State again orders homeless be sheltered when its 32 degrees

The state quietly submitted an emergency regulation Friday evening that requires the homeless be sheltered when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or colder.

The emergency regulation keeps with an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last January that had the same requirement. There has been confusion over whether that order expired, though the Cuomo administration said at the end of November that the intent of the order remained.

Beginning immediately, the rule will operate in the same way the executive order did: Police will be tasked with identifying those who refuse to seek shelter when the mercury drops below 32 degrees (including windchill). Essentially, police will be performing assessments of a homeless person’s competency to seek shelter. If they are deemed competent, they will not have to be involuntarily sent to a shelter. If it’s deemed that they can’t make the decision on their own, they will be sheltered.

The rule also requires that shelters take necessary steps to extend their hours to to keep the homeless indoors longer when temperatures are below freezing..

Read more: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/270281/state-again-orders-homeless-be-sheltered-when-its-32-degrees/