Caps the monthly maximum payment for hotel rooms to house homeless persons based upon the New York city housing authority Section 8 voucher payment standards.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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5357
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- 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 capping the
monthly maximum payment for hotel rooms to house homeless persons
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 43-a to read as follows:
3 § 43-a. Contracting with hotels to provide rooms as shelter for home-
4 less persons; payment standards. 1. In a city with a population of more
5 than one million, notwithstanding any provision of any federal law, rule
6 or regulation to the contrary, whenever the commissioner, social
7 services agency, or a contracted entity subject to the provisions of
8 section forty-three of this article enters into contracts with hotels to
9 provide rooms as shelter for homeless persons, the daily maximum amount
10 the department shall pay under a contract to provide rooms for homeless
11 persons shall be equal to seventy-five percent of the New York city
12 housing authority Section 8 voucher payment standard for a studio apart-
13 ment pro-rated daily.
14 2. In a city with a population greater than one million, notwithstand-
15 ing any provision of any federal law, rule or regulation to the contra-
16 ry, whenever the commissioner, social services agency, or a contracted
17 entity subject to the provisions of section forty-three of this article
18 enters into contracts with hotels to provide rooms as shelter for multi-
19 ple homeless individuals in a congregate room, the daily maximum amount
20 the department shall pay under a contract to provide rooms for homeless
21 families shall be equal to seventy-five percent of the New York city
22 housing authority Section 8 voucher payment standard for an apartment of
23 appropriate housing occupancy pro-rated daily.
24 3. The provisions of this section shall not apply to hotels contracted
25 to provide rooms for homeless families south of ninety-sixth street in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09500-01-5
S. 5357 2
1 New York county, community boards one and two located in Kings county
2 and community boards one and two located in Queens county, or during a
3 declared national, state, or local public health emergency.
4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
