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Who cares
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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to directing the commissioner of mental health to issue a review and report regarding certain facilities
Purpose
To ensure increased community and local government participation in the site selection process of State established community residential facilities.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends mental hygiene law section 5.05 by adding a new subdivision requiring the Commissioners of the Office of Mental Health, Office for the People with Developmental Disabilities and the Office for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to work with the New York City Department of Homeless Services and the Chair and chief Executive Officer of the New York City Housing Authority to review all proposals by an agency requesting to enter into a contract or similar agreement to provide services at a new location as a social services facility, to expand the size of a social services facility, or to change the type of services provided at a social services facility within a city of with a population of one million or more. Subdivision 2 clarifies the definitions of social services and supportive housing facilities. Subdivision 3 requires the commissioners of these agencies to deliver a review of their findings and any recommendations they deem necessary to be delivered to the Governor, temporary president of the Senate, Speaker of the assembly, chair of the mental health and developmental disabilities committees of the senate and the chair of the mental health committee of the Assembly.
Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
Property owners in the vicinity of proposed or existing supportive housing sites are often unaware of the sponsoring agency's intent to establish or transform a facility. Community resistance typically results when the sponsoring agencies disregard the concerns of neighboring property owners. To encourage a community's active involvement in the site selection process would help to allay unfounded fears and provide wider acceptance of such residents. Current practice in dispute hearings usually restricts the hearing to a discussion of one disputed site to ensure that a site selected by the state is most suited to meet the needs of the persons to be placed in the residence. As well as those of surrounding neighbors, all options should be considered in determination of a selected site.
Compiling a report of where each facility for each agency is located is a better attempt to provide for equal distribution of supportive units throughout the city and give a better sense of the big picture for supportive housing units in an attempt for equal distribution. All options should be considered in the site selection process and no one community should bear more than their fair share.
Legislative history
A new bill.
Fiscal implications
None to the state
Effective date
Immediate.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.