NY State Senate Bill 2021-S4395

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Social Services Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to social services
Feb 04, 2021	referred to social services

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Social Services
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §131-a, Soc Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S5753
2023-2024: S2512

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Sets the standards of monthly need for persons and families who receive temporary housing assistance and three meals per day or reside in a shelter for adults that provides three meals per day, shelter for families that provides three meals per day or a public home that provides three meals per day.

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4395

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to the standards of
monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To provide a long overdue increase in the needs allowance provided to
individuals and families residing in homeless shelters.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:.

Section 1 adds a new subdivision 6 to Section 131-a of the social
services law to require social services districts to provide a personal
needs allowance to individuals and families living in shelters that
provide three meals a day, and includes a schedule which sets the allow-
ance based on the number of persons in the household.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The current needs allowances have not been increased in decades and are
woefully inadequate to meet the most basic needs of the individuals and
families who find themselves living in homeless shelters.

Individuals and families living in a shelter that provides three meals a
day do not qualify for a public assistance cash grants, because they
have a bed to sleep on and some food to eat. To meet every other
personal need, they are provided a personal needs allowance.  Currently,
a mother with two children in a shelter that serves 3 meals a day
receives an allowance every two weeks that equates to between $4.82 and
$6.3o per day, depending on the type of facility, to meet all of the
other personal needs of her family, including clothing, transportation,
over-the-counter medication, etc.

This bill sets the personal needs allowance for individuals and families
in shelters at the same level as those in Congregate Care Level 1
settings, such as Family Care Homes and Family Type Homes for Adults.

Under the bill, a mother with two children in the same shelter would
receive $322 per month, which equates to under $11 per day for the fami-
ly.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A. 10317 of 2017-2018

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The act takes effect April 1 of the year next succeeding its enactment
NEW YORK STATE SENATE INTRODUCER'S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT submitted in
accordance with Senate Rule VI. Sec 1

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4395
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 4, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the standards of
   monthly need for persons in receipt of public assistance
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  131-a  of  the social services law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
   6. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, SOCIAL  SERVICES  OFFI-
 CIALS  SHALL, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, PROVIDE
 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO PERSONS AND FAMILIES WHO RECEIVE TEMPORARY  HOUSING
 ASSISTANCE  AND  THREE  MEALS  PER DAY OR RESIDE IN A SHELTER FOR ADULTS
 THAT PROVIDES THREE MEALS PER DAY, SHELTER FOR  FAMILIES  THAT  PROVIDES
 THREE  MEALS PER DAY, OR A PUBLIC HOME THAT PROVIDES THREE MEALS PER DAY
 AND DETERMINED TO BE ELIGIBLE BY THE APPLICATION OF THE STANDARD OF NEED
 PRESCRIBED BY THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION TWO OF  THIS  SECTION,  LESS
 ANY  AVAILABLE  INCOME  OR RESOURCES WHICH ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE DISRE-
 GARDED BY OTHER PROVISIONS OF  THIS  CHAPTER,  IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE
 FOLLOWING SCHEDULE:
 
                      NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOUSEHOLD
           ONE       TWO       THREE     FOUR      FIVE      SIX
           $144      $238      $322      $419      $520      $603
 
 FOR  EACH  ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLE NEEDY PERSON IN THE HOUSEHOLD THERE SHALL
 BE AN ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCE OF EIGHTY-FIVE DOLLARS MONTHLY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April in the year next
 succeeding the year in which it shall have become a law.
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01519-01-1

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Senate Bill S4395

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Social Services Committee

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S4395

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Sponsored By

Jessica Ramos

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Social Services Committee

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S4395 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments