Authorizes certain shelters for victims of domestic violence to be reimbursed for any payment differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for double occupancy where a single occupancy room is not available.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2583A
SPONSOR: Hevesi TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to authorizing
certain shelters to be reimbursed for housing a single individual in a
room intended for double occupancy
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will provide temporary housing assistance to a single individ-
ual who meets the residential program providers' eligibility require-
ments for victims of domestic violence as defined in section four
hundred fifty-nine-a of the social services law, while allowing the
program provider to be reimbursed by New York State for any payment
differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for
double occupancy in order to address the system-wide lack of shelter for
single adults.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This bill will provide temporary housing assistance to a single individ-
ual who meets the residential program providers' eligibility require-
ments for victims of domestic violence as defined in section four
hundred fifty-nine-a of the social services law, while allowing the
program provider to be reimbursed by New York State for any payment
differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for
double occupancy in order to address the systemwide lack of shelter for
single adults.
JUSTIFICATION:
The domestic violence emergency shelter system was originally created to
provide short-term respite for victims of domestic violence and their
families who were fleeing imminent danger. All across New York State,
but particularly in New York City, domestic violence shelters were
created over several decades to house families rather than single
adults. Non-profit providers who operate these shelters are reimbursed
by the State (OCFS) per person per night.
This reimbursement from the State is supposed to cover the entire cost
of operating those shelters, including rent, utilities, staffing, insur-
ance, and other inflationary factors. Any reduction in this reimburse-
ment severely impacts the ability of the provider to cover the cost of
operating the shelter. As a result, domestic violence emergency shelter
providers have major financial disincentives to "downsize" a
room/apartment in order to accommodate a smaller family size, including
most prominently single adult victims of domestic violence, human traf-
ficking, and sexual assault. As a result, single adult victims of these
and other crimes have a much more difficult time trying to access domes-
tic violence emergency shelters, and instead may be forced to remain in
an unsafe situation. This legislation will require the State to preserve
the full reimbursement to providers who "downsize" a room configured for
a family of two to accommodate a single adult victim of violence, and
will therefore help increase system-wide capacity for single adults who
otherwise faced serious obstacles to accessing this shelter system.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A. 1847 of 2021-2022; A. 2381 of 2019-2020; A.9672 of 2017-2018.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2583--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 26, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, WALKER, BURDICK, SHIMSKY,
BURGOS, STECK, GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Social Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social Services in
accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- reported and referred to
the Committee on Ways and Means -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to authorizing
certain shelters to be reimbursed for housing a single individual in a
room intended for double occupancy
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 131-u of the social services law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any
4 residential program for victims of domestic violence, as defined in
5 section four hundred fifty-nine-a of this chapter, which provides tempo-
6 rary housing assistance to a single individual who meets such program's
7 necessary eligibility requirements, shall be reimbursed for any payment
8 differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for
9 double occupancy, if no other room intended for single occupancy is
10 available within the facility.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01501-02-4
