Single New Yorkers fleeing domestic violence have long faced a harsh reality at the shelter door: if they arrived alone, many programs could not afford to take them. This week, Albany lawmakers moved to change that math, clearing a bill that would make it financially feasible for domestic-violence shelters to house single adults escaping abuse. Supporters say the measure finally wipes out a long-standing funding penalty that has shut many single survivors out of emergency shelter and pushed some programs to limit whom they can serve.
What the SAFE Shelter Act does
The Securing Access to Fair & Equal (SAFE) Shelter Act would require New York State to reimburse residential domestic-violence programs for the payment differential when a single adult is placed in a room intended for two people and no single-occupancy room is available. Under the bill, providers “shall be reimbursed for any payment differential” in those circumstances, with reimbursement set at 100% of the cost difference beginning in the fiscal year after the law takes effect. The measure is sponsored by State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, according to the New York State Senate.
Why advocates pushed for it
Advocates say New York’s current “heads-in-beds” funding model pays by person rather than household, which effectively punishes programs that convert two-bed units to serve single adults. Volunteers of America–Greater New York told lawmakers that its six domestic-violence shelters lost an estimated $1 million last year by housing single adults in two-bed rooms. Safe Horizon reports that roughly half of hotline callers seeking shelter are single adults, yet only about 18% are actually matched to domestic-violence shelter placements. Supporters argue the fix would be especially critical for older survivors, LGBTQ+ people and trafficking survivors who more often seek shelter alone, according to Safe Horizon.
Support And Sponsors
The Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Andrew Gounardes, with the Assembly companion carried by Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi. The Senate approved S.7738 on Wednesday by a 60–0 vote, with one absence and two excusals, according to the New York State Senate, and the Assembly passed the bill the following day. Other Brooklyn lawmakers listed as co-sponsors on the Senate and Assembly versions include Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher, Jo Anne Simon and Latrice Walker, and Senators Jabari Brisport and Julia Salazar, as reported by the Brooklyn Eagle.
Next steps
With both houses approving the measure this week, the bill now heads to the governor’s desk for consideration. If signed, it would take effect immediately as written. Advocates are pressing for a swift signature and any needed budget adjustments so shelters can begin converting units without absorbing the revenue hits that previously came with serving single adults.
What it could mean on the ground
Shelter operators and advocates say the financial fix should open up more beds for single adults and reduce the number of survivors who are diverted into the general homeless-shelter system, which typically lacks trauma-informed services tailored to domestic violence. Volunteers of America–Greater New York has warned that the existing funding penalty has already contributed to closures of smaller programs, and that correcting reimbursement rules could stabilize nonprofit budgets and free up life-saving beds, according to Volunteers of America–Greater New York.
