[HISTORY: Adopted by the Suffolk County Legislature 9-20-2001 by Res. No.
895-2001 (Ch. 675 of the 1985 Code). Amendments
noted where applicable.]
The following rules and regulations shall apply to any motel
or hotel that receives payment from the County of Suffolk, either
directly or as a conduit for state, federal, public, and private moneys,
to provide housing accommodations for recipients of public assistance
and care from the County of Suffolk.
A.
Appropriate arrangements shall be made for the ongoing maintenance,
repair, and sanitation of the motel/hotel.
B.
The facility confirms that its records shall be available for inspection
by Department of Social Services (DSS) personnel to ensure adequate
provision has been made for:
(1)
Removal of garbage.
(2)
Maintenance of motel or hotel rooms, including floor coverings, draperies
and furniture.
(3)
Regular maintenance and inspection of the electrical system.
(4)
Regular maintenance of plumbing and plumbing fixtures.
(5)
Regular maintenance and inspection of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning
systems.
(6)
A regular vermin control program by a licensed exterminator.
(7)
Ensuring that entrances, exits, steps, and walkways are kept clear
of garbage, ice, snow, and other hazards.
C.
Management shall report uncooperative occupants to assigned DSS staff.
D.
The motel/hotel shall provide furniture in good condition and necessary
for daily living, including, but not limited to, tables, bureaus,
chairs, beds and cribs in each room. Cribs and bassinets shall be
offered and made available to families having children under the age
of three. Broken furnishings shall be promptly repaired or replaced.
E.
The motel/hotel shall offer and make available refrigerator space
to accommodate milk, infant formula, and medicine for families with
infants or special medicinal needs.
F.
The motel/hotel shall set aside and designate a suitable play area
for children under parental supervision which is safe from traffic
and other hazards.
G.
No more than two adults shall be placed in the same room. Each unit
shall comply with pertinent building and fire codes.
H.
When children are placed in the same room as adults, there shall
be sufficient beds so children shall not have to share single beds
and children over the age of six shall not have to share a bed with
an adult of the opposite sex. Three persons shall not share a double
bed.
I.
All bedding material shall be clean. Each bed shall have at least
two clean sheets, adequate clean blankets, clean pillows, and clean
pillowcases. Mattresses and pillows shall have a protective covering.
Each unit shall be supplied with towels, soap, and toilet tissues.
J.
Each unit shall have operational door and window locks.
K.
A heating system shall be permanently installed and operated in accordance
with applicable law.
L.
Each family shall have a private bathroom, including a toilet, a
sink, and a shower or bathtub, all of which shall be properly maintained
with hot and cold running water. Infant bathing tubs shall be offered
and made available to families with infants.
M.
The motel/hotel shall ensure that all telephone calls are promptly
put through to the clients' rooms. Upon request, the management
shall take a message for the client and present it to the client when
he or she next registers on the motel sign-in sheet, if not earlier.
N.
The motel/hotel shall ensure the prompt and untampered delivery of
mail to all clients within 24 hours.
O.
All repairs, maintenance, and sanitizing shall be completed once
a room is vacated and prior to occupancy by the next person or family.
P.
The motel/hotel shall provide a working pay telephone that will be
accessible 24 hours per day to motel occupants.
Q.
The motel/hotel shall provide on-site, twenty-four-hour management.
R.
The motel/hotel shall report to the pertinent Police Department in
a timely manner any and all serious occurrences or disturbances of
a criminal, violent, or domestic nature, including incidents involving
the sale or abuse of drugs.
S.
The motel/hotel shall cooperate with County-designated inspectors
to correct all violations noted in the County's inspection report
in a timely manner. Code violations that threaten the well-being of
the room occupants shall be corrected immediately. Occupants shall
be relocated to another room if necessary. All other violations shall
be corrected within 10 days unless otherwise indicated.
T.
Motel/Hotel management shall allow DSS staff immediate access to
daily sign-in sheets for those persons residing at the motel.
U.
The motel/hotel shall comply with all procedures as required by the
County. No daily authorization sign-in sheets shall be signed in advance.
Instances where these sign-in sheets are signed in advance shall result
in nonpayment by Suffolk County. The County of Suffolk shall not pay
for a room vacated by the occupants. It shall be the responsibility
of motel/hotel management to arrange for the removal of any belongings
left behind.
V.
In order to claim payment for any case, the motel/hotel shall be
the clients' daily place of residence during the temporary period
of time that it is occupied for emergency purposes, as defined in
pertinent state regulations for rental allowances for hotel/motel
facilities. The Department shall not pay for rooms used to store belongings.
W.
The agency shall not pay for unauthorized overnight guests. Management
of the facility shall notify the County of Suffolk whenever an unauthorized
guest repeatedly or continuously occupies a room.
X.
The motel/hotel shall provide adequate security to prevent vandalism,
disorderly conduct and illegal activities from being conducted on
the premises.
[Added 9-17-2002 by Res. No. 880-2002]
Y.
The County Department of Social Services shall provide nonperishable
food items to those families that would otherwise be unable to obtain
a meal for the following reasons:
[Added 11-19-2002 by Res. No. 1038-2002]
(1)
The lack of sufficient affordable housing in Suffolk County has resulted
in a severe shortage of housing for low-income and middle-income families
which, in turn, has resulted in an increase of homeless families applying
for public assistance from the County Department of Social Services;
(2)
Families in need of homelessness assistance may require this assistance
at any time throughout the day or night, on weekends, and outside
of normal hours of operation of the social service centers where they
normally would go for this assistance;
(3)
As a result, these families may be placed in temporary housing at
a time when local food stores may be closed or are not easily accessible,
being some distance from the temporary housing in which these families
are placed; and
(4)
It may take some time before a DSS staff person can provide assistance
in the form of food vouchers or other resources that could be used
to obtain food for these families.
In the event of a failure to comply with any term or condition of the § 1021-2 of this chapter by a hotel or motel, the Suffolk County Department of Social Services is hereby authorized and empowered to withhold use and occupancy payments, in whole or in part, from such motel or hotel until such time as the violation is corrected or abated.
