CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org 

VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS ASSEMBLY SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE PASSING WIFI FORHOMELESS SHELTERS LEGISLATION

ALBANY, N.Y. — Today, the Assembly Social Services Committee passed Assemblymember Karines Reyes’ WiFi for Homeless bill (A1755) which requires homeless shelters and other temporary housing across the state to equitably provide Wi-Fi access to residents. In response, VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Elizabeth Mackey, a leader with the Homelessness Union at VOCAL-NY:

“This bill could help all those people experiencing homelessness in shelters by providing a service that will help them get out of temporary housing and get into permanent housing. Wi-Fi is vital for people in all areas of life, and for homeless New Yorkers even more, like air to breathe. For a long time, people have struggled without it and continue to, so let us fight until this bill is passed into law and then enforced. We are glad to see the legislature prioritize this issue and encourage them to continue doing so. Let’s make it happen.”

BACKGROUND:

In November 2025, there were 101,978 people sleeping each night in the NYC municipal shelter system. In the rest of New York State, there were 15,175 people sleeping in shelters on any given night in 2023. State regulations do not require WiFi to be provided to shelter residents. This legislation requires temporary housing across the state to provide residents with access to WiFi, and mandates crucial speed and data security provisions.

Access is an essential tool that could shorten residents’ stays and facilitate their successful exit into stable housing. Without reliable internet access, people living in shelters face significant obstacles in completing important tasks such as finding permanent housing and jobs, participating in remote schooling, securing public assistance benefits, and receiving medical care. As noted in VOCAL-NY’s 2025 Wi-Fi for All report, without this internet provision requirement in shelters, many residents have also faced high or impossible phone bills, discrimination, and concerns of surveillance.

The State Senate has voted this bill out of their Social Services Committee in the last two sessions and passed it fully through the Senate in 2023. However, this is notably the first time it has been voted out of the Assembly Social Services Committee, despite there being equivalent bills in the 2023-2024 and the 2021-2022 legislative sessions.

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