STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3856 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 8, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, SANTABARBARA, ZEBROWSKI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the social services law, in relation to housing navigation services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 13.44 to read as follows: 3 § 13.44 Housing navigation services. 4 (a) The office shall establish and provide housing navigation services 5 for individuals with a developmental or intellectual disability as 6 defined in section 1.03 of this chapter. Housing navigation services 7 shall include but not be limited to: 8 (1) collaborating with individuals to develop an individualized hous- 9 ing action plan, that at a minimum, shall assist individuals in finding 10 appropriate housing that meets their specific housing goals; 11 (2) supporting individuals that apply for state and federal assistance 12 programs; 13 (3) coordinating and assisting housing transitions for individuals, 14 taking into consideration their specific needs; and 15 (4) collaborating with individuals to craft a housing sustainability 16 plan to ensure that such individuals are able to secure and maintain 17 stable housing, and have access to and are able to utilize the necessary 18 services and support to achieve their housing goals. 19 (b) (1) The commissioner shall develop and implement a housing naviga- 20 tion curriculum statewide, for the purposes of training applicants in 21 delivering housing navigation services as defined in subdivision (a) of 22 this section. In developing and implementing such curriculum, the 23 commissioner may contract with an entity that has demonstrated appropri- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04879-01-3A. 3856 2 1 ate knowledge, expertise, and experience in housing navigator services 2 and training curriculums. 3 (2) The commissioner, in consultation with the regional offices under 4 his or her jurisdiction shall perform a statewide assessment of the need 5 for housing navigation services, and shall provide additional outreach 6 regarding the availability of housing navigation training in regions of 7 the state where there is the greatest demonstrated need. 8 (c) (1) The commissioner shall establish a housing navigation task 9 force to perform tasks that will help to ensure the successful implemen- 10 tation of the housing navigation services established by this section. 11 The task force shall be co-chaired by the commissioner or his or her 12 designee, the commissioner of the office of temporary and disability 13 assistance or his or her designee, the commissioner for the office of 14 mental health or his or her designee, the commissioner for the office of 15 addiction services and supports or his or her designee, and a represen- 16 tative of New York state homes and community renewal. Ensuring adequate 17 geographic representation, an additional ten individuals shall be 18 selected for the task force. Such individuals shall have professional 19 experience in the fields of affordable housing development, banking, 20 financial planning, and in delivering housing services for individuals 21 with developmental or intellectual disabilities as a non-profit provid- 22 er. The members shall be selected by the commissioner in consultation 23 with the other state agency representatives on the task force. 24 (2) The task force shall meet as often as is necessary, but no less 25 than three times per year, and under circumstances as are appropriate to 26 fulfilling its duties as required under this section. 27 (3) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but 28 may be reimbursed for actual costs incurred for participation on such 29 task force. 30 (4) The task force shall: 31 (i) coordinate with the commissioner and the regional offices to help 32 ensure access to housing navigation services in the regions of the state 33 with the greatest demonstrated need; 34 (ii) create or utilize written information that may be used as a 35 resource for increasing public awareness of housing navigation resources 36 as well as educating parents, individuals, provider agencies and other 37 stakeholders about the opportunities for non-certified housing in all 38 five regions of the office; 39 (iii) provide recommendations on the appropriateness of and ways to 40 implement a housing navigator train-the-trainer program using the hous- 41 ing navigator training curriculum; 42 (iv) assist in the development of research methods which measure the 43 correlation between the housing navigator model and social determinants 44 of health; 45 (v) evaluate housing navigation as a reimbursable service and measur- 46 ing outcomes based on value-based payment methodologies and arrange- 47 ments; and 48 (vi) examine the feasibility of expanding housing navigation services 49 to other systems of care that are involved in the delivery of housing 50 services, including but not limited to high utilization Medicaid service 51 enrollees who reside in the state of New York. 52 § 2. Section 366 of the social services law is amended by adding a new 53 subdivision 7-d to read as follows: 54 7-d. The commissioner of health in consultation with the commissioner 55 of the office for people with developmental disabilities is authorized 56 to submit the appropriate waivers, including but not limited to, thoseA. 3856 3 1 authorized pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen of the federal 2 social security act, in order to achieve the purpose of high-quality 3 housing navigation services pursuant to section 13.44 of the mental 4 hygiene law for a population of persons with developmental or intellec- 5 tual disabilities, as such terms are defined in section 1.03 of the 6 mental hygiene law. 7 § 3. Subdivision (b) of section 5.07 of the mental hygiene law is 8 amended by adding a new paragraph 6 to read as follows: 9 (6) The commissioner of the office for people with developmental disa- 10 bilities shall include the following in the portion of the statewide 11 comprehensive plan required by this subdivision for services provided to 12 persons with developmental or intellectual disabilities: (i) information 13 related to progress implementing and the effectiveness of housing navi- 14 gation services as defined in section 13.44 of this chapter, and (ii) 15 any other information deemed appropriate by such commissioner. 16 § 4. This act shall take effect April 1, 2025. Effective immediately, 17 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 18 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 19 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.