June 14, 2021


Dear Community Partner:
 
Thank you for your ongoing partnership in our shared commitment to serve New Yorkers in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Following our standing weekly call, we continue to share important updates as well as an ongoing synopsis of the information shared in prior communications which can be found on our DSS COVID-19 Community Updates page. 
 
COVID-19 Vaccination Updates
 
NYC Mobile Vaccine Buses continue to provide vaccines in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. The full schedule of mobile vaccine locations can be found online here. Walk-ups are welcome and you can also book in advance through the Vax4NYC website.
 
As a reminder, New Yorkers ages 12 years and older can continue to receive their COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment at select sites across NYC. Sites can be found here. New Yorkers are required to provide proof of age and residency in order to receive the vaccine. Additional information can be found here.
 
While walk-up vaccines are available at City operated vaccination sites, appointments can still be made by using vaccinefinder.nyc.gov.
 
The in-home vaccination program is continuing. New Yorkers who are 75 years of age or older, have a disability, or are fully homebound and are interested in receiving an in-home vaccination can sign up at nyc.gov/homebound or by calling 1-877-VAX-4-NYC.

COVID-19 Testing
 
Free testing continues to be available throughout the five boroughs. A schedule of mobile testing locations throughout the City as well as detailed information on locations and types of testing offered at regular testing sites (including rapid testing and antibody tests) can be found here. Locations of testing sites can also be accessed by texting “COVID TEST” to 855-48. These are no cost testing sites open to all New Yorkers.
 
The Test-and-Trace corps offers the COVID 19 Wait Times Dashboard, which displays estimated wait times for NYC Health + Hospitals COVID-19 testing locations. This wait time information is updated by site staff every two hours.
 
Call for Partners for the Vaccine Access Fund

In partnership with Uber, PayPal and Walgreens, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has created the Vaccine Access Fund to support free Uber rides to and from COVID-19 vaccine sites for people in communities hard hit by COVID-19. LISC is providing grants to organizations to coordinate rides on the Uber Health platform. Those interested in participating in this initiative should we complete the intake questionnaire for prospective grantees. Upon receipt, a LISC staff person will follow-up.
 
Health and Human Services Disability Information and Access Line
 
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind national hotline to connect people with disabilities to information and services to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines. The newly established Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities find vaccination locations in their communities, assist callers with making vaccination appointments, and connect callers to local services – such as accessible transportation – to overcome barriers to vaccination. The hotline can also provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation. Learn more at acl.gov/dial or call 888-677-1199 from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET.
 
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Benefits September 2021 – March 2021
 
New York State is providing Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) food benefits to all households with children who receive free school lunch under the National School Lunch Act and whose school was closed or operating with reduced in-school attendance due to COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 academic year.

The distribution of Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits for families of schoolchildren for the period of September 2020 through March 2021 is now underway. The first cohort of benefit recipients can now see the deposits reflected in their SNAP EBT accounts, but the funds are not available for use until Tuesday, June 15, 2021. 

This is the first disbursement of P-EBT funds for the 2020-21 school year. This initial disbursement includes approximately $120 million in P-EBT benefits being distributed to families of 137,000 New York City public school students. 
 
Files for NYC public school children will continue to be processed through June. Enrollment rosters are not yet available for non-public schools and, consequently, the date of distribution for these funds is not confirmed. 

State OTDA is providing a P-EBT helpline at 833-452-0096. The helpline is available from 8:30am – 5pm Monday through Friday. Translation services are available. Questions can also be submitted through the State’s contact form regarding P-EBT food benefits. 
 
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits are administered directly by the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). All questions regarding P-EBT should be directed to the State. Receipt of P-EBT is separate from SNAP and receipt of P-EBT does not preclude clients from applying for SNAP benefits.
 
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.
 
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Application Portal Update
 
The State OTDA has identified an issue with the “Save and Resume” function on their ERAP application portal. As a result, households that have started but not completed an application cannot resume the stored application and complete it. This functionality will likely remain unavailable for a few weeks. For now, individuals who have started and saved an application, but not completed it, are being directed by the State to resubmit a new application. Those who completed all questions, agreed to the tenant certification and signed the online application are considered to have submitted the application and can upload required documentation at any time. 
 
OTDA’s vendor will contact individuals who have started an ERAP application but not submitted a complete application to inform them of the need to begin and complete a new application. 
 
Please continue to encourage those who may be eligible to apply, and please remember that help is available for landlords and tenants across the City through a network of community-based organizations: https://nyc.gov/erap. Questions can also be answered via the State’s ERAP call center: 844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368) or the hearing-impaired TTY phone number: 1-833-843-8829.
 
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and Public Charge
 
It is our understanding that the ERAP program will not be considered for the purposes of making a public charge determination. As USCIS states on its website, the agency is currently making public charge determinations consistent with the 1999 Interim Field Guidance on Deportability and Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds available here. Those with questions about public charge and immigration can still call New York City's ActionNYC hotline at 1-800-354-0365, Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., to connect with City-funded, free and safe immigration legal help.
 
Medicaid Renewals Extended
 
All Medicaid cases with authorizations ending in July – December 2020 and January –September 2021 are automatically extended for 12 months. 

Proposed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Categorical Eligibility Rule Withdrawal
 
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is withdrawing the proposed rule titled Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that was published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2019. This rule would have limited significantly the ability of states and local social services districts like NYC to grant categorical eligibility for SNAP based on receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. Specifically, the proposed rule would have limited the type of TANF “benefits” that could be used to grant categorical eligibility to “ongoing” and “substantial” benefits. The proposed rule defined “ongoing” benefits as those that a household receives or is authorized to receive for a period of at least six months and “substantial” benefits as those valued at a minimum of $50 per month. The proposed rule also limited the types of non-cash TANF benefits that could be used to grant categorical eligibility to those that focus on subsidized employment, work supports, and childcare. Finally, the proposed rule would have required state agencies to inform FNS of all non-cash TANF benefits that confer categorical eligibility. The proposed rule would have cost $2.314 billion in administrative expenses between 2019-2023 and resulted in 3.1 million individuals in 1.7 million households losing SNAP eligibility in Fiscal Year 2020.
 
New Pilot Program for SNAP Access for New Yorkers Being Released from State Prisons
 
HRA has received requested waivers from the State OTDA and the USDA allowing individuals incarcerated in State prisons to begin the benefits application process while incarcerated, including conducting application interviews, which is currently prohibited by New York State regulation. This common-sense reform, which the State is allowing us to implement at two State prisons (Queensboro Correctional Facility and Edgecombe Residential Treatment), will ensure individuals who were formerly incarcerated are better supported as they re-enter society. Individuals leaving State prisons will now be able to connect with the benefits they need pre-release, such as food assistance, rather than having to first begin the application process after release. This pilot was developed in partnership with the National Executive Council (NEC) at Columbia University’s Center for Justice and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. HRA will continue its work with the NEC during the implementation of the pilot.
 
Primary Elections and Ranked Choice Voting
 
The NYC primary election is being held on June 22nd, with early voting beginning on June 12 and continuing through June 20th.. The City is helping get out information on ranked choice voting (RCV) and is asking for your help in sharing critical information on this process with members of your community. Please reference the voter guide, digital toolkit, printable outreach materials, or materials can be ordered by email at democracynyc@cityhall.nyc.gov.
 
 
If you have any questions about this effort, please contact DemocracyNYC, via e-mail at democracynyc@cityhall.nyc.gov.
 
IDNYC Updates

The following IDNYC sites are currently open:

Brooklyn Business Center – Department of Finance (DOF)
210 Joralemon Street, first floor
Brooklyn 11201

Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch
10 Grand Army Plaza, first floor
Brooklyn, 11238

Pope Francis
345 43rd Street
Brooklyn 11232

Henry Street Settlement (Manhattan pop-up site open until September 2, 2021)
269 Henry Street
Manhattan 10002

HRA Waverly Center
12 West 14th Street, second floor
Manhattan 10011

Bronx Business Center – DOF
3030 Third Avenue, second floor
Bronx 10455

Queens Borough President’s Office (Queens pop-up site open until August 26, 2021)
120-55 Queens Boulevard
Jamaica 11424

Staten Island SNAP Center (Staten Island pop-up site open through July 2021)
201 Bay Street, second floor
Staten Island 10301

Appointments are required and can only be booked online as follows:
  • Go to www.nyc.gov/idnyc
  • Click on the Click here for IDNYC updates related to COVID-19 banner
  • Click on COVID-19 related questions link
  • Click the Online Portal link
  • Select “Make an Appointment” and follow the onscreen instructions to renew your card online.
  • Additional enrollment centers will become available in early July. Please check availability periodically on our website. 

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program
 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), has announced the official launch of the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). This first-of-its-kind water assistance program will expand access to more affordable water and help low-income households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic pay their water and wastewater bills, avoid shutoffs, and support household water system reconnections related to non-payment. Learn more here.
 
Share Your Space – Cooling Centers
 
A new City program, Share Your Space, is looking for locations across the five boroughs that can serve as cooling centers – safe, air-conditioned facilities where New Yorkers seek relief from extreme heat. Organizations citywide are encouraged to participate by providing potential sites or facilities that could be used in both emergency and non-emergency times.
 
Be a Cooling Center Partner - Registering community spaces is just one way to support communities during periods of extreme heat. Visit the Share Your Space Survey online to register to become a cooling center partner this summer season!
 
Education Resources – Wide Open Schools
 
Wide Open School, powered by Common Sense, is a NYC DOE-approved website focused on empowering families to be advocates in their children’s learning by providing high quality & culturally relevant learning activities for students. Activities are free and available for all subjects for preschool - grade 12. 
 
Families can find support for learning at home, like tips for keeping children focused and helpful information about using online learning tools. Families can also find an overview of the units their children are studying throughout the year in grades K-8, with high school coming soon. There are Family Fun activities for Summertime too. To learn more about Wide Open School's tools and resources, visit nycschools.wideopenschool.org.
 
Summer Rising Grades K-8
 
Summer Rising is New York City’s free summer program for any City child in grades K–8, including students with disabilities, who wants to participate. Families can sign up through the Discover DYCD website.

Special Grant Requests and One-Shot Deal (OSD) Applications
 
Clients applying for a One-Shot Deal, or active clients requesting a special grant for rent arrears or both rent and utility arrears, will be required by the State to apply for the State’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for as long as the ERAP funds remain available. DSS will encourage all applicants to apply for ERAP for rent arrears (and utility arrears if combined with rent arrears) as these funds do not require repayment or recoupment. Other Special Grant Requests will be processed as usual for expenses such as utility arrears without any rent arrears, moving costs, storage expenses, security deposits, and furniture allowances. 
 
As required by the State, pending applications for One-Shot Deals for rental arrears will be denied by HRA and applicants will be referred to apply for funds through the State’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Clients who are denied ERAP funds can re-apply for an OSD once a denial is received. Clients may also apply for funds that are not covered by ERAP, if ERAP funds are awarded. For example, if there are 15 months of rental arrears owed, a client can re-apply for an OSD after receiving the funding to cover the 12 months of arrears received through ERAP.  

Community-wide Conference Call

We appreciate your continued participation in our weekly briefing calls and your ongoing work to help make sure that the critical information and details about changes we are making in response to the pandemic are being communicated to our clients. Your active engagement is appreciated, and your questions and suggestions help us better understand the needs of those we serve and respond accordingly. 

If you were not able to join our weekly call (usually on Tuesdays), please find an audio recording here and use Covid-19 as the password The information contained in this communication is a synopsis of what was shared as well as new developments.

Each week, we will provide all of the information included in each of our prior communications on our website on the COVID-19 Community Updates page. If you would like to reference a specific prior communication, links to each of the prior communications can be found on the community updates page.
 
As a reminder, we have a standing informational call on Tuesdays at 4:00PM. In the event that the date or time of the weekly call needs to change due to extenuating circumstances, a notification is sent out from DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov, in addition to an updated calendar invitation to those who have signed up to join the calls. To be added to this list, please reach out to DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov.

Please note that there are several hundred participants on these weekly calls, and as a result they may start a few minutes late to allow as many people to join as possible and hear all the information. In addition, the large number of participants does not allow us to have individual conversations efficiently, which is why we respond to individual inquiries through the chat box. If you have additional questions after the call, please reach out to DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov or the appropriate contact area listed on our COVID 19 Community Updates page.

CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is available during these calls as an accommodation for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Please contact oria@dss.nyc.gov at least four hours prior to the call to enable this service.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership in serving New Yorkers in need, particularly now when our clients need us more than ever. If you have any questions or concerns about the changes we have made and are continuing to develop to address the COVID pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Advocacy and Outreach at DSSoutreach@dss.nyc.gov.


Sincerely,


Steven Banks
DSS Commissioner
New York City Department of Social Services