Authorizes shelters to be reimbursed for any payment differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for double occupancy

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic24
• Republican2

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Andrew Gounardes says this is needed

The domestic violence emergency shelter system was originally created to provide short-term respite for victims of domestic violence and their families who were fleeing imminent danger. All across New York State, but particularly in New York City, domestic violence shelters were created over several decades to house families rather than single adults. Nonprofit providers who operate these shelters are reimbursed by the state (OCFS) per person per night. This reimbursement from the state is supposed to cover the entire cost of operating those shelters, including rent, utilities, staffing, insur- ance, and other inflationary factors. Any reduction in this reimburse- ment severely impacts the ability of the provider to cover the cost of operating the shelter. As a result, domestic violence emergency shelter providers have major financial disincentives to "downsize" a room/apartment in order to accommodate a smaller family size, including most prominently single adult victims of domestic violence, human traf- ficking, and sexual assault. As a result, single adult victims of these and other crimes have a much more difficult time trying to access domes- tic violence emergency shelters, and instead may be forced to remain in an unsafe situation. This legislation will require the state to preserve the full reimbursement to providers who "downsize" a room configured for a family of two to accommodate a single adult victim of violence, and will therefore help increase systemwide capacity for single adults who otherwise face serious obstacles to accessing this shelter system.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.