Int. No. 124-A

By Council Members Salamanca, Stevens, Restler, Ayala, Sanchez, Louis, Velázquez, Gennaro, Dinowitz and Rivera

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to reporting on and training of 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 21-151 to read as follows:

§ 21-151 Training and supervision of housing specialists. a. Definitions.  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 the department or a provider 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 the department or a provider under a contract or similar agreement with the department and subject to the provisions of part 453 of title 18 of the New York codes, rules, and regulations.

HIV/AIDS Services Administration (“HASA”) shelter. The term “HASA shelter” means single room occupancy hotels or congregate facilities that are managed by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department and assist individuals living with AIDS or HIV illness.

Housing specialist. The term “housing specialist” means a case manager or other staff of the department, or of a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department, assigned to work in domestic violence emergency shelters, domestic violence tier II shelters, or HASA shelters to help clients in such shelters secure appropriate housing.

Temporary shelter. The term “temporary shelter” means domestic violence emergency shelters, domestic violence tier II shelters, and HASA shelters managed by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department.

b. Training and supervision of housing specialists. The department shall designate housing specialists to serve in temporary shelters. The commissioner shall establish a training program for housing specialists employed by providers under contract or similar agreement with the department that shall include, but not be limited to, establishing expertise in the various housing programs to which eligible homeless clients may be referred and proper case management techniques. The commissioner shall develop specific criteria to assess the performance of housing specialists in matching, as expeditiously as possible, eligible homeless persons with available housing resources. To the extent such criteria relate to timetables for clients moving out of a shelter system, such criteria shall take into account the special needs of the relevant population with respect to living independently.

c. Reporting on housing specialists. No later than January 15, 2024, 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 temporary shelters, disaggregated by district and type of shelter; (ii) the number of housing specialists within temporary shelters, disaggregated by district and type of shelter; (iii) the average caseload of housing specialists within each temporary shelter; and (iv) the criteria by which the commissioner shall assess the performance of housing specialists. No information that is required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported if doing so would violate any applicable provision of federal, state, or local law relating to the privacy, confidentiality, use, or disclosure of that information, or if there are fewer than 5 data points in the reporting cohorts. If there are fewer than 5 data points, the report shall designate this with an asterisk in place of the data point.

§ 2. Section 21-303 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 75 for the year 1995, is amended to read as follows:

§ 21-303 Training and supervision of housing specialists. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Housing specialist. The term “housing specialist” means a case manager or other staff of the department, or of a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department, assigned to work in transitional housing facilities in order to help clients in such facilities secure appropriate housing.

Transitional housing facility. The term “transitional housing facility” means a shelter placement for families with children, adult families, single adults, or veterans managed by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department. 

b. Training and supervision of housing specialists. The department shall designate  [Housing] housing specialists [shall be available] 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] the commissioner 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, 2024, 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. No information that is required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported if doing so would violate any applicable provision of federal, state, or local law relating to the privacy, confidentiality, use, or disclosure of that information, or if there are fewer than 5 data points in the reporting cohorts. If there are fewer than 5 data points, the report shall designate this with an asterisk in place of the data point.

§ 3. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.

Session 12

NAW/DR

LS #1221

3/8/23 6:45pm

Session 11

RQ/ACK

LS #6868

Intro. 1110-2018