NYC Council Passes Bill to Ease Shelter Intake Process for Families with Children

Photo byGetty Images

The New York City Council has passed new legislation that will no longer require families seeking shelter to bring their children to in-person intake proceedings. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Diana Ayala, aims to provide relief to families by allowing children to appear virtually during their family’s initial application or reentry into the city’s shelter system.

The legislation formalizes a practice that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving families the flexibility to manage shelter intake without the added stress of bringing children to a centralized intake center. Ayala, drawing on her own experiences with the shelter system, emphasized the importance of this change. “I had a one-year-old in a carriage. They don't want to sit there,” Ayala said during a press conference before the Council meeting. “They're hungry, they're restless, they don't want to sit in one place for a certain amount of time.”

All 44 Council members present for the vote supported the bill. If signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams, it will bar the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) from requiring children to attend in-person intake proceedings unless they fail to appear virtually within 24 hours of a request or miss checking into their shelter by curfew the day after placement.

Currently, families are required to go to a centralized intake center in the Bronx, where they can spend an average of six to seven hours completing the intake process. The DHS had already been exempting children from in-person requirements for the initial meeting, with Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter stating that the current system strikes a balance between necessary oversight and flexibility for families.

Advocates for the homeless have hailed Ayala’s bill as a crucial step in addressing the challenges faced by families seeking shelter. Former Council Speaker Christine Quinn, now CEO of family shelter provider Win, called the bill “a monumental step forward in the fight to end family homelessness.”

The bill is now awaiting Mayor Adams’ signature. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office, Liz Garcia, said the bill is under review and emphasized the city’s commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of children in its care.