Int. No. 1110
By Council Members Salamanca, Cumbo, Ampry-Samuel, Holden, Chin, Adams and Gibson
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to housing specialists within the human resources administration and department of homeless services
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-142 to read as follows:
§ 21-142 Definition. a. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Domestic violence emergency shelter. The term “domestic violence emergency shelter” means time-limited housing for domestic violence survivors managed by or under a contract or similar agreement with the department and subject to section 459-b of the social services law.
Domestic violence tier II shelter. The term “domestic violence tier II shelter” means housing for domestic violence survivors managed by or under a contract or similar agreement with the department and subject to the provisions of part 900 of title 18 of the New York codes, rules, and regulations.
HASA shelter. The term “HASA shelter” means single room occupancy hotels or congregate facilities managed by a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department.
Housing specialist. The term “housing specialist” means department staff assigned to work in domestic violence emergency shelters, domestic violence tier II shelters, or HASA shelters, in order to help clients in those shelters secure appropriate housing.
Temporary shelter. The term “temporary shelter” means domestic violence emergency shelters, domestic violence tier II shelters, and HASA shelters managed, used, owned, operated or contracted for, by or on behalf of the department or under similar agreement with the department.
b. Training and supervision of housing specialists. Housing specialists shall be designated to serve in temporary shelters. Where housing specialists are placed in temporary shelters and are employed by not-for-profit or for-profit operators of such facilities, the commissioner shall establish a training program for such housing specialists that shall include, but not be limited to, establishing expertise in the various housing programs to which eligible homeless persons may be referred and proper case management techniques. The commissioner shall develop definite program goals and timetables by which he or she shall assess the performance of housing specialists in matching as expeditiously as possible eligible homeless persons with available housing resources.
c. Reporting on housing specialists. No later than January 15, 2019, and no later than January 15 annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website an annual report regarding information on housing specialists. Such report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the number of all temporary shelters, disaggregated by district and type of shelter; (ii) the number of housing specialists within all temporary shelters, disaggregated by district and type of shelter; (iii) the average caseload of housing specialists within each temporary shelter; and (iv) the goals and timetables by which the commissioner shall assess the performance of housing specialists.
§ 2. Section 21-303 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 51 for the year 1993, is amended to read as follows:
§ 21-303 Definition. a. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Housing specialist. The term “housing specialist” means department staff assigned to work in transitional housing facilities, in order to help clients in those facilities secure appropriate housing.
Transitional housing facility. The term “transitional housing facilities” means a shelter placement for families with children, adult families, single adult women, single adult men, and veterans managed, used, owned, operated or contracted for, by or on behalf of the department or under similar agreement with the department.
b. Training and supervision of housing specialists. Housing specialists shall be [available] designated to serve in each transitional housing facility [used, owned, operated, managed or contracted for, by or on behalf of the department]. Where housing specialists are placed in transitional housing facilities and are employed by not-for-profit or for-profit operators of such facilities, the commissioner shall establish a training program for such housing specialists which shall include, but not be limited to, establishing expertise in the various housing programs to which eligible homeless persons may be referred and proper case management techniques. The commissioner shall develop definite program goals and timetables by which he or she shall assess the performance of housing specialists in matching as expeditiously as possible eligible homeless persons with available housing resources [and, on or before December 31, 1995, shall report to the speaker of the city council in writing on such goals and timetables by which he or she shall assess the performance of housing specialists].
c. Reporting on housing specialists. No later than January 15, 2019, and no later than January 15 annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website a report regarding information on housing specialists. Such report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the number of transitional housing facilities, disaggregated by district and type of transitional housing facility; (ii) the number of housing specialists within all transitional housing facilities, disaggregated by district and type of transitional housing facility; (iii) the average caseload of housing specialists within each transitional housing facility; and (iv) the goals and timetables by which the commissioner shall assess the performance of housing specialists.
§ 3. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
RQ/ACK
LS #6868
08/10/2018