Social Services Committee Meeting - October 27, 2026

The Albany County Legislature Social Services Committee met on October 27, 2026, and approved a series of agreements and renewals for children’s services, juvenile prevention and supervision, and seasonal homelessness services. These included preschool special education evaluations for Schenectady County, for which Albany County expects up to $5,000 in revenue without additional staffing; prevention and family-support services involving Parsons Child and Family Center, St. Catherine’s Center for Children, Trinity Alliance, and Together for Youth; and non-secure detention services with the House of the Good Shepherd. The committee also approved an interdepartmental DCYF–Probation agreement reported as approximately $1.1 million, though the transcript is unclear and also sounds like $1.7 million. Most other agreement amounts were not stated.

For seasonal homelessness response, members approved a $42,200 renewal with the Altamont program for a warming station, an agreement with Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless for a low-barrier Code Blue shelter, and a seasonal overflow shelter agreement with the Capital Area Council of Churches; amounts for the latter agreements were not given. The committee also approved acceptance of $57,945 in 100% state funding from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance for eviction-prevention assistance, and an agreement to help a school district fund an attendance-tracking platform, with the county covering a portion of the state funding gap. Motions on the listed items passed; no opposed votes were reported. The discussion also clarified shelter eligibility and placement procedures, including that shelter placements are coordinated through county services rather than open walk-ins.