June 7, 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

On May 27, the City expanded its Homebound vaccination program to provide in-home COVID-19 vaccinations (Johnson & Johnson) to anyone who is 75 years of age or older, has a disability, or is fully homebound. Those potentially eligible for an in-home vaccine can fill out an interest form here or call 877-VAX-4NYC. 
 
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. Homebound New Yorkers 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.

Grants available to CBOs for COVID-19 Vaccination Education and Access
 
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced a new funding opportunity of $1 million in grants available to CBOs. The funds are intended for educating and assisting individuals in accessing and receiving COVID-19 vaccinations and supporting “vulnerable and medically underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minority groups and individuals living in areas of high social vulnerability.” Applications are due on June 9, 2021. The grant announcement can be found here.
 
SNAP Emergency Allotment Clean-up
 
OTDA will be doing a run to look for cases that were deemed otherwise eligible for an Emergency Allotment, but did not receive a supplement due to exception factors at the time of the original run. Individuals may not have received a supplement if they were not in receipt of a SNAP benefit at the time of the initial issuance or their cases were recertified after the expiration of their SNAP authorization period. Any cases found will be authorized a SNAP Emergency Allotment supplement by OTDA. OTDA last did this type clean-up in November 2020.
 
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
 
The State OTDA Emergency Rental Assistance Program began accepting applications for rental assistance through its portal on June 1, 2021. 
 
The OTDA ERAP web page has detailed information on eligibility and the application process. The State OTDA has also opened a help line at 844-NY1-RENT (844-691-7368); for TTY please call 833-843-8829.
 
The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT) has created a web page which provides detailed information for tenants. This page is updated regularly as new information is made available. Please visit the webpage here.
 
The Department of Social Services has contracted with community-based organizations in each borough to provide outreach and enrollment assistance to potentially eligible New Yorkers. Information, including a list of the organizations contracted to provide enrollment services, can be found here.
 
HRA is sending notices to all benefits recipients notifying them of the availability of this federal benefit.
 
New York residents are eligible for ERAP if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Household gross income is at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).
  • On or after March 13, 2020, a member of the household received unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in income, incurred significant costs or experienced financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The applicant is obligated to pay rent at their primary residence and has rental arrears (rent overdue) at their current residence for rent owed on or after March 13, 2020.
  • The household must be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, which can be demonstrated by having rental arrears owed on or after March 13, 2020.
 
There are no immigration status requirements to qualify for the program.
 
Households eligible for rental arrears may also be eligible for help paying utility arrears at the same rental unit.
 
During the first 30 days of the program, New York State is prioritizing households with income at or below 50% of AMI and at least one household member within the following categories:
 
  • unemployed for at least 90 days since March 13, 2020
  • veteran
  • experiencing domestic violence or is a survivor of human trafficking
  • has an eviction case pending in court
  • lives in a community that was disproportionately impacted by COVID-19
  • lives in a building with 20 or fewer units
  • resides in a mobile home

After the initial 30-day period, applications will be reviewed on a first-come first-served basis. Funds are limited so all eligible households should apply as soon as possible regardless of whether they are in a priority group.
 
Households approved for ERAP may receive:
 
  • Up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 13, 2020.
  • Up to 3 months of additional rental assistance if the household is expected to spend 30 percent or more of their gross monthly income to pay for rent.
  • Up to 12 months of electric or gas utility arrears payments for arrears that have accrued on or after March 13, 2020.

Payments will be made directly to the landlord/property owner and utility company on behalf of the tenant. Payments issued under ERAP do not need to be paid back.

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. 
 
Senior Centers Re-opening
 
Senior centers will be re-opening on June 14 for indoor and congregate services. Outdoor activities have resumed. Social distancing and other precautions are being implemented to ensure safety for all members and staff.  
 
NYC COVID-19 Immigrant Burial Assistance Program

The NYC COVID-19 Immigrant Burial Assistance Program helps family members and other individuals responsible for burial costs of their loved ones who have passed away from COVID-19 and who are not eligible for any other federal or State burial assistance benefit. The program was established through a partnership between the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NY and MOIA, and will be operated through select community-based organizations. The program is available to any eligible individual regardless of immigration status. For more information or to be connected to a CBO partner, New Yorkers can call the MOIA hotline at 212-788-7654.
 
Veteran Fee Waiver for NYC Civil Service Exams
 
The City has announced a waiver of all fees for civil service exams for veterans. For many years, the City has long waived the fee for one civil service exam for U.S. military veterans, and is now waiving fees for as many tests as a veteran wants to take. Individuals receiving certain kinds of public assistance and unemployed persons are also eligible for a waiver from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Learn more here.
 
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Waitlist Lottery
 
The Section 8 Waitlist Lottery for New York State Homes & Community Renewal's New York City vouchers is now closed. The application period was open from May 17 – May 28, 2021. 
 
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