The changes will ensure homeless single adults are referred to safe, permanent housing when exiting the shelter system<\/p>\n
City Hall, NY\u2014 Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond, General Welfare Committee Chair Annabel Palma, Council Members, The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless today announced regulatory changes to ensure homeless single adults are referred to safe, permanent housing when exiting the shelter system.<\/p>\n
These changes will strengthen DHS\u2019 existing referral process and prohibit placements in overcrowded and substandard housing. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we\u2019ve taken an important step to make sure homeless New Yorkers leave shelters for safe, suitable housing,\u201d said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. \u201cThese measures, developed by the Department of Homeless Services in conjunction with the City Council will ensure our City\u2019s homeless are treated with dignity and are dependably housed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis measure will ensure providers counsel clients in quality housing choices, using data from City inspectors of our sister agencies,\u201d said Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond. \u201cPartnering with the Speaker and City Council we have accomplished the important goal of appropriately referring homeless individuals to safe and suitable homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the biggest challenges for clients attempting to transition out of the shelter system is finding safe and permanent housing,\u201d said Council Member Annabel Palma, Chair of the Committee on General Welfare. \u201cThis measure will make permanent regulatory changes that ensure the Department of Homeless Services is working with other city agencies, using data that is already collected, to refer clients to quality housing options. This serves as a wonderful example of how intergovernmental cooperation can directly and positively impact the populations we serve.\u201d <\/p>\n
In 2010, in collaboration with the City Council, DHS issued a rule prohibiting shelter providers from referring clients to housing deemed to be unsafe or inappropriate by the Departments of Buildings, Housing Preservation and Development or the Fire Department.<\/p>\n
The Council and DHS also launched a successful pilot program which enabled the agency and its providers to track and investigate potential housing options for clients, with heightened emphasis on identifying substandard housing conditions. The agency looked not only for found violations, but also for cases in which inspectors responded to complaints and were denied access to the building.<\/p>\n
In comparing the shelters who participated in the pilot with those that did not, DHS was able to evaluate the volume of referrals to particular buildings, identify potentially problematic buildings and prohibit referrals to those locations.<\/p>\n
DHS will expand the pilot system-wide and will strengthen the rule to reflect the standards used in the pilot program, including:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Requiring landlords who seek to market their housing at shelters to undergo evaluation to ensure the housing is safe
\n\u2022 Providing assistance to clients with making complaints when they suspect a housing option is substandard
\n\u2022 Requiring shelter providers to disseminate written information to clients in shelter that describes the new referral criteria<\/p>\n
\u201cThe improvements to the referral system for shelter clients to quality housing are key to the process of improving the lives of NYC homeless population, especially for those families in need,\u201d said Council Member Julissa Ferreras. \u201cThe changes made to the referral system, in conjunction with the pilot program, were needed and have been a step in the right direction. As a City, we are committed to improving quality of life and we will continue to make improvements by evaluating buildings and landlords and enforcing the rules under the new programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in difficult times that our commitment to those in need is truly tested. New Yorkers have reason to be proud of the work done by the Speaker\u2019s Office and DHS in creating a program that protects the safety and dignity of homeless adults,\u201d said Council Member Diana Reyna.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese additional protections will ensure that individuals transitioning from the shelter system have the information they need to find safe and secure homes,\u201d said Council Member Stephen Levin. \u201cI applaud the efforts of Speaker Quinn and Commissioner Diamond to strengthen the referral process and to continue to improve the quality of life for vulnerable New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
“I am pleased that our most vulnerable New Yorkers will not be herded into dangerous, illegal boarding houses by a system that is our last safety net during this time of economic crisis,” said Council Member Brad Lander.<\/p>\n
The rule change, first tested under a pilot program announced by the City Council and the Department of Homeless Services in 2010, will make sure homeless adults are appropriately referred and move into safe, suitable buildings when leaving temporary, emergency shelters.<\/p>\n
“How homeless adults leave the shelter system is critical to making sure they do not become homeless again. Referring the homeless to safe and adequate permanent housing instead of illegal dwellings is an important step forward and a long overdue safeguard,\u201d said Patrick Markee, Senior Policy Analyst, Coalition for the Homeless. \u201cThese new rules championed by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will prevent shelter residents from being placed into substandard or unsafe housing, lowering the risk that they will return to shelter in the future and helping them transition to long-term independent living.”<\/p>\n
“Access to safe and lawful permanent housing is essential for homeless New Yorkers,\u201d said Steven Banks, the Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society. \u201cToday’s initiative is an important step forward to make sure homeless New Yorkers are relocated from emergency housing to appropriate permanent housing and that taxpayers do not pay for substandard housing. On behalf of our clients, we commend the Speaker and the Council for this continued focus on these critical needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The changes will ensure homeless single adults are referred to safe, permanent housing when exiting the shelter system<\/p>\n
City Hall, NY\u2014 Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond, General Welfare Committee Chair Annabel Palma, Council Members, The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless today announced regulatory changes to ensure homeless single adults are referred to safe, permanent housing when exiting the shelter system.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n