What's happening
This bill requires homeless housing facilities in New York to configure beds at least six feet apart to ensure social distancing.
Why it matters
Aims to reduce the risk of disease transmission. in homeless facilities by mandating physical distancing, which is especially important given past outbreaks like COVID-19, where crowded shelters were hotspots for infections.
May require significant renovations or reductions in bed capacity. at shelters, potentially impacting the number of individuals who can be served and increasing operational costs for providers.
Extends to a wide range of homeless housing types. (including shelters for families, adults, youth, domestic violence survivors, and refugees), meaning the changes affect nearly all temporary housing settings, not just traditional shelters.
Could delay the return of homeless individuals housed in hotels/motels during emergencies. (like COVID-19) to shelters unless physical distancing standards are met, possibly prolonging the use of costly temporary accommodations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Space Beds in Homeless Shelters
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 23
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to social services
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Space Beds in Homeless Shelters
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10659
IN ASSEMBLY
June 17, 2020
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Pheffer Amato) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social distancing room configurations in homeless housing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new article 2-B to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2-B
ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS RELATED TO HOMELESS HOUSING Section 53. Homeless housing; room configuration.
§ 53. Homeless housing; room configuration. 1. On and after the effective date of this section, no homeless housing construction shall include single rooms with beds for homeless individuals placed within six-feet of one another.
2. Any individual placed in a hotel, motel or apartment by a local social service office, municipality, not-for-profit corporation or subsidiary thereof as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shall not be permitted to return to a homeless housing until such housing has ensured the appropriate distancing between beds of at least six-feet.
3. For the purpose of this section:
(a) "Homeless housing" shall include, but not be limited to a family shelter, a shelter for adults, a domestic violence shelter, a runaway and homeless youth shelter, a safe house for refugees, any other supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living arrangements or any other location where homeless individuals and families may be residing; and
(b) "Homeless person" shall mean an undomiciled person who is unable to secure permanent and stable housing without special assistance, as determined by the commissioner.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16548-01-0
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.