18 CRR-NY 900.9NY-CRR
18 CRR-NY 900.9
18 CRR-NY 900.9
900.9 Referrals, assessments and independent living plans.
(a) Referrals.
Any pregnant person or homeless family that applies to a social services district for temporary housing assistance may be considered for referral to a shelter for families. To the extent possible, referral must be made to a facility in a location which will minimize the dislocation of the family from the family’s community and schools.
(b) Assessments.
When a family applies for temporary housing assistance, the social services district or the social services district’s designee shall commence to evaluate the family to assess the family’s housing and housing-related public assistance and care needs pursuant to section 352.35 of this Title, and the suitability of the family for placement in a shelter, by the end of the next business day. The assessment shall be completed by the social services district or its designee as soon as possible thereafter.
(c) A homeless family that applies to a social services district for temporary housing assistance may be provided with emergency shelter on a temporary, interim basis, but for no longer than 15 days without office approval, while the assessment of eligibility to receive temporary housing assistance and suitability for referral to a shelter is completed.
(d) Each adult member of a family must cooperate in the completion of an assessment. When an adult family member fails to cooperate in the completion of the assessment, the social services district must deny the family’s application for temporary housing assistance unless non-compliance is due to a physical or mental impairment of the family member. When such a physical or mental impairment appears to be present and interfering with a family member’s ability to cooperate in and complete an assessment, the social services district must refer the family member with the apparent physical or mental impairment for an evaluation by an appropriate professional. When the family member states that they have a physical or mental impairment that interferes with their compliance, they must provide documentation of this impairment unless the physical or mental impairment is known or apparent to shelter or intake staff, in which case the family member shall not be required to provide documentation of the physical or mental impairment. If they do not have such documentation and cannot obtain it with or without the assistance of the social services district, the district may refer the individual to an appropriate qualified professional for an evaluation and/or for such documentation. The social services district also may refer the family member to an appropriate qualified professional for an independent medical examination if the social services district believes additional information is necessary to confirm that the individual has a physical or mental impairment that is interfering with their ability to cooperate in and complete an assessment.
(e) Preliminary health screenings.
(1) All applicants for admission to a shelter for families must have a preliminary health screening at or before the time of intake, but in no case later than 24 hours after admission to the facility. Such screening must be performed to ascertain the general health of the family and/or the presence of communicable diseases, and to verify pregnancy. In no event shall a person exhibiting symptoms of a generalized systemic communicable disease or a readily communicable local infection be admitted, unless the person can be properly isolated and quarantined in the facility.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subdivision, a new preliminary health screening is not required when a family moves from one temporary housing placement to another temporary housing placement while staying in the social services district’s emergency housing system, if the original preliminary health screening is less than one year old and the preliminary health examination and relevant health and medical information is sent to the receiving facility at or prior to the family’s arrival. Sending facilities or social services districts are required to send relevant health and medical information to receiving facilities, including any recommendation for additional health screening due to a family member’s medical condition, promptly upon the family's arrival, but in no instance later than 72 hours after the family's arrival.
(3) The family should be referred by the social services district for physical examination, laboratory tests, inoculations and other treatment as appropriate, and must be referred for a medical examination by qualified medical personnel if requested.
(f) A social services district shall not, without the approval of the office, refer to a family shelter any family containing a member who:
(1) has a mental or physical condition that makes such placement inappropriate or otherwise may cause danger to himself/herself or others;
(2) requires services beyond those that the shelter is authorized to provide by law and regulation, or by an operational plan approved by the office;
(3) is likely to substantially interfere with the health, safety, welfare, care or comfort of other residents;
(4) is in need of a level of medical, mental health, nursing care or other assistance that cannot be rendered safely and effectively by the facility, or that cannot be reasonably provided by the facility through the assistance of other community resources;
(5) is incapable of ambulation on stairs without personal assistance, unless such family can be assigned a room on a floor with ground level egress or the facility is equipped with an elevator; or
(6) has a generalized systemic communicable disease or a readily communicable local infection which cannot be properly isolated and quarantined in the facility.
(g) When a family cannot be referred to a shelter for families for any of the reasons set forth in subdivision (f) of this section, the social services district must ensure that action is taken which is appropriate to the health, safety and needs of the family and its members. Such action may include, but is not limited to, referral to appropriate medical or clinical services when a person is determined to be in need of treatment for physical or mental health issues, referral of a family member or family members to shelters for adults, or referral to an appropriate adult protective or law enforcement agency or similar entity.
(h) Independent living plan.
Within 10 days of admission to a shelter for families, the social services district and/or the social services district’s designee, which may include the shelter operator, with the cooperation of each adult member of the resident family, must develop an independent living plan to the extent required by section 352.35 of this Title.
(1) The independent living plan must be reviewed with the family at least once every two weeks and such plan must be revised as necessary to assist the family in obtaining permanent housing. The family shall have access to its independent living plan and case file.
(2) The facility or social services district must document the independent living plan and all direct services and service referrals to other entities provided while the family is in the facility.
18 CRR-NY 900.9
Current through July 31, 2021
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