Department of social services’ response to certain severe winter weather conditions.

This bill would require the Department of Social Services (DSS) to mitigate the impacts of severe weather conditions on unsheltered individuals through increased outreach to at-risk individuals and coordination with relevant agencies to deploy warming buses, facilitate transportation to shelter, and expand access to harm reduction facilities. This response would be triggered by forecasted temperatures of 20 degrees or below, among other conditions, within the following 24 hours, and would last for at least 24 hours after the condition has concluded. DSS would be required to submit a report to the Speaker prior to each winter month that: assesses the likelihood that the response will be triggered that month, details its response plan, and identifies available shelter facilities and potential capacity issues in the event of severe weather conditions. DSS would also be required to identify unsheltered individuals it believes may be at increased risk at the beginning of each winter season.