Section I of Article XVII of the New York State Constitution, passed as an amendment in 1938 at the urging of New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, reads: The aid, care and support of the needy are public concerns and shall be provided by the state and by such of its subdivisions, and in such manner and by such means, as the legislature may from time to time determine.
[1] Hayes brought suit in October 1979 in New York County Supreme Court (the trial court for Manhattan) against the state in the person of the then governor, Hugh L. Carey, on behalf of three homeless men who said the city had sometimes offered them no emergency accommodations and other times offered them only beds in the "Big Room", a substandard overflow area in a former municipal shelter.
[1] A consent decree negotiated under the court's auspices and finalized on August 26, 1981 recorded the state's obligation to provide "food, shelter, supervision and security"[6] to all homeless men applying.
It set standards for shelters and emergency hotel accommodations for which the homeless were issued vouchers, including capacity limits, staff to resident ratios, and specifications regarding beds, bathroom facilities, and additional services, such as mail, telephone, laundry, and secure storage.
[7] Regardless of arguments or good will, one practical effect is New York provides a shelter to a much larger percentage of its homeless population than many other major US cities,[8] (see chart in reference) which was the intent of the ruling.