In August 2017, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio enacted the Special One Time Assistance (SOTA) program to help curb the city’s growing homelessness.

According to Steven Banks, New York City’s Department of Social Services commissioner, the policy, which falls under the city’s Department of Social Services, helps dispossessed city residents transition into permanent housing both inside and outside the five boroughs. But Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said SOTA is being used to illegally move homeless people to various upstate locations to move the financial burden from the city onto other counties.

Garnar spoke out against the program in a statement released on March 8. In the statement, Garnar threatened to take legal action in order to stop the program.

“Recipients of this program have been relocated from NYC to upstate NY, then abandoned by NYC’s [Human Resources Administration],” Garnar said in the statement. “After being relocated by NYC, these individuals seek medical, food, cash and other forms of public assistance from the targeted county. That is illegal and could have a significant impact on the taxpayers of Broome County.”

SOTA is available to individuals in the shelter system who show economic promise. The service will compensate their rent for a year, regardless of the home’s location, under the assumption that the resident will be able to continue payments after the grace period is over.

Garnar cited five cases in which a landlord was paid one year’s worth of rent upfront by the city’s government. Yet, in contradiction to the program’s own eligibility requirements, Garnar said he believes these citizens are being moved out before they secure a job or the means to afford future rent payment for their new homes. According to Garnar, the policy violates New York state’s Social Services Law 148, which addresses the displacement of residents to avoid responsibility of assistance or personal welfare.

Howard Schultz, an attorney for the Broome County Law Department, said these five families could potentially end up needing assistance from the county.

“These five families that have come up here were on long-term assistance within the city, and the city didn’t do what they needed to do to fix that situation,” Schultz said. “So the likelihood is, it is very foreseeable after the 12 months they will also be seeking rental assistance from Broome County.”

Garnar’s claims have sparked news stories from papers like the New York Post, and various administrative officials have commented on the matter.

Banks responded to Garnar’s allegations on March 13 in a letter addressed to Nancy Williams-Frank, commissioner of Broome County’s Department of Social Services. The letter brought up court cases determining that an individual has the right to travel, with the subtext that these residents are free to move in and out of whatever county they please. The message also highlighted that New York City shelters are housing 53 individuals, or 20 households, whose last addresses were in Broome County.

“Like the five families you cite who chose to relocate from New York City to Broome County, the 20 Broome County households in the New York City shelter system exercised their rights to travel outside of Broome County,” Banks wrote.

The same day Banks responded to the allegations, Garnar released another statement.

“It is clear that New York City has no intent to stop sending people to Broome County through this cynical and illegal program,” Garnar’s statement said. “We will see them in court.”

Garnar is not the only local politician speaking out against the program. State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo also published a statement in a letter to Samuel Roberts, the commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. In the letter, Lupardo asked Roberts to clarify whether these families have a connection with Broome County and what fiscal impact the situation could have on the counties the families are being relocated to.

In a statement, State Sen. Fred Akshar also voiced his disapproval of SOTA and New York City’s response, and committed to protecting Broome County. Akshar urged New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to launch an investigation into the legality of the practice. Schneiderman has not released a statement.

“I will not allow Bill de Blasio to shift his responsibilities onto the people of my district,” Akshar said. “I pledge to the people of Broome County and the Southern Tier that I will stand up for them and work to protect their interests from the cowardice of Bill de Blasio and his administration.”