STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6751
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 11, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMONE, KELLES, SANTABARBARA -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the social services law, in
relation to housing navigation services for those with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 13.44 to read as follows:
3 § 13.44 Housing navigation services.
4 (a) The office shall establish and provide housing navigation services
5 for individuals with a developmental or intellectual disability as
6 defined in section 1.03 of this chapter. Housing navigation services
7 shall include but not be limited to:
8 (1) collaborating with individuals to develop an individualized hous-
9 ing action plan, that at a minimum, shall assist individuals in finding
10 appropriate housing that meets their specific housing goals;
11 (2) supporting individuals that apply for state and federal assistance
12 programs;
13 (3) coordinating and assisting housing transitions for individuals,
14 taking into consideration their specific needs; and
15 (4) collaborating with individuals to craft a housing sustainability
16 plan to ensure that such individuals are able to secure and maintain
17 stable housing, and have access to and are able to utilize the necessary
18 services and support to achieve their housing goals.
19 (b) (1) The commissioner shall develop and implement a housing naviga-
20 tion curriculum statewide, for the purposes of training applicants in
21 delivering housing navigation services as defined in subdivision (a) of
22 this section. In developing and implementing such curriculum, the
23 commissioner may contract with an entity that has demonstrated appropri-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09101-01-5
A. 6751 2
1 ate knowledge, expertise, and experience in housing navigator services
2 and training curriculums.
3 (2) The commissioner, in consultation with the regional offices under
4 such commissioner's jurisdiction shall perform a statewide assessment of
5 the need for housing navigation services, and shall provide additional
6 outreach regarding the availability of housing navigation training in
7 regions of the state where there is the greatest demonstrated need.
8 (c) (1) The commissioner shall establish a housing navigation task
9 force to perform tasks that will help to ensure the successful implemen-
10 tation of the housing navigation services established by this section.
11 The task force shall be co-chaired by the commissioner or such commis-
12 sioner's designee, the commissioner of the office of temporary and disa-
13 bility assistance or such commissioner's designee, the commissioner of
14 the office of mental health or such commissioner's designee, the commis-
15 sioner of the office of addiction services and supports or such commis-
16 sioner's designee, and a representative of New York state homes and
17 community renewal. Ensuring adequate geographic representation, an addi-
18 tional ten individuals shall be selected for the task force. Such indi-
19 viduals shall have professional experience in the fields of affordable
20 housing development, banking, financial planning, and in delivering
21 housing services for individuals with developmental or intellectual
22 disabilities as a non-profit provider. The members shall be selected by
23 the commissioner in consultation with the other state agency represen-
24 tatives on the task force.
25 (2) The task force shall meet as often as is necessary, but no less
26 than three times per year, and under circumstances as are appropriate to
27 fulfilling its duties as required under this section.
28 (3) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but
29 may be reimbursed for actual costs incurred for participation on such
30 task force.
31 (4) The task force shall:
32 (i) coordinate with the commissioner and the regional offices to help
33 ensure access to housing navigation services in the regions of the state
34 with the greatest demonstrated need;
35 (ii) create or utilize written information that may be used as a
36 resource for increasing public awareness of housing navigation resources
37 as well as educating parents, individuals, provider agencies and other
38 stakeholders about the opportunities for non-certified housing in all
39 five regions of the office;
40 (iii) provide recommendations on the appropriateness of and ways to
41 implement a housing navigator train-the-trainer program using the hous-
42 ing navigator training curriculum;
43 (iv) assist in the development of research methods which measure the
44 correlation between the housing navigator model and social determinants
45 of health;
46 (v) evaluate housing navigation as a reimbursable service and measur-
47 ing outcomes based on value-based payment methodologies and arrange-
48 ments; and
49 (vi) examine the feasibility of expanding housing navigation services
50 to other systems of care that are involved in the delivery of housing
51 services, including but not limited to high utilization Medicaid service
52 enrollees who reside in the state of New York.
53 § 2. Section 366 of the social services law is amended by adding a new
54 subdivision 7-d to read as follows:
55 7-d. The commissioner of health in consultation with the commissioner
56 of the office for people with developmental disabilities is authorized
A. 6751 3
1 to submit the appropriate waivers, including but not limited to, those
2 authorized pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen of the federal
3 social security act, in order to achieve the purpose of high-quality
4 housing navigation services pursuant to section 13.44 of the mental
5 hygiene law for a population of persons with developmental or intellec-
6 tual disabilities, as such terms are defined in section 1.03 of the
7 mental hygiene law.
8 § 3. Subdivision (b) of section 5.07 of the mental hygiene law is
9 amended by adding a new paragraph 6 to read as follows:
10 (6) The commissioner of the office for people with developmental disa-
11 bilities shall include the following in the portion of the statewide
12 comprehensive plan required by this subdivision for services provided to
13 persons with developmental or intellectual disabilities: (i) information
14 related to progress implementing and the effectiveness of housing navi-
15 gation services as defined in section 13.44 of this chapter, and (ii)
16 any other information deemed appropriate by such commissioner.
17 § 4. This act shall take effect April 1, 2027. Effective immediately,
18 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
19 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
20 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
