Creation of a taskforce to study improving safety in homeless shelters.

A Local Law in relation to the creation of a taskforce to study improving safety in homeless shelters.

Recently, there have been a number of violent incidents in homeless shelters in the city of New York. For example, police have responded to over 1,800 calls for help from the Tillary Street Women’s Shelter in Brooklyn since the shelter opened in 2003. The reasons for these calls included reports of fighting, robberies, and medical emergencies. This bill would create a task force to study possible measures that can be taken to improve the safety in homeless shelters throughout the city of New York. The task force would include the Commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services, who would serve as the chairperson, and appointees of the Mayor and the Speaker with background in homeless services and law enforcement, and one appointed member would be a shelter resident. Within one year of the formation of the task force, the task force will issue a report of its findings to the Mayor and the Speaker of the City Council.