Int. No. 976-A
By Council Members Stevens, Louis, Richardson Jordan, Restler, Schulman, Hudson, Ung, Ayala, Abreu, Brewer, Avilés and Rivera
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of homeless services and the department of youth and community development to report data on the LGBTQ homeless population
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 3 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-333 to read as follows:
§ 21-333 Reporting on homeless LGBTQ population. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Adult. The term “adult” means a person over 24 years of age and under 65 years of age.
Drop-in center. The term “drop-in center” means a facility that provides hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, clothing, medical care, recreational space, employment referrals, and/or housing placement services, but not overnight housing administered by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department.
Homeless young adult. The term “homeless young adult” has the same meaning as provided in section 532-a of the executive law.
Homeless youth. The term “homeless youth” has the same meaning as provided in section 532-a of the executive law.
LGBTQ. The term “LGBTQ” means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex identities.
Reporting period. The term “reporting period” means a quarter of a calendar year.
Runaway and homeless youth services. The term “runaway and homeless youth services” means street outreach and referral services, drop-in centers, runaway and homeless youth crisis services programs, and transitional independent living support programs funded by the department of youth and community development.
Runaway and homeless youth crisis services programs. The term “runaway and homeless youth crisis services program” has the same meaning as provided in section 532-a of the executive law.
Safe haven. The term “safe haven” means city-administered facilities that provide low-threshold, harm-reduction housing to street homeless individuals, who are referred to such facilities through a department outreach program, without the obligation of entering into other supportive and rehabilitative services in order to reduce barriers to temporary housing.
Senior. The term “senior” means a person 65 years of age or older.
Shelter. The term “shelter” means temporary emergency housing provided to homeless adults, adult families, and families with children by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department.
b. Beginning July 31, 2024, and quarterly thereafter, the department shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website a report regarding LGBTQ homeless persons for the reporting period ending 1 month prior. The department shall collaborate with the department of youth and community development to produce such report.
c. The report required by subdivision b of this section shall include, but not be limited to, the following information, as may be obtained voluntarily:
1. The number of LGBTQ homeless persons who received services from the department or who received runaway and homeless youth services from the department of youth and community development during the reporting period, disaggregated by:
(a) Borough;
(b) Age, classified as homeless youth, homeless young adult, adult, and senior; and
(c) The number and percentage of shelter beds reserved for LGBTQ homeless persons, if applicable; the number and percentage of such beds that are available as of the last day of the reporting period; the number of such beds declined by LGBTQ homeless persons during the reporting period; and the reason for each such declined bed, if given.
2. The department, in collaboration with the department of youth and community development, shall make best efforts to obtain information to prepare the report required in this section, but shall not require any person to provide information for such purposes. Such efforts shall include the provision of voluntary questionnaires at shelters, safe havens, drop-in centers, and runaway and homeless youth crisis services programs.
d. No information that is otherwise required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state, or local law relating to the privacy of information. If a category of information required by subdivision b contains 5 or fewer individuals, or allows another category to be narrowed to 5 or fewer individuals, the number shall be replaced with a symbol.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
DR
LS #9795
1/30/2023
CY
5/19/2023
11:16AM