BILL NUMBER: S8268
SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to earned income
contributions by homeless families receiving temporary housing assist-
ance in Westchester county; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE OF BILL:
This bill would waive the shelter contribution cost for employed home-
less family households within the Westchester county shelter system.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends 131-a of the social services law by adding a new
subdivision 16 which states that a homeless family household with
dependent children applying for or receiving temporary housing assist-
ance in Westchester County shall not be required to contribute any
earned income to room and board, or to eliminate their need for tempo-
rary housing assistance, or as a condition to receive temporary housing
assistance.
Section two provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Homelessness in New York State has increased substantially in recent
years. A 2025 report from the NYS Comptroller noted that the homeless
population doubled between January 2022 and January 2024 and that from
2011 to 2019, homelessness grew in New York even as it steadily declined
in the rest of the nation.' The increase in homelessness is due in large
part to a lack of affordable housing and ever-increasing rents.
Temporary housing assistance is provided to eligible homeless families
to meet an immediate need for shelter. Throughout New York State, home-
less families must pay a percentage of their limited income to stay in a
homeless shelter. This imposes an immense burden on families who are
already facing great hardship. By requiring homeless households to pay
the cost of temporary shelter we make it more difficult for families in
crisis to move into permanent homes. This bill would enable Westchester
County to establish a pilot program to waive the requirement that home-
less families with dependent children earning income must pay over a
portion of that income as a condition of staying in shelter. Waiving
these contributions will support a faster and more stable transition
towards permanent housing for these families in Westchester County.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law and shall expire and be deemed
repealed two years after such date.
1 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli, New Yorkers in Need:
Homelessness in New York State (January 2025),
https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/pdf/new-yorkers-in-need-homelessnes
snys.pdf

Statutes affected:
S8268: 131-a social services law