New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 18 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES › Chapter II - Regulations of the Department of Social Services › Subchapter L - Homeless Housing And Assistance Program › Part 900 - Shelters For Families With Children › Section 900.3 - Operational plan

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a)
(1) A social services district may be
		    reimbursed for costs incurred for shelter and services provided to homeless
		    families in tier I and tier II facilities and congregate shelters for homeless
		    pregnant women where such facilities are operated in accordance with the
		    requirements of this Part and where such facilities are operated pursuant to
		    operational plans which have been approved by the department. A separate
		    operational plan must be submitted by the social services district for each
		    facility for which the district seeks reimbursement.
(2) Prior to the submission of an operational
		    plan for a shelter for families, a social services district must obtain the
		    preliminary approval of the department for the establishment of such facility.
		    For acquisition, construction or operation of a new facility, a social services
		    district must submit a request for preliminary approval prior to entering into
		    any binding commitments for the acquisition of the property, for construction,
		    for financing or for operation of the facility. Preliminary approval to
		    establish a facility will be granted only to a social services district which
		    has submitted an overall plan for developing transitional and permanent housing
		    for homeless families and satisfactorily demonstrates and documents, on forms
		    and in a manner prescribed by the department:
(i) that there exists sufficient need for the
		    establishment of the facility, including but not limited to a description of
		    the number of homeless families in the district, the vacancy rate for low
		    income housing in the district, the geographic location of the shelter and the
		    type of population to be served by the shelter;
(ii) that the costs of development,
		    including, but not limited to, acquisition, construction/rehabilitation,
		    professional fees, including legal and architectural fees, and financing costs,
		    are reasonable and consistent with the standards developed by the department
		    for such costs;
(iii) that the
		    proposed facility will be converted at reasonable cost to permanent housing or
		    another use approved by the commissioner for a reasonable time period to be
		    determined by the commissioner;
(iv) how the proposed facility will be
		    included in the district's overall plan for developing permanent housing for
		    homeless families including a description of the permanent housing sources
		    available for families residing in the proposed facility, and a demonstration
		    that sufficient permanent housing resources will be made available or are in
		    development to accommodate anticipated placements from the proposed facility,
		    that linkages have been established to ensure the availability of such
		    permanent housing resources, and that the number of transitional units is
		    coordinated with the availability of permanent housing to ensure lengths of
		    stay do not exceed those specified in section
		    900.15(c)(3) 
		    of this Part; and
(v) how the
		    district will meet occupancy rates as established by the department during the
		    course of the facility's fiscal year. The minimum occupancy rate assigned to a
		    facility by the department may not be less than 85 percent, and will be
		    assigned depending on the number of homeless families living in the social
		    services district and the capacity of the facility.
(3) A social services district's failure to
		    submit a timely and complete application for the preliminary approval of the
		    establishment of a shelter for families and to obtain such approval from the
		    department, including but not limited to approval of the costs of the
		    development of the facility, consistent with the standards developed by the
		    department, will result in the denial of all or part of any available Federal
		    or State reimbursement for the operation of the facility under this
		    Part.