Florida 2025 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 9 R · 8 D cosponsors

HB 879 — Young Adults who are Homeless or were in the Child Welfare System

Last action — Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/SB 584 (Ch. 2025-196)

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Young Adults who are Homeless or were in the Child Welfare System; Requires each Florida College System institution & state university, in consultation with State Office on Homelessness, to develop plan to prioritize placement of certain students in residence halls or dormitory residences; provides responsibilities for Office of Continuing Care, Florida College System institutions, & state universities; requires that certain institutions & universities give priority to certain students for housing & work-study opportunities; prohibits institutions & universities from requiring cosigner or guarantor to obtain housing for certain students; requires certain entities to administer certain federal programs & vouchers; provides requirements for administering such programs & vouchers; requires specified entities to document certain actions & provide certain assurances to landlords.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

144 added · 107 removed

144 line(s) added, 107 removed.

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/CS/HB 879 2025 A bill to be entitled An act relating to young adults who are homeless or were in the child welfare system;
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 A bill to be entitled An act relating to young adults who are homeless or were in the child welfare system;
requiring that certain institutions and universities give priority to certain students for housing and work-study opportunities;
requiring that certain institutions and universities give priority to certain students for housing and work-study programs;
prohibiting institutions and universities from requiring a cosigner or guarantor to obtain housing for certain students;
409.14525, F.S.;
409.14521, F.S.;
requiring certain entities to administer certain federal programs and vouchers;
defining the term "young adult";
providing requirements for administering such programs and vouchers;
requiring certain entities to develop programs and supports to help young adults access certain federal programs and vouchers;
requiring specified entities to document certain actions and provide certain assurances to landlords;
providing requirements for such programs and supports;
requiring specified entities to maintain certain records and provide certain assurances to landlords;
providing an effective date.
requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, in consultation with other entities, to conduct a specified study and report its findings to the Governor and Legislature by a date certain;
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
providing requirements for such study;
Page 1 of 5 CODING:
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hb879-02-c2 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/CS/HB 879 2025 Section 1.
hb879-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 effective date.
Subsections (4), (5), and (6) are added to section 409.1452, Florida Statutes, to read:
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
Section 1.
Subsection (3) of section 409.1452, Florida Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (5), and a new subsection (3) and subsection (4) are added to that section, to read:
(4) Each Florida College System institution and state university shall, in consultation with the State Office on Homelessness within the Department of Children and Families, develop a plan to prioritize the placement of students who are currently or were formerly in foster care or who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness, including, but not limited to, students eligible for the tuition and fee exemption under s.
(3) Each Florida College System institution and state university shall, in consultation with the State Office on Homelessness, develop a plan to prioritize the placement of students who are 28 years of age or younger and who:
1009.25(1)(c)1.-4.
(a) Are or were formerly in foster care in the United States;
or (1)(e), in residence halls or dormitory residences owned by the institution or university.
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The Office of Continuing Care established under s.
414.56 is responsible for determining if a Page 2 of 5 CODING:
hb879-02-c2 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/CS/HB 879 2025 student is or was formerly in foster care.
hb879-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 (b) Are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness;
Each Florida College System institution and state university is responsible for determining whether a student is eligible for a tuition or fee exemption under s.
or (c) Are eligible for the tuition and fee exemption under s.
1009.25(1)(e).
(5) If a Florida College System institution or state university implements a priority system for the assignment of students to or the award of any of the following, the institution or university must give first priority to students who are eligible for the tuition and fee exemption under s.
or (1)(e), in residence halls or dormitory residences owned or operated by the institution or university at which the student attends.
The Office of Continuing Care established under s.
414.56 is responsible for determining if a student is or was formerly in foster care in the United States.
Each Florida College System institution and state university is responsible for determining whether a student meets the definition of a homeless child or youth by using the process for determining whether a student is eligible for a tuition or fee exemption under s.
1009.25(1)(c)1.-4.
or (1)(e).
(4) If a Florida College System institution or state university implements a priority system for the assignment of students to any of the following, the institution or university must give first priority to students who are eligible for the tuition and fee exemption under s.
1009.25(1)(c)1.-4.
(a) Institution-operated or university-operated housing.
(a) Housing owned or operated by the institution or university.
(c) Work-study opportunities.
(c) Work-study programs.
(6) Florida College System institutions and state universities may not require a student to have a cosigner or guarantor to obtain housing if the student receives housing support under s.
409.1451(2) or (3) or is receiving continuing care under s.
39.6251.
Section 409.14525, Florida Statutes, is created to read:
Section 409.14521, Florida Statutes, is created Page 3 of 6 CODING:
409.14525 Housing support for young adults;
federal housing vouchers.— (1) The department, community-based care lead agencies, and housing authorities created under s.
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421.04 shall administer the federal Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative and Page 3 of 5 CODING:
hb879-02-c2 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/CS/HB 879 2025 other federal programs and vouchers offered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, which may require the department, a community-based care lead agency, and subcontracted service providers thereof to do any of the following:
hb879-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 to read:
(a) Enter into a memorandum of understanding or letter of intent with each housing authority located within the service area of the department or community-based care lead agency.
409.14521 Housing assistance for young adults.— (1) As used in this section, the term "young adult" means a person who is 28 years of age or younger who was in the child welfare system in the United States after he or she attained the age of 14.
(b) Provide or secure supportive services for participating young adults for the duration of the FYI initiative voucher.
(2) The department, community-based care lead agencies, their subcontracted providers, and housing authorities created under s.
(c) Provide a written certification to the housing authority verifying the young adult's child welfare history.
421.04 shall develop programs and supports to help young adults access all available federal programs and vouchers offered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to housing and housing stability.
(d) Identify each young adult eligible for an FYI initiative voucher within each community-based care lead agency's caseload and communicate such eligibility to each young adult.
At a minimum, the programs and supports must include all of the following:
(2) The department, community-based care lead agencies, and subcontracted service providers thereof that administer housing funds for young adults in the child welfare system must document actions taken to facilitate a young adult's acquisition of a residential lease, including, but not limited to, providing assurances to a landlord that funding will be provided on a monthly basis through a housing voucher.
(a) The creation of a list identifying each young adult eligible for federal housing programs and vouchers within each community-based care lead agency's geographic service area.
This subsection applies to entities that serve young adults receiving postsecondary Page 4 of 5 CODING:
(b) A recruitment and communication plan to help community-based care lead agencies contact and engage with such young adults.
(c) A memorandum of understanding or letter of intent between each community-based care lead agency and each housing authority located within the geographic service area of the community-based care lead agency.
(d) Written certification from each community-based care Page 4 of 6 CODING:
hb879-02-c2 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/CS/HB 879 2025 educational services and support or aftercare services under s.
hb879-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 lead agency to each housing authority located within the lead agency's geographic service area which verifies that the young adult was involved in the child welfare system after turning 14 years of age.
(e) A detailed list of processes and support services that are available to a young adult who is participating in a federal program or voucher.
(3) The department, community-based care lead agencies, and their subcontracted service providers that administer housing funds for young adults in the child welfare system must maintain detailed records of all reasonable actions taken to facilitate a young adult's acquisition of a residential lease.
Reasonable actions include providing assurances to a landlord that funding will be provided on a monthly basis in order for the young adult to execute a contract for the lease of residential property.
Such assurances may include cosigning the contract to lease the residential property, providing a guarantee, or any other form of assurance acceptable to the landlord.
This subsection applies to entities that serve young adults receiving postsecondary educational services and support or aftercare services under s.
(1) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study relating to the barriers that young adults who are or were in Page 5 of 6 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
hb879-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 879 2025 the child welfare system or who are or are at risk of experiencing homelessness, and who are not enrolled in a Florida College System institution or state university, face when trying to obtain housing.
The study must include recommendations for overcoming such barriers.
(2) OPPAGA shall conduct such study in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Commerce, public housing authorities, young adults affected by this act, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
(3) OPPAGA shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 1, 2026.
Section 4.
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hb879-02-c2
hb879-01-c1
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Action History

  1. Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/SB 584 (Ch. 2025-196)

  2. Added to Second Reading Calendar

  3. Temporarily postponed, on 2nd Reading

  4. 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2)

  5. Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/24/2025)

  6. Bill referred to House Calendar

  7. CS Filed

  8. Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a)

  9. Reported out of Education & Employment Committee

  10. Favorable with CS by Education & Employment Committee

  11. Added to Education & Employment Committee agenda

  12. Now in Education & Employment Committee

  13. Referred to Education & Employment Committee

  14. 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)

  15. CS Filed

  16. Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a)

  17. Reported out of Careers & Workforce Subcommittee

  18. Favorable with CS by Careers & Workforce Subcommittee

  19. PCS added to Careers & Workforce Subcommittee agenda

  20. 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)

  21. Now in Careers & Workforce Subcommittee

  22. Referred to Education & Employment Committee

  23. Referred to Higher Education Budget Subcommittee

  24. Referred to Careers & Workforce Subcommittee

  25. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 15 co-sponsors · 145 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (15)

Not signed on (145)

145 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Favorable With Committee Substitute (Education & Employment Committee)

Passed 19 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 6001
Republican 12003
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 19004
% of votes cast 83%0%0%17%
How each member voted (23)
Member Party Vote
Temple — Yea
Aristide, Wallace Democrat Yea
Daniels, Kimberly Democrat Yea
Dunkley, Lisa Democrat Yea
Edmonds, Jervonte "Tae" Democrat Not Voting
Harris, Jennifer "Rita" Democrat Yea
Hinson, Yvonne Hayes Democrat Yea
Skidmore, Kelly Democrat Yea
Berfield, Kimberly Republican Yea
Canady, Jennifer Republican Yea
Gerwig, Anne Republican Yea
Jacques, Berny Republican Not Voting
Kendall, Kim Republican Not Voting
McFarland, Fiona Republican Yea
Michael, Kiyan Republican Yea
Nix Jr., Danny Republican Yea
Persons-Mulicka, Jenna Republican Yea
Sapp, Judson Republican Yea
Stark, Paula A. Republican Not Voting
Trabulsy, Dana Republican Yea
Valdés, Susan L. Republican Yea
Yarkosky, Taylor Michael Republican Yea
Yeager, Bradford Troy "Brad" Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Favorable (Careers & Workforce Subcommittee)

Passed 16 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 11001
Unaffiliated 1000
Democrat 4001
Total 16002
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (18)
Member Party Vote
Caruso — Yea
Daley, Dan Democrat Yea
Gantt, Ashley Viola Democrat Yea
Rosenwald, Mitch Democrat Yea
Spencer, Leonard Democrat Yea
Tant, Allison Democrat Not Voting
Baker, Jessica Republican Not Voting
Bankson, Douglas Michael "Doug" Republican Yea
Cobb, Nan Republican Yea
Jacques, Berny Republican Yea
Johnson, Chad Republican Yea
Kendall, Kim Republican Yea
Kincart Jonsson, Jennifer Republican Yea
Koster, Traci Republican Yea
Maney, Patt Republican Yea
Melo, Lauren Republican Yea
Plakon, Rachel Saunders Republican Yea
Stark, Paula A. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety housing labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 879 do?
Young Adults who are Homeless or were in the Child Welfare System; Requires each Florida College System institution & state university, in consultation with State Office on Homelessness, to develop plan to prioritize placement of certain students in residence halls or dormitory residences; provides responsibilities for Office of Continuing Care, Florida College System institutions, & state universities; requires that certain institutions & universities give priority to certain students for housing & work-study opportunities; prohibits institutions & universities from requiring cosigner or guarantor to obtain housing for certain students; requires certain entities to administer certain federal programs & vouchers; provides requirements for administering such programs & vouchers; requires specified entities to document certain actions & provide certain assurances to landlords.
Who sponsors HB 879?
HB 879 is sponsored by Weinberger, Meg (Republican), Valdés, Susan L. (Republican), Stark, Paula A. (Republican), Salzman, Michelle (Republican), Rosenwald, Mitch (Democrat), Nix Jr., Danny (Republican), López, Johanna (Democrat), Kincart Jonsson, Jennifer (Republican), Hunschofsky, Christine (Democrat), Eskamani, Dr. Anna V. (Democrat), Dunkley, Lisa (Democrat), Cross, Lindsay (Democrat), Campbell, Daryl (Democrat), Berfield, Kimberly (Republican), Bankson, Douglas Michael "Doug" (Republican), Woodson, Marie Paule (Democrat), Rizo, Alex (Republican), Careers & Workforce Subcommittee, and Education & Employment Committee.
What is the current status of HB 879?
This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 879?
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