Advocates say 'Wi‑Fi for Homeless' bill will guarantee shelter internet access; implementation needs wiring and funding

The Wi‑Fi for Homeless Act, passed by the New York State Legislature and now awaiting the governor’s action, would require temporary housing facilities to provide residents with reliable internet access and include data-privacy protections, advocates said on BronxNet.

"What this bill would do is basically ensure that folks that are in shelter have access to the Internet," said Elizabeth Cochenda, director of advocacy at the New York City Bar Association. Cochenda described the bill as a policy response that grew out of pandemic-era barriers that left shelter residents cut off from education, benefits and family contact.

Lisonbee Wilkie, director of government affairs and strategic campaigns at the Coalition for the Homeless, told the program that the Coalition monitors shelter conditions and has found gaps in connectivity: "In adult shelters, 40% don't offer Wi Fi to people who are living there." She said the lack of reliable access hampers job and housing applications and access to benefits.

Advocates said most shelter residents have devices but not dependable connections; the bill, they said, would let individual shelters build out capacity as needed. Wilkie said the governor has already committed funding through the Empire State Development Corporation and that the legislation builds on that investment, but that some older buildings will require wiring and capital work before residents can reliably connect.

Wilkie placed the bill in the broader homelessness landscape, noting that New York City has roughly 100,000 people sleeping in shelters across about 500 sites and that better shelter conditions can help people move toward housing. The advocates said they hope the governor will sign the bill before the year's end so implementation can proceed.

The discussion outlined the bill's intent, the operational challenges for older shelters, and the role of recent state funding. The segment did not include technical vendor plans or an implementation timeline beyond the capital work needed in some facilities.