Senate Bill S8521

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S8521

SPONSOR: KAMINSKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the executive law, in relation to the
performance of a study regarding homeless persons who are veterans in
the state of New York

 
PURPOSE:

To address the alarming trend of homeless persons are veterans and
parents.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section I amends section 353 of the executive law by adding new subdivi-
sion 6-a concerning the performance of a study conducted by the New York
State Division of Veterans' Affairs, the Office of Temporary and Disa-
bility Service, Department of Labor and the Office of Children and Fami-
ly Services to determine the number of homeless persons in New York
State who are veterans. It will also determine the number of offspring
of the veterans and current placement, and whether such veterans
              

suffered military sexual trauma. Once the study is completed a written
report will be delivered to the governor and the legislature.

Section II sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

A report released in 2013 by The United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development estimates that 57,849 veterans are homeless on any
given night. This number is likely to increase given the amount of
veterans who are struggling with excessive economic burdens. Veterans,
especially those with disabilities including post-traumatic stress
disorder and traumatic brain injuries, are more likely to become home-
less. Often a higher percentage of veterans returning from the current
conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrate these characteristics.

In 2009, homeless veterans were mostly male while 4 percent were female.
Today, the United States Government Accountability Office reports that
women veterans identified as homeless by the VA increased more than 140
percent, from 1,350 in fiscal year 2006 to 3,328 in fiscal year 2010.
Women veterans are also 4 times more likely than their male counterparts
to end up homeless. Homeless female veterans who are single mothers have
a tough time finding adequate shelter, daycare services, and finding
gainful employment.  About 3,000 of these veterans could not access
shelter and one-third had some sort of disability. These statistics are
alarming and become even more distressing when you take into account
that many of these women have children. The study and analysis would
gather information on the number of homeless veterans in New York and
how many of them have children. Ultimately, the outcome from this study
would produce recommendations and solutions to combat the growing prob-
lems among the men and women who have served our country.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

 
FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after the bill shall
become law.