File #: Int 1208-2025    Version: * Name: Report on air conditioning in homeless shelters.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on General Welfare
On agenda: 3/12/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law in relation to a report on air conditioning in homeless shelters
Sponsors: Jennifer Gutiérrez, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Diana I. Ayala, Tiffany Cabán
Council Member Sponsors: 4
Summary: This bill would require the Commissioner of Homeless Services, in coordination with the Commissioner of Social Services, Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development, and Commissioner of Youth and Community Development, to issue a one-time report to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council on the availability of air conditioning in homeless shelters. The report would, in part, include information on which shelters have any air conditioning, which have air conditioning in only some areas of the shelter, which have air conditioning throughout the shelter, the type of air conditioning provided, which shelters have air conditioning that needs repair, which shelters installed air conditioning during the past 12 months, and which shelters are planning to install air conditioning within the next 12 months. The report would have to be posted on the relevant agencies’ websites.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1208, 2. Int. No. 1208, 3. March 12, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda

Int. No. 1208

 

By Council Members Gutiérrez, Sanchez, Ayala and Cabán

 

A Local Law in relation to a report on air conditioning in homeless shelters

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1.  Report on air conditioning in shelters. a. Definitions. For purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:

Facility type. The term “facility type” means a categorization of a shelter based on its service, contractual, and physical structure characteristics.

Shelter. The term “shelter” means temporary emergency housing provided by the department of homeless services, the human resources administration/department of social services, the department of housing preservation and development, or the department of youth and community development or by a provider under contract or similar agreement with such agency.

b. Report. 1. No later than 1 year after the effective date of this local law, the commissioner of homeless services, in coordination with the commissioner of social services, commissioner of housing preservation and development, and commissioner of youth and community development, shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report regarding the availability of air conditioning in shelters. Such report shall include a table in which each row references a shelter, indicated by name. Each such row shall include the following information, as well as any other information the commissioner deems appropriate, set forth in separate columns:

(a) The name of the agency operating such shelter or under contract or similar agreement with a provider for the operation of such shelter;

(b) Any unique identification number assigned to the building in which such shelter is located by the agency operating such shelter or under contract or similar agreement with a provider for the operation of such shelter;

(c) The owner of the building in which such shelter is located;

(d) For shelters operated by the department of homeless services or a provider under contract or similar agreement with such department, the facility type, and for all other shelters, the population served by the shelter;

(e) The borough in which such shelter is located;

(f) The zip code in which such shelter is located;

(g) The council district in which such shelter is located;

(h) Whether such shelter has any air conditioning;

(i) If such shelter has any air conditioning, whether the air conditioning is provided in congregate areas, sleeping areas, or both;

(j) If such shelter has air conditioned congregate areas, the ratio of air conditioned congregate areas to total congregate areas;

(k) If such shelter has air conditioned congregate areas, whether the air conditioning is provided through a central air system, an installed unit, or a combination of both;

(l) If such shelter has air conditioned sleeping areas, the ratio of air conditioned sleeping areas to total sleeping areas;

(m) If such shelter has air conditioned sleeping areas, whether the air conditioning is provided through a central air system, an installed unit, or a combination of both;

(n) Whether such shelter has an air conditioning central air system that is not functioning;

(o) Whether such shelter has any air conditioning installed unit that is not functioning;

(p) Whether such shelter installed an air conditioning central air system during the past 12 months, and if so, whether such system serves congregate areas, sleeping areas, or a combination of both;

(q) Whether such shelter installed air conditioning units during the past 12 months, and if so, whether such units were installed in congregate areas, sleeping areas, or a combination of both;

(r) Whether such shelter is planning to install an air conditioning central air system within the next 12 months;

(s) If such shelter is planning such an installation, whether the central air system will serve only congregate areas, only sleeping areas, or both;

(t) Whether such shelter is planning to install air conditioning units within the next 12 months; and

(u) If such shelter is planning such an installation, whether the installed units will serve only congregate areas, only sleeping areas, or both.

2. The commissioner, the commissioner of social services, the commissioner of housing preservation and development, and the commissioner of youth and community development shall each post the report required under paragraph 1 of this subdivision conspicuously on the relevant agency’s website.

3. The report required under paragraph 1 of this subdivision shall include a data dictionary.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

SA

LS #10463/11505/17485

3/4/2025 11:19 AM