NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8268

Senate Bill S8268

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to earned income contributions by homeless families receiving temporary housing assistance in Westchester county

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Social Services Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 28, 2025	referred to social services

2025-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8509
Current Committee:: Senate Social Services
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §131-a, Soc Serv L

2025-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Removes the requirement that any earned income from a homeless family in Westchester county receiving temporary housing assistance be applied to room and board, or to eliminate a need for temporary housing assistance, or as a condition to receive temporary housing assistance.

2025-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
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

2025-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8268
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAYER  -- 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  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
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  131-a  of  the social services law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 16 to read as follows:
   16. (A) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, RULE OR REGULATION
 TO THE CONTRARY, A HOMELESS FAMILY  HOUSEHOLD  WITH  DEPENDENT  CHILDREN
 APPLYING  FOR  OR  RECEIVING TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN WESTCHESTER
 COUNTY SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY EARNED INCOME TO ROOM AND
 BOARD, OR TO ELIMINATE THEIR NEED FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING  ASSISTANCE,  OR
 AS A CONDITION TO RECEIVE TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE FROM SUCH PROVID-
 ER. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, ANY WESTCHESTER COUNTY PROVID-
 ER  OF TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE OR SHORT-TERM HOUSING SHALL INCLUDE,
 BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A FAMILY SHELTER, A HOTEL,  AN  EMERGENCY  APART-
 MENT, A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER, OR A TRANSITIONAL UNIT.
   (B) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS PERMITTING THE STATE
 TO REIMBURSE WESTCHESTER COUNTY FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMI-
 LIES  WITH EARNED INCOME AT A RATE OF LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, AND
 SHALL BE TREATED AS IF WESTCHESTER COUNTY WERE STILL OBTAINING  CONTRIB-
 UTIONS FROM THESE HOUSEHOLDS.
   (C)  NOTHING  IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS CREATING ANY ADDI-
 TIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY TO PROVIDE  TEMPORARY  HOUSING
 ASSISTANCE OR SHORT-TERM HOUSING.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed two years after such date.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11612-01-5

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