Maziarz: Niagara County one step closer to curbing shelter allowance misuse

State Sen. George Maziarz's bill to authorize Niagara County to pass a local law directing the Niagara County Office of Social Services to make shelter allowance payments directly to landlords has cleared the Senate committee on local government. This legislation comes after the Niagara County Legislature passed a resolution seeking direct payment to landlords of shelter allowances, and is intended to ensure that payments made to tenants on public assistance for housing are used only for their intended purpose.

"There is a large concern from landlords in my district, and particularly in Niagara Falls, that they are not receiving rent from their tenants, monies which come directly from the Department of Social Services," Maziarz said. "Many of my constituents were concerned because, not only were the landlords not getting paid, but the taxpayer money from the county for the shelter allowance was not being properly used. I am hopeful that this bill will pass once it gets to the Senate floor. It is now time for the Assembly to introduce and move this bill out of committee as well."

The bill now moves to the Senate calendar and will be considered for a floor vote in the near future.