2023 New York Laws › EXC - Executive › Article 19-H - Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of Nineteen Hundred Seventy-Eight › 532-A - Definitions.

§ 532-a. Definitions. For the purposes of this article the term:
1. "Runaway youth" shall mean a person under the age of eighteen years
who is absent from his or her legal residence without the consent of his
or her parent, legal guardian or custodian.
2. "Homeless youth" shall mean:
(a)  a person under the age of eighteen who is in need of services and
is without a place of shelter where supervision and care are  available;
or
(b)  a  person  who is under the age of twenty-one but is at least age
eighteen and who is in need of  services  and  is  without  a  place  of
shelter.
(c)  Provided  however,  when  a municipality's approved comprehensive
plan authorizes that services pursuant to this article  be  provided  to
"homeless  young  adults"  as such term is defined in this section, then
for purposes related to the provisions of that  municipality's  approved
comprehensive  plan  that  include  "homeless  young  adults",  the term
"homeless youth" as used in this article  shall  be  deemed  to  include
"homeless young adults".
3.  "Youth  in  need of crisis intervention or respite services" shall
mean a person under the  age  of  eighteen  years  who  is  a  potential
respondent  under  article  seven of the family court act, who, with the
consent of his or her parent or other person legally responsible for the
youth, is determined by  the  local  juvenile  probation  department  or
social services official to be in need of crisis intervention or respite
services.
4. "Runaway and homeless youth crisis services program" shall mean:
(a) any non-residential program approved by the office of children and
family  services,  after  submission  by the municipality as part of its
comprehensive plan, that provides services to runaway youth and homeless
youth in accordance with the regulations of the office of  children  and
family services; or
(b)  any residential program which is operated by an authorized agency
as defined in subdivision ten of section three  hundred  seventy-one  of
the  social  services  law,  and certified by the office of children and
family services to provide short-term residential  services  to  runaway
youth  and  homeless youth in accordance with the applicable regulations
of the office of temporary and disability assistance and the  office  of
children and family services.
(c)  Runaway  and  homeless  youth  crisis  services programs may also
provide  non-residential  crisis   intervention   and,   if   certified,
residential  respite services to youth in need of crisis intervention or
respite services, as such term is defined in this  section.  Residential
respite  services  in  a  certified  runaway  and  homeless youth crisis
services program may  be  provided  to  such  youth  for  no  more  than
twenty-one  days,  in  accordance  with the regulations of the office of
children and family services and section seven  hundred  thirty-five  of
the family court act.
5.  "Runaway  and  homeless  youth service coordinator" shall mean any
person so designated by a municipality whose duties  shall  include  but
not   be   limited   to  answering  inquiries  at  any  time  concerning
transportation, shelter and other services available  to  a  runaway  or
homeless  youth  or  a  youth  in need of crisis intervention or respite
services.
6. "Transitional independent living support program" shall mean:
(a) any non-residential program approved by the office of children and
family services, after submission by the municipality  as  part  of  its
comprehensive plan, that provides supportive services to enable homeless
youth  to progress from crisis care and transitional care to independent

living, in accordance with the applicable regulations of the  office  of
children and family services; or
(b)  any  residential  program  established  and  operated  to provide
supportive services, in accordance with the regulations of the office of
children and family services, to enable homeless youth to progress  from
crisis care and transitional care to independent living.
(c) A transitional independent living support program may also provide
services  to  youth  in need of crisis intervention or respite services.
Notwithstanding the time limitation in paragraph (i) of subdivision  (d)
of   section   seven  hundred  thirty-five  of  the  family  court  act,
residential  respite  services  may  be  provided  in   a   transitional
independent  living support program for a period of more than twenty-one
days.
7.  "Safe  house"  shall  mean  a  residential  program  for  sexually
exploited children as defined in subdivision one of section four hundred
forty-seven-a  of  the  social services law. An approved runaway program
may operate a short-term safe house, as defined in  subdivision  two  of
section  four  hundred  forty-seven-a  of  the  social services law, for
sexually exploited children. A transitional independent  living  support
program  may  operate  a  long-term  safe  house  for sexually exploited
children.
8. "Municipality" shall mean a county, or a city having  a  population
of one million or more.
9.  "Homeless  young adult" shall mean a person who is age twenty-four
or younger but is at least age twenty-one and who is in need of services
and is without a place of shelter.