What's happening
This bill limits new adult homeless shelters in New York to 100 clients each and requires at least a three-mile distance between shelters.
Why it matters
Promotes smaller, community-based shelters. By capping new adult homeless shelters at 100 clients, the bill aims to avoid "warehousing" large numbers of homeless individuals in single, oversized facilities, which can often lead to less effective service delivery and strain local resources.
Seeks equitable distribution across neighborhoods. The requirement for at least three miles between shelters is designed to prevent the clustering of shelters in specific neighborhoods, encouraging a more even spread throughout a city and potentially reducing the burden on any single community.
Mandates compliance for certification. Shelters will not be certified to operate beyond December 31, 2020, unless they meet these new standards, creating a strong incentive for compliance and potentially reshaping how municipalities and nonprofits plan and operate homeless services.
Calls for transparency and accountability. The bill directs the Department of Family Assistance to report on how shelter locations are chosen and to make recommendations, which could lead to increased oversight and improvements in the planning process for homeless services.
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Who cares
Municipal and nonprofit adult shelter operators
The bill would cap new facilities at 100 clients, require three-mile separation between facilities and bar certification beyond December 31, 2020, unless shelters meet its requirements.
Homeless single adults
The bill would limit shelter size and location, with newly certified adult shelters given twelve months to reduce occupancy to 100 and relocate facilities that are too close together.
Local governments and shelter planners
The three-mile spacing requirement would constrain where adult shelters could be located.
New York State Department of Family Assistance
The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature and governor by November 10, 2019, on how localities select shelter locations.
Headline styles
Limit Shelter Size and Location
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to social services
- Referred to social services
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1775
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to special standards for shelters for adults
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative intent. Because certain local governments in New York state have not developed a comprehensive plan for dealing with the homeless, they have started the practice of sheltering large numbers of the homeless in large, single sites that often do not meet building codes. This practice does not benefit either the homeless themselves, because proper services do not reach them, or the community in which the shelter is located, because its resources are strained past their limits.
The problem of this practice of warehousing is compounded when instead of distributing smaller shelters equally to all communities within a locality, a few communities are forced to provide shelter for a disproportionate number of the homeless. A great deal of stress is placed on the affected community by the presence of people who are not a natural part of the community's life. Furthermore, the community's ability to deliver services, such as health care and rehabilitative services, to large numbers of people is usually limited.
Cities in New York must develop a plan for the equitable distribution of the homeless population among its communities. For instance, each of New York city's fifty-nine community boards would be held responsible for at least one facility in its geographic district which would provide services and shelter for approximately one hundred homeless men or women.
§ 2. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 461-u to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04627-01-9
A. 1775 2
§ 461-u. Special standards for shelters for adults. Any shelter for adults, as defined in section two of this chapter, which is certified to provide, pursuant to this article, temporary residential services to adults or any facility which is operated by a municipality or not-forprofit corporation for the purpose of providing shelter and services to homeless single adults shall, no later than twelve months from the effective date of this section, limit the size of all new shelter facilities to one hundred clients per facility and restrict the geographic placement of every facility to no nearer than a distance of a three mile radius from any other facility. Any shelter for adults which is certified to provide such care after the effective date of this section shall have twelve months from the receipt of such operating certificate to phase down the number of clients housed to one hundred and to relocate any facility that is nearer than a three mile radius from any other such facility. No shelter for adults shall be certified to operate beyond December thirty-first, two thousand twenty, unless such shelter meets the requirements of this section.
§ 3. The New York state department of family assistance shall make a report to the legislature and the governor on or before November 10, 2019. It shall contain such information concerning how locations to shelter the homeless are selected by localities and such recommendations as the commissioner of the office of children and family services shall deem necessary or proper.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.