2011 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 46 — Public welfare and assistance
RS 46:448 — Emergency assistance information and referral

§448. Emergency assistance information and referral

A. Definitions

1. As used in this Section, "office of human development" shall mean the office of human development, Department of Children and Family Services, state of Louisiana.

2. As used in this Section "emergency assistance" shall mean any service, food, clothing, shelter, money grant or any other assistance available to people who find their ability to obtain the necessities of life threatened by fire, flood, death or other sudden and necessitous circumstances.

3. As used in this Section, "governmental agency" shall mean any political subdivision department, office, agency, board, corporation or other instrumentality funded in whole or in part by local, state or federal funds that provides some form of emergency assistance in this state.

4. As used in this Section, "private agency" shall mean any department, office, agency, board, corporation or other instrumentality that provides some form of emergency assistance in this state, but shall not include any private agency that chooses not to take referrals or discriminates in their assistance on the grounds of race.

B. The office of human development shall gather through its local offices information on all governmental and private agencies in each parish as to the type of assistance each agency can and will provide and as to what eligibility requirements, if any, these agencies apply to their assistance.

C. The office of human development shall designate an office in each parish which will aid people seeking emergency assistance, either in person or by telephone, to identify what assistance, if any, the person can obtain. The office of human development shall publicize in each parish the availability of this information.

D. Each office will report at the end of each calendar year to the assistant secretary of the office of human development, the total number and type of emergency assistance requests it has received and the number and type of emergency assistance requests for which no agency provides assistance in that area. The reports shall be available to the public on request.

E. The services provided by this Section shall be funded from such monies as are already provided for the office of human development of the Department of Children and Family Services, and to this end, shall be deemed not to require additional personnel or appropriations.

Added by Acts 1979, No. 695, §1.