§ 532-D — Residential transitional independent living support programs

§ 532-d. Residential transitional independent living support programs.\nNotwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, pursuant to\nregulations of the office of children and family services, residential\nfacilities operating as transitional independent living support programs\nare authorized to and shall:\n 1. (a) (i) provide shelter to homeless youth who are at least age\nsixteen.\n (ii) Provided, however, that shelter may be provided to a homeless\nyouth under the age of sixteen if the municipality has notified the\noffice of children and family services in accordance with clause (iv) of\nsubparagraph three of paragraph a of subdivision two of section four\nhundred twenty of this chapter.\n (b) Shelter may be provided to a homeless youth in a transitional\nindependent living program for a period of up to eighteen months, or up\nto twenty-four months when authorized in the applicable municipality's\napproved comprehensive plan;\n (c) A homeless youth who entered a transitional independent living\nprogram under the age of twenty-one may continue to receive shelter\nservices in such program beyond the applicable period authorized by\nparagraph (b) of this subdivision, if the municipality has notified the\noffice of children and family services in accordance with clause (iv) of\nsubparagraph three of paragraph a of subdivision two of section four\nhundred twenty of this chapter;\n 2. work toward reuniting such homeless youth with his or her parent,\nguardian or custodian, where possible;\n 3. provide or assist in securing necessary services for such homeless\nyouth, and where appropriate, his or her family, including but not\nlimited to housing, educational, medical care, legal, mental health, and\nsubstance and alcohol abuse services. Where such program concludes that\nsuch homeless youth would be eligible for assistance, care or services\nfrom a local social services district, it shall assist such youth in\nsecuring such assistance, care or services;\n 4. for a homeless youth whose service plan involves independent\nliving, provide practical assistance in achieving independence, either\nthrough direct provision of services or through written agreements with\nother community and public agencies for the provision of services in the\nfollowing areas; high school education or high school equivalency\neducation; higher education assessment; job training and job placement;\ncounseling; assistance in the development of socialization skills;\nguidance and assistance in securing housing appropriate to needs and\nincome; and training in the development of skills necessary for\nresponsible independent living, including but not limited to money and\nhome management, personal care, and health maintenance; and\n 5. provide residential services to a youth in need of crisis\nintervention or respite services, as defined in this article;\n 6. continue to provide services to a homeless youth who is not yet\neighteen years of age but who has reached the maximum time period\nprovided by paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section, until he\nor she is eighteen years of age or for an additional six months if he or\nshe is still under the age of eighteen; and\n 7. contact the appropriate local social services district if it is\nbelieved that the youth may be a destitute child, as such term is\ndefined in section one thousand ninety-two of the family court act. The\noffice of children and family services shall provide appropriate\nguidance to the residential transitional independent living support\nprogram on how to accurately identify a youth that may be a destitute\nchild;\n 8. provide information to eligible youth about their ability to\nre-enter foster care in accordance with article ten-B of the family\ncourt act, and in appropriate cases, refer any such youth who may be\ninterested in re-entering foster care to the applicable local social\nservices district. The office of children and family services shall\nprovide the residential transitional independent living support program\nwith the appropriate educational materials to give to eligible youth\nregarding their ability to re-enter foster care. The office of children\nand family services shall also provide appropriate guidance to the\nresidential transitional independent living support program on how to\naccurately identify youth that may be eligible to re-enter foster care\nand how to refer such youth to the applicable local social services\ndistrict if appropriate; and\n 9. provide such reports and data as specified by the office of\nchildren and family services.\n