--- title: HB 1396. State government; require certain privately funded organizations that operate a shelter or provide outreach services to homeless individuals participate in the Georgia Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1396 cite_as: HB 1396, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1396 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1396.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1396/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73438 date: 2026-04-02 status: engrossed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1397.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 2131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1396.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1396 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-03-03 last_action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended sponsors: - Chuck Efstration - Todd Jones - Bo Hatchett text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1396/2025 upstream_id: 2120641 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - homelessness services - metro Atlanta - data tracking - shelters and outreach - school proximity laws --- # HB 1396. State government; require certain privately funded organizations that operate a shelter or provide outreach services to homeless individuals participate in the Georgia Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) ## Text House Bill 1396 By: Representative Efstration of the 104th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to the Department of Community Affairs, so as to require certain privately funded organizations that operate a shelter or provide outreach services to homeless individuals within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, public playgrounds, or certain child care facilities to participate in the Georgia Homeless Management Information System (HMIS); to provide violations and for noncriminal citations; to provide for exceptions; to provide for a territory of applicability; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds that: (1) Individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in metro Atlanta are entitled to compassionate, coordinated, and accountable delivery of services and are within proximity to multiple providers of such services. The state has a substantial interest in ensuring that such individuals are treated with dignity and respect and that services provided to them are delivered in a manner that promotes stability, recovery, and long-term well-being; (2) Many unsheltered individuals experience co-occurring mental health disorders, substance use disorders, adverse physical health conditions, or trauma related needs requiring therapeutic intervention and structured support. The state has a compelling interest in ensuring that public resources directed toward these populations facilitate meaningful access to appropriate therapeutic assistance and that service delivery systems are coordinated to reduce duplication, fragmentation, and gaps in care; (3) Effective tracking and evaluation of services provided to unsheltered homeless individuals advances the public health, safety, and general welfare of both the individuals served and the broader community. Transparent data collection and outcome measurement enable state and local authorities to assess whether services are reducing chronic homelessness, mitigating risks associated with untreated behavioral health conditions, and promoting safer and healthier communities; and (4) The state appropriates substantial public funds to support homelessness outreach, housing stabilization, and behavioral health services in metro Atlanta. The state has a legitimate and compelling interest in ensuring that such appropriations are expended efficiently and effectively, that funded services produce measurable outcomes, and that data-driven oversight mechanisms are implemented to promote accountability, eliminate waste, and maximize the positive impact of taxpayer resources. SECTION 2. Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to the Department of Community Affairs, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "50-8-19. (a) As used in the Code section, the term 'outreach services' means providing medical care, clothing, food, or shelter. (b)(1) Each privately funded organization that operates a shelter or provides outreach services to homeless individuals within 1,000 feet in any direction of the property of an elementary or secondary school; university, college, or technical college; child care learning center, as such term is defined in Code Section 20-1A-2; public park; or public playground shall be required to participate as an authorizing agency for purposes of the Georgia Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). (2) The owner or operator of any such organization that violates this subsection shall be issued a citation by a law enforcement officer for such violation and the violation shall be deemed noncriminal. (c) The provisions of subsection (b) of this Code section shall not apply to any privately funded and operated organization that provided outreach services, employment, or social services to fewer than ten individuals during the preceding 12 months. (d) This Code section shall only apply to properties provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section that are located within a ten-mile radius of a municipal corporation that is located in more than one county, that levies a sales tax for the purposes of a metropolitan area system of public transportation, and that has within its boundaries an independent school system." SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would require privately funded homeless shelters and outreach programs near schools, parks, playgrounds, or child care centers in the metro Atlanta area to join a statewide homeless services data system, with citations for noncompliance. ### Plain-language summary Georgia currently has a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) that tracks services provided to homeless individuals, but privately funded shelters and outreach programs are not required to participate in it. This bill would create a new requirement in the Department of Community Affairs' governing law: any privately funded organization that runs a shelter or provides outreach services (defined as medical care, clothing, food, or shelter) within 1,000 feet of a school, college, child care center, public park, or playground would have to sign up as an authorizing agency in the HMIS. Owners or operators who do not comply could be issued a noncriminal citation by a law enforcement officer. The requirement would not apply to small organizations that served fewer than ten people in the past year, and it would only apply to properties within a ten-mile radius of a large multi-county city that levies a transit sales tax and has an independent school system, effectively limiting the bill's reach to the metro Atlanta area. ### What it does - Requires privately funded shelters and outreach programs near schools, colleges, child care centers, parks, and playgrounds to join the state's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) as authorizing agencies. - Creates a noncriminal citation penalty issued by law enforcement for organizations that fail to comply. - Exempts small organizations that served fewer than ten individuals through outreach, employment, or social services in the prior 12 months. - Limits the entire requirement to properties within ten miles of a large multi-county municipality with a transit sales tax and an independent school system, which targets the metro Atlanta area. - States legislative findings about the state's interest in coordinated, data-driven oversight of homelessness services funded by taxpayer money. ### Who it affects Privately funded organizations that run homeless shelters or provide outreach services like food, clothing, medical care, or shelter, particularly those operating near schools, colleges, child care centers, parks, or playgrounds in the metro Atlanta area. Also affects local law enforcement, who would issue citations, and homeless individuals who receive services from these organizations. ### Why it matters Homeless service providers near schools and parks in metro Atlanta would face a new legal obligation to share client data through a shared statewide tracking system, backed by citations for noncompliance. This could change how smaller nonprofits operate and how their services are monitored, while very small operations remain exempt. ### Key provisions - Section 1 lays out legislative findings about the state's interest in coordinated, accountable, and data-driven homeless services in metro Atlanta. - Section 2 adds new Code Section 50-8-19, defining 'outreach services' as medical care, clothing, food, or shelter. - Subsection (b) requires covered organizations within 1,000 feet of schools, colleges, child care centers, parks, or playgrounds to participate in the HMIS as authorizing agencies, with noncriminal citations for violations. - Subsection (c) exempts organizations that served fewer than ten individuals in outreach, employment, or social services during the prior 12 months. - Subsection (d) limits the law's applicability to properties within a ten-mile radius of a multi-county municipality with a transit sales tax and an independent school system. - Section 3 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2026-03-03) - Last action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (2026-04-02) - Sponsors: Chuck Efstration, Todd Jones, Bo Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73438 > The history, votes, and amendments (2,131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1396.md?full=1