BILL NUMBER: S5505

SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to mental illness
training in temporary housing

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill will establish a training course for temporary shelter profes-
sionals that will provide employees with leading practices for identify-
ing signs of mental illness so that they can connect incoming recipients
with appropriate services.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends article 2-A of the social services law by adding a
new title 3, to require training to recognize the signs and symptoms of
mental illness, as well as best practices for recognition and providing
referrals for providers in shelters, hotels, emergency apartments,
domestic violence shelters, runaway and homeless youth shelters, or safe
              

houses for refugees operating in the state.

Section two establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Homelessness and housing insecurity continue to be significant issues in
New York State, and were exacerbated by the lingering impact of the
COVID-19 public health emergency. Research indicates that among the main
reasons for homelessness among single adults are mental illness and
substance abuse. According to the Office of the New York State Comp-
troller, between 2018 and 2022, 26% of individuals who were diagnosed
with a serious mental illness were not placed in a mental illness shel-
ter:, and 49% who were diagnosed with substance or alcohol abuse issues
were not placed in a substance abuse or mental health shelter.(1) These
findings are deeply problematic, and a testament to the needs of this
legislation to ensure adequate services are being provided to individ-
uals that have a need for mental health services.

An increase access to mental health services, including psychiatric
consultations and preventative health care will lead to a reduction in
hospitalizations, allow for emergency intervention through case manage-
ment professionals, increase the possibility for obtaining needed
psychiatric treatment which secures the safety of other shelter users,
and will lead to an overall reduction in shelter re-entry population,
reducing homeless figures.

Those wide ranges of social and psychiatric services are only available
to those who are placed in supportive permanent housing, which restricts
the individual's ability to build long-term stable housing solutions.
Because of this, this bill is crucial for establishing an intake process
that will connect homeless individuals upon intake with appropriate
services. This bill intends to standardize the training process for
shelter intake professionals that will mediate the issue relating to
inappropriate staff response or handling of individuals with psychiatric
disabilities. It will also further instruct individuals on how to prop-
erly identify the symptoms relating to psychiatric condition, which will
greatly improve the client's ability to receive the needed treatment,
reduce the longevity of shelter use, and more accurately vet those indi-
viduals to connect there with proper services in a more efficient
manner.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

SENATE:

2024: S 1567A (Salazar) - Referred to Social Services, Amended

2023: S 1567 (Salazar) - Referred to Social Services, Passed Senate

2022: S 6722A (Salazar) - Referred to Social Services, Committed to
Finance

2021: S6722A (Salazar)- Referred to Social Services, Committed to Rules,
Passed Senate

2019-2020: S4704 (Salazar)- Ref.to Social Services, Committed to Finance

ASSEMBLY:

2024: A6523A (Rosenthal)- Ref.to Social Services, Reported to Ways &
Means, Amended

2023: A6523 (Rosenthal)- Ref.to Social Services

2022: A10180 (Rosenthal)- Ref.to Social Services, Reported to Ways &
Means

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.  (1)https://www.osc.ny.gov/
files/state-agencies/audits/pdf/sga-2023-21n5.pdf