City Council Bill
Int 831: Women’s Resource Navigator
The bill is sponsored by Council Members Carlina Rivera and Tiffany Cabán. It is based on a recommendation from the Path to Under 100 Report. Several providers interviewed for this report noted that referrals to their programs were often made ad-hoc by judges, social workers, and advocates who had previously developed relationships with them. Finding available housing and services for women and gender-expansive people often requires system players to call around and find a spot in the right program at the right time. Some attorneys might not know the extent of available alternatives to detention.
This informal system is inefficient and can increase periods of incarceration for women and gender-expansive people. In response to this need, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) is currently developing a centralized, real-time database to collate comprehensive, up-to-date information regarding ATI, their eligibility criteria, and available slots.
A citywide Resource Navigator (Int 831) would maintain the database, provide referrals to appropriate programs, initiate outreach and education to policymakers and criminal legal system actors on gender-responsive resources, and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on ways to improve diversion and reentry resources for women and gender-expansive people.