A 861: Relates to services available to immigrants residing in certain family and adult shelter facilities; requires the office of New Americans to establish a program to deliver comprehensive case management services to immigrants residing in certain shelters.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 861 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. FORREST, SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to services available to immigrants residing in certain family and adult shelter facilities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (n),(o) and (p) of subdivision 5 of section 94-b 2 of the executive law, paragraph (n) as amended and paragraphs (o) and 3 (p) as added by chapter 625 of the laws of 2024, are amended and a new 4 paragraph (q) is added to read as follows: 5 (n) Beginning in two thousand fifteen, by June fifteenth of each year, 6 produce a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and the 7 temporary president of the senate describing the activities of the 8 office, including but not limited to, summarizing calls received through 9 the hotline and website, information on ESOL training services provided 10 by the office, the number of immigrants assisted through the opportunity 11 centers and within shelters, or an estimation thereof, information on 12 services provided within shelters, the status of any workforce develop- 13 ment programs, and any other relevant information; 14 (o) Encourage the development of and provide for the establishment of 15 a state military immigrant family legacy program liaison, as provided in 16 section twenty-nine-b of the veterans' services law as added by chapter 17 625 of the laws of 2024; [and] 18 (p) Request individuals seeking assistance from the office answer the 19 following questions: "Have you served in the United States military?" 20 "Has someone in your family served in the United States military?" 21 Individuals identifying themselves or a family member as "intended 22 recipients" of the staff sergeant Alex R. Jimenez New York state mili- 23 tary immigrant family legacy program as such term is defined in para- 24 graph (e) of subdivision one of section twenty-nine-b of the veterans' EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02121-01-5 
 A. 861 2 1 services law as added by chapter 625 of the laws of 2024, shall be 2 advised of such program. In addition, such individuals shall be informed 3 that the department of veterans' services and local veterans' service 4 agencies established pursuant to section seventeen of the veterans' 5 services law provide assistance to uniformed service members, veterans 6 and their families regarding benefits available under federal and state 7 law. Information regarding veterans and military status provided by 8 assisted individuals shall be protected as personal confidential materi- 9 al, and used only to identify such individuals as "intended recipients" 10 of the staff sergeant Alex R. Jimenez New York State military immigrant 11 family legacy program, and to assist such individuals in matters relat- 12 ing to immigration status and citizenship, and in referring such indi- 13 viduals to the department of veterans' services or local veterans' 14 service agencies for information and assistance with regard to benefits 15 and entitlements under federal and state law[.]; and 16 (q) Subject to available appropriations, establish a program to deliv- 17 er comprehensive case management services to immigrants residing in 18 family and adult shelter facilities operated within the state by a local 19 government or provider under contract or similar agreement with a state 20 agency or a local government. 21 (i) Such program shall contract with established community-based not- 22 for-profit corporations, charitable organizations, or wholly-owned 23 subsidiaries of a not-for-profit corporation or of a charitable organ- 24 ization that has a documented history of assisting immigrant individuals 25 and has at least three years experience providing services to such indi- 26 viduals including, but not limited to, ESOL services, legal assistance 27 related to obtaining asylum or other documented statuses, naturalization 28 programs, workforce development programs, and referral to other appro- 29 priate social services and programs. 30 (ii) Services offered by such a program shall be with the explicit 31 goal of transitioning immigrants out of shelter facilities into stable 32 long-term living arrangements. 33 (iii) For the purposes of carrying out such a program, providers shall 34 be given access to shelter facilities and individuals who are residing 35 therein, as well as access to a permanent space within or adjacent to 36 such facilities which shall serve as an office and resource center. 37 (iv) Operators of facilities shall collaborate with contracted organ- 38 izations and prioritize provider's recommendations regarding how to 39 better integrate case management and services into their current oper- 40 ations and shall cooperate with providers to the maximal extent possi- 41 ble. 42 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 43 if chapter 625 of the laws of 2024 shall not have taken effect on or 44 before such date then section one of this act shall take effect on the 45 same date and in the same manner as such chapter of the laws of 2024 46 takes effect.