A Queens City Councilman has introduced a bill that would require hotels to let their patrons know if the facilities are also housing homeless New Yorkers.
Councilman Eric Ulrich proposed the bill at a council meeting last week.
The bill would require hotels that are contracted with the Department of Homeless Services to post a sign that is visible and accessible to its customers.
“I think that the consumers and the potential clients of hotels have a right to know when they're paying hundreds of dollars a night to stay in a hotel room if that hotel or motel is also being used by the city as a temporary homeless shelter,” said Ulrich.
Controversy over the city's practice of using hotels to house homeless individuals has spawned protests in several Queens neighborhoods over the last couple of years.
If Ulrich's bill passes, it will go to the mayor for his signature, and then take 90 days to go into effect.