BILL NUMBER: S168
SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to making family
homelessness and eviction prevention supplement ("FHEPS") vouchers
available to migrant youth
 
PURPOSE:
To provide stable housing to young adult migrants through housing vouch-
ers
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends section 131-bb of the social services law
to require vouchers provided in New York City under the family homeless-
ness and eviction prevention supplement (FHEPS) program be made avail-
able to eligible runaway and homeless youth under the age of 25 who are
receiving, or who have previously received,services under section 532d
of the executive law. Such voucher program shall pay the full rent for
undocumented youth and partial rent for documented youth with stable
employment, provided that the maximum rent for such vouchers shall be
set at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's
fair market rent level.
Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Although there has been much focus on the large number of undocumented
families and unaccompanied child migrants arriving in New York City,
many of the new arrivals to our city are between the especially vulner-
able ages of 18-24. These young people are arriving on their own,
perhaps because this is the age that adolescents living in poverty are
often left to fend for themselves. Almost all of them have faced the
trauma of starvation, neglect and violence in their home countries. Many
have recounted treacherous journeys, including the witnessing of multi-
ple dead bodies on their way to the United States. Runaway and Homeless
Youth (RHY) providers across the city have stepped in to meet the imme-
diate needs of this population, including food, clothing, and shelter,
as well as educational needs and medical and mental health care. Howev-
er, the ultimate goal of the RHY system is for youth to leave program-
ming with stable, permanent housing. Young migrants need access to long-
term housing as they wait for work authorization and their asylum and
other immigration cases to be adjudicated. Documented RHY need housing
vouchers to supplement their income.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: S8223 (Ramos) Referred to Social Services / A5043 (Hevesi)
referred to social services
 
FISCAL IMPACT:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S168: 131-bb social services law