Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
Whenever used in this chapter, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
a. "Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of homeless services.
b. "Department" shall mean the department of homeless services.
c. "Eligible homeless person" shall mean a person eligible for transitional housing or services from the department pursuant to federal, state and local laws and such rules and regulations as may be promulgated pursuant thereto.
d. "Temporary shelter placement" shall mean a shelter placement for a family with children which complies with all applicable requirements of the administrative code of the city of New York.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
a. The commissioner shall establish, maintain and operate housing-readiness training for all eligible homeless persons determined to be in need of such training. This training shall include such subjects as the commissioner shall determine are necessary to enable such eligible homeless persons to acquire the skills necessary for adjustment to and remaining in permanent housing. On or before December 31, 1995, the commissioner shall promulgate a housing-readiness training plan to be used in such training as shall be established, maintained and operated pursuant to this section. Beginning on December 31, 1995, such housing-readiness training shall be available no less frequently than on a quarterly basis.
b. The commissioner shall establish, maintain and operate aftercare programs to assist eligible homeless persons who have been placed in permanent housing to adjust to and remain in such housing. The commissioner shall determine the period for which such eligible homeless persons may remain in aftercare programs. For the purposes of this section, aftercare shall be defined to include, but not be limited to, follow-up case management services and assisting formerly eligible homeless persons who have been placed in permanent housing to access needed services in their communities.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
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 specialists to serve in each transitional housing facility. 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 the commissioner 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, 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.
(Am. L.L. 2023/045, 4/16/2023, eff. 8/14/2023)
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
In order to ensure that the delivery of services provided by the department to eligible homeless persons is efficiently coordinated with the services provided by the department of social services to such persons, the commissioner shall, to the maximum extent possible and in conformance with federal and state confidentially laws, develop computer systems which can easily access and share data with department of social services computer systems regarding such persons. The commissioner may appoint an interagency computer liaison to facilitate such interagency communication and information sharing.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
The commissioner shall establish, in conjunction with the department of housing preservation and development and the New York city housing authority, a permanent housing resource clearinghouse to coordinate and track such permanent housing resources as may be approved as available to eligible homeless persons.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
There shall be a continuum of care steering committee, which shall be responsible for providing advice to the commissioner on implementation of the requirements of the homeless emergency assistance and rapid transition to housing act of 2009, codified in chapter 119 of title 42 of the United States code, and any regulations promulgated pursuant to such act. The steering committee shall be created pursuant to section 578.5 of title 24 of the code of federal regulations and shall at a minimum include at least one member who is currently or formerly homeless. The members of the steering committee shall be representative of the relevant organizations and of projects serving homeless subpopulations. The members of the steering committee shall serve without compensation. The steering committee shall submit its advice to the commissioner, or his or her designee, in person or in writing, on a quarterly basis. The commissioner, or his or her designee, shall meet with the steering committee regularly.
(Am. L.L. 2017/207, 11/17/2017, eff. 11/17/2017)
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/051 and L.L. 1995/075.
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