Bill Text: NY A09566 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to services for victims of human trafficking including short-term and long-term safe housing.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 30-5)

Status: (Passed) 2018-08-24 - signed chap.238 [A09566 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A09566-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          9566
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 23, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  HEVESI,  LENTOL,  O'DONNELL -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Social Services
        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in  relation  to  services  for
          victims of human trafficking
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 483-aa of the social services  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding two new subdivisions (c) and (d) to read as follows:
     3    (c) "Short-term safe house" means a residential facility operated by a
     4  not-for-profit  agency  with  experience  in providing services to human
     5  trafficking victims, that provides emergency shelter, services and  care
     6  to  human trafficking victims including food, shelter, clothing, medical
     7  care,  counseling  and  appropriate  crisis  intervention  services  and
     8  promotes a safe living environment.
     9    (d)  "Long-term safe house" means a residential facility operated by a
    10  not-for-profit agency with experience in  providing  services  to  human
    11  trafficking victims, that provides shelter for human trafficking victims
    12  and  promotes  a  safe living environment. In addition, a long-term safe
    13  house shall provide or assist with securing necessary services for  such
    14  human  trafficking  victims either through direct provision of services,
    15  or through written agreements with other community and  public  agencies
    16  for  the  provision  of  services  including but not limited to housing,
    17  assessment, case management, medical  care,  legal,  mental  health  and
    18  substance  use  disorder services. Such safe house, in accordance with a
    19  service plan for such human trafficking victim, shall also provide coun-
    20  seling and therapeutic services,  educational  services  including  life
    21  skills  services,  job  training  and placement and planning services to
    22  successfully transition such person back into the community.
    23    § 2. Subdivision (b) of section 483-bb of the social services law,  as
    24  added by chapter 74 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
    25    (b)  [In  providing  such assistance, the] The office of temporary and
    26  disability assistance [may] shall enter into contracts with  non-govern-
    27  ment  organizations for providing services to [pre-certified] victims of
    28  human trafficking as defined in subdivision [(b)] (a)  of  section  four
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14240-01-8
        A. 9566                             2
     1  hundred eighty-three-aa of this article[, insofar as funds are available
     2  for that purpose]. Such services [may] shall be culturally competent, to
     3  the  extent practicable, and shall include, but are not limited to, case
     4  management,  emergency  temporary  housing,  health  care, mental health
     5  counseling, drug addiction screening and treatment, language interpreta-
     6  tion and translation services, English language instruction, job  train-
     7  ing   and   placement   assistance,  post-employment  services  for  job
     8  retention, and services to assist the individual and any of his  or  her
     9  family  members  to establish a permanent residence in New York state or
    10  the United States.  Such services shall also include appropriate  volun-
    11  tary  placement  in  a  short-term  and/or long-term safe house, as such
    12  terms are defined under subdivision (c) or (d) of section  four  hundred
    13  eighty-three-aa  of  this  article.  Placement  in a safe house shall be
    14  available from the initial point of contact between the human  traffick-
    15  ing  victim  and  any  of the following: law enforcement; a local social
    16  services district; or a social or legal services  provider.  Nothing  in
    17  this  article  shall  prevent placement in a safe house of a human traf-
    18  ficking victim who is:   (1) involved in  a  proceeding  which  has  not
    19  reached  final disposition, for the duration of such proceeding; (2) not
    20  involved in a pending proceeding; or (3) participating in a program  for
    21  victims  of  domestic  violence  and  has been identified as a victim of
    22  human trafficking. Nothing in this [section] article shall preclude  the
    23  office  of  temporary  and  disability  assistance,  or any local social
    24  services district, from providing  human  trafficking  victims  who  are
    25  United  States citizens or human trafficking victims who meet the crite-
    26  ria pursuant to section one hundred twenty-two of this chapter with  any
    27  benefits or services for which they otherwise may be eligible.
    28    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    29  it shall have become a law.