Requires the office of temporary and disability assistance, in conjunction with the office of mental health and the office of children and family services, to develop a mental illness training course to be utilized by providers of temporary housing assistance to focus on recognizing signs and symptoms of mental illness.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5505
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. SALAZAR, BRISPORT, GOUNARDES -- 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 mental illness
training in temporary housing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 2-A of the social services law is amended by adding
2 a new title 3 to read as follows:
3 TITLE 3
4 MENTAL ILLNESS TRAINING IN TEMPORARY HOUSING
5 Section 47. Training to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental
6 illness.
7 § 47. Training to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness.
8 1. The office of temporary and disability assistance, in conjunction
9 with the office of mental health and the office of children and family
10 services, shall develop a training course to be utilized by providers of
11 temporary housing assistance. Such training course shall focus on iden-
12 tifying best practices to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental
13 illness and providing referrals, as appropriate, to individuals who may
14 be suffering from a mental illness.
15 2. Providers of temporary housing assistance shall include, but are
16 not limited to, a family shelter, a shelter for adults, a hotel, an
17 emergency apartment, a domestic violence shelter, a runaway and homeless
18 youth shelter, or a safe house for refugees operating in the state.
19 3. Such training shall be provided to all employees and volunteers
20 working or volunteering at a provider of temporary housing assistance.
21 4. Providers of temporary housing assistance shall ensure at least one
22 employee or volunteer who provides intake services and has received such
23 training is at the facility at all times, when applicable law, regu-
24 lation, code, or operating plan approved by a social services district
25 or the commissioner otherwise requires employees or volunteers to be at
26 the premises.
27 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03017-01-5
