A bill that would allow the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to work with nonprofit organizations to provide services to families in crisis was passed by the state House of Representatives Thursday and will next go before the Senate. State Rep. Kevin Roberts, R-Spring, one of the authors of House Bill 871, said the legislation was designed to help create more options for voluntary guardianship and to keep children out of group homes. If approved by the 85th Texas Legislature and signed into law by the governor, the bill will allow nonprofits, including faith-based organizations, to recruit families that can temporarily host children of families in crisis situations before the Department of Family and Protective Services intervenes. The bill would also allow those organizations to promote prevention and early intervention programs, such as counseling and parenting classes, rather than requiring the families to inquire with the organizations first. “Our community in District 126, as well as others across the state of Texas, want to take an active role in improving the lives of the families around them, and House Bill 871 will give them that opportunity,” Roberts said. Roberts said the bill is based on legislation enacted in other states, where he said studies show that it diverts a significant number of children from entering the foster care system. "I feel very confident that this bill has an outstanding chance of passing and being signed by Gov. Abbott, who has made faith-based programs that assist with the current child protective service crisis in Texas a priority," Roberts said. The bill will become effective Sept. 1 if signed into law.