A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a continuum of care steering committee to advise the department of homeless services, and to the responsibilities of the interagency coordinating council, and to repeal section 21-306 of the administrative code of the city of New York, relating to the homeless services advisory board

Int. No.1460-A

By Council Members Levin, Salamanca, Richards, Barron, Menchaca, Rosenthal, Cohen and Espinal

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a continuum of care steering committee to advise the department of homeless services, and to the responsibilities of the interagency coordinating council, and to repeal section 21-306 of the administrative code of the city of New York, relating to the homeless services advisory board

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Section 21-306 of the administrative code of the city of New York is REPEALED, and a new section 21-306 is added to read as follows:

§ 21-306 Continuum of care steering committee. There shall be a continuum of care steering committee, which shall be responsible for providing advice to the commissioner on implementation of the requirements of the homeless emergency assistance and rapid transition to housing act of 2009, codified in chapter 119 of title 42 of the United States code, and any regulations promulgated pursuant to such act. The steering committee shall be created pursuant to section 578.5 of title 24 of the code of federal regulations and shall at a minimum include at least one member who is currently or formerly homeless. The members of the steering committee shall be representative of the relevant organizations and of projects serving homeless subpopulations. The members of the steering committee shall serve without compensation. The steering committee shall submit its advice to the commissioner, or his or her designee, in person or in writing, on a quarterly basis. The commissioner, or his or her designee, shall meet with the steering committee regularly.

§ 2.  Section 21-307 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

§ 21-307 Interagency coordinating council. a. There shall be an interagency coordinating council established by the mayor which shall consist of representatives of each city agency providing transitional housing or services to eligible homeless persons and other homeless individuals and families. Such interagency coordinating council shall include, but shall not be limited to, representatives of the department of homeless services, the department of social services/the human resources administration, including at least one representative who works in housing for individuals with HIV/AIDS, housing for victims of domestic violence, and supportive housing, the department of housing preservation and development, the department of youth and community development, the administration for children’s services, the department of education,  the department of health and mental hygiene, and such other agencies as the mayor shall designate. The mayor shall designate a deputy mayor to serve as chairperson of the interagency coordinating council. The commissioner of the department of homeless services shall provide appropriate personnel to assist the interagency coordinating council in the performance of its functions. Representatives of the New York city housing authority and of the office to combat domestic violence may serve on the interagency coordinating council, and the chairperson of the interagency coordinating council or his or her designee shall notify such agencies of their ability to serve.

                     b. The interagency coordinating council shall:

                     1.  Not later than [October 1, 1995] October 1, 2018, and each year thereafter, prepare, in consultation with the office of management and budget, an annual breakdown of each member agency's expenditures for housing and services to the homeless in the adopted budget;

                     2. review the organization and operations of member agencies with respect to contracted service providers to the homeless, including service delivery, management and evaluation of performance;

                     3. recommend means by which the [duplication and] fragmentation of the provision of housing for, and delivery of services to, the homeless may be reduced and the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of service delivery may be enhanced;

                     4. consider proposals for the improvement of transitional and permanent housing programs and service delivery to the homeless; and

                     5. recommend to the mayor and the city council joint agency projects or programs which could facilitate more efficient use of existing resources.

                     c. The interagency coordinating council shall meet at least quarterly and shall hold at least one public hearing annually, at which public testimony shall be taken. A report on each such public hearing shall be submitted in writing to the speaker of the city council within ten days of the date on which such public hearing [shall have been] was held. Where the interagency coordinating council fails to hold such meetings or public hearings as required pursuant to this subdivision, a report shall be submitted in writing to the speaker of the city council including an explanation of the failure to hold such meetings or public hearings.

                     d. No later than January 1, 2018, and every January 1 thereafter, the interagency coordinating council shall submit an annual report to the speaker of the council and the mayor containing the interagency coordinating council’s recommendations as developed pursuant to subdivision b of this section. Such report shall be posted on the department’s website. The reports required pursuant to this section shall remain permanently available on the department’s website.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

AV/SW

LS # 868

10/6/17, 7:49pm