Int. No. 1126
By Council Members Wills, Barron, Dickens, Fidler, Mendez, Richards, Rose and Rodriguez
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the Department of Homeless Services to provide notification when sexual offenders enter shelter and when the agency converts shelters for families with children to shelters for adults.
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 21-316 to read as follows:
§21-316. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Community board" shall mean the group of persons that represent the interests of a community district as defined by section 2800 of the charter of the city of New York.
2. "Shelter" shall mean 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 no later than January 1, 2014, the department shall determine whether an individual admitted to shelter is a convicted sexual offender. Upon determining a person's status as such an offender, the department shall provide notification in writing within ten days of such offender entering shelter to any community board and council member in whose district such shelter is located, as well as to the police precinct where such shelter is located. The department shall also provide notification in writing within thirty days of converting a shelter for families with children to a shelter serving only adults to any community board and council member in whose district such shelter is located.
c. The department shall conduct mental health and criminal background assessments on all adults entering shelter.
§2. This local law shall take effect immediately.
LS #2353, 2482 & 2483
JMG/AV
7/15/2013