[Adopted 8-19-2008 by Res. No. 687-2008 (Ch. 860, Art. IV,
of the 1985 Code)]
A.
The placement of public assistance recipients in substandard housing
is a long-standing problem in our County.
B.
The County of Suffolk has enacted several local laws designed to
prevent the placement of Department of Social Services' clients in
housing that is substandard, unsafe and/or noncompliant with local
building and zoning codes.
C.
Despite these efforts, the unfortunate practice of placing public
assistance recipients in substandard housing continues.
D.
This Legislature wishes to establish that it shall be the policy
of Suffolk County to verify that potential accommodations used by
the Department of Social Services to house recipients of public assistance
have the necessary certificate of occupancy and/or rental permit.
No individual receiving public assistance shall be housed in
any accommodation that does not have a valid certificate of occupancy
and/or rental permit issued by the municipality in which the housing
accommodation is located.
The Commissioner of Social Services is authorized, empowered,
and directed to obtain copies of certificates of occupancy and or/rental
permits from potential landlords before an individual is placed in
the subject housing accommodation and/or before any payment is paid
to said landlord.
The Commissioner of Social Services shall maintain records of
certificates of occupancy and/or rental permits for accommodations
used by the Department of Social Services to house recipients of public
assistance, and he or she shall obtain updated copies of said documents
should they expire.
