2023 New York Laws › SOS - Social Services › Article 2 - Department and State Board of Social Welfare › 36-C - Savings Plan for the City of New York.

* §  36-c.  Savings  plan for the city of New York. 1. Notwithstanding
  any other provision of law to  the  contrary,  in  any  social  services
  district  with  a  city having a population of five million or more, the
  social services district shall conduct a demonstration  project  as  set
  forth  in  this  section,  and shall evaluate and report on such project
  annually, pursuant to a plan approved by the  office  of  temporary  and
  disability assistance and the division of budget. A comprehensive report
  shall be provided to the governor, the temporary president of the senate
  and  the  speaker of the assembly by December thirty-first, two thousand
  twenty-one. Such report shall include but not be limited to  information
  regarding  the  program  such  as  the  number  of  participants for the
  previous three years; the percentage of participation as measured by the
  number of participants making contributions into such savings plan;  the
  average  amount  payable  to a participant upon leaving the program; the
  average length of time a participant remained in the program; the number
  of situations in which the participant moved  out  of  the  program  but
  reengaged  in  the program within the previous twelve months; the number
  of participants leaving  the  program  voluntarily  and  the  number  of
  participants   removed   due   to  failure  to  comply;  and  any  other
  demonstrated outcomes of such program.
2. Such social services district, in lieu of applying that portion  of
  a  temporary  housing assistance recipient's earned income that, but for
  the provisions of this section, would be applied to reduce the need  for
  the  shelter  component  of  temporary  housing assistance provided in a
  temporary  emergency  shelter,  shall  direct  such   a   recipient   to
  participate in a savings plan with such funds and, as long as such funds
  are  not withdrawn, they shall not be applied to reduce the need for the
  shelter component of the temporary housing assistance  granted  for  the
  duration  of  his  or  her  residence  in  temporary  emergency shelter;
  provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall only  apply
  to a person receiving temporary housing assistance in a shelter or other
  facility  overseen  by the New York city department of homeless services
  or the New York city department of housing preservation and development.
  Failure by a recipient of temporary housing assistance to contribute  to
  such  a  savings  plan  shall  result in the discontinuance of temporary
  housing assistance.  Provided  however,  such  discontinuance  shall  be
  immediately curable by compliance with this section.
3. In such social services district, any such funds collected from the
  earned income of a recipient of temporary housing assistance while he or
  she is residing in a temporary emergency shelter shall be deposited in a
  savings  plan  approved  by  the  office  of  temporary  and  disability
  assistance and the division of budget; shall be payable to the recipient
  for the recipient's use to facilitate  his  or  her  transition  to,  or
  stabilize  his  or  her  residence in, permanent housing upon his or her
  discharge from shelter or upon verification of such recipient's date  of
  discharge  from  shelter;  and shall be considered exempt as income or a
  resource until the twelfth  month  following  the  month  in  which  the
  recipient  ceases  receiving  temporary  housing assistance in temporary
  emergency shelter. Funds  collected  in  such  savings  plans  shall  be
  pooled,   tracked   individually,   and   maintained  in  a  savings  or
  money-market account at interest rates set by the institution with which
  such funds are deposited. Any  savings  and  interest  accrued  in  such
  account  or  accounts  shall  be  distributed  to  a  temporary  housing
  assistance recipient upon his or her discharge from temporary  emergency
  shelter  or upon verification of such recipient's date of discharge from
  shelter, in accordance with the provisions of this section.
4. Such social services district shall be deemed  in  compliance  with
  section  one  hundred  thirty-one-a of this chapter for reimbursement of

  expenditures  made  for  temporary  housing  assistance,  provided   the
  district  is  conducting  the  project  fully  in  accordance  with  the
  provisions of this section. Unearned income of a recipient of  temporary
  housing assistance in such social services district shall not be applied
  to  the  savings  plan,  and shall not be required to be applied to that
  portion of the shelter  costs  not  paid  for  with  public  assistance.
  Temporary  housing  assistance  recipients  shall  not  be  required  to
  contribute to the cost of such shelter, as provided for in this section.
  Such project shall not be implemented so as to  compromise  the  federal
  benefits of a recipient or any of his or her household members.
5.  Upon  the effective date of this subdivision, such social services
  district shall suspend  implementation  of  the  demonstration  program,
  provided  that  (a)  the  recipient's  need for the shelter component of
  temporary housing assistance shall not be reduced by the  portion  of  a
  recipient's  earned  income  that the recipient would have been required
  under subdivision two of this section to deposit in a savings plan,  and
  (b)  funds  collected  from recipients pursuant to this section prior to
  the effective date of this subdivision shall continue to be treated  and
  made  payable  to  recipients  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of
  subdivision three of this section.
* NB Repealed March 31, 2030