applicable expenditure deadline for the monies.