November 23, 2020


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 now be found on our website (information and link below).

SNAP and Cash Assistance Recertifications

As we have reported previously, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has expanded the recertification extension period through March 31, 2021 for expiring SNAP and Cash Assistance cases. Cases that have previously received the six-month recertification extension are not eligible for another extension. Cases will be extended in accordance with a schedule designed to balance out the recertification workload over time. Clients who are required to submit a recertification will receive a notice in the mail. Clients can also check ACCESS HRA to find their recertification period. Please see additional information on our DSS COVID-19 Community Updates page.

Grab and Go Meals

Despite the temporary closing of in-person school, the grab-and-go meal locations in schools will remain open. All of the over 1,100 Department of Education schools that have been open for children learning in person or remotely will continue to distribute meals from 9AM - 12PM daily.

All of the over 260 Department of Education schools that have been community hubs distributing meals for the general public, including those serving kosher and expanded halal options, will continue to distribute meals from 3PM - 5PM daily.

During the holidays when schools are not in session, there will be grab-and-go meal service available on the following dates from 12pm to 3pm:

  • November 27th (Friday after Thanksgiving), 
  • December 24th (Christmas Eve) 
  • December 28th-31st (Including New Year’s Eve)

There will be no meal service available on the following dates: November 26th (Thanksgiving), December 25th (Christmas Day) and January 1st (New Year’s Day).

For more information please visit www.schools.nyc.gov/freemeals.

COVID 19 Testing Sites

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. These are no cost testing sites open to all New Yorkers.

Additional Information Section

In an effort to present the important information which is shared through this weekly communication in a more organized and accessible format, we are moving the “Additional Information” section to our newly created “COVID 19 Community Updates” page on our website. The “Additional Information” section which we have been sharing each week as an addendum to this letter will be organized on our website in a way that allows easy access to the menu of items that we have been reporting on since March.

As a reminder, each week the body of this letter includes new updates or reminders of information shared previously that may again be timely as a result of questions we’ve received from our community partners or because of new developments in the response to the pandemic. All of the information shared in previous communications has been included in the “Additional Information” section, which will now be found on our website. We will share the link in this letter each week for easy access. Please visit the new COVID 19 Community Updates page.

Authorized Representative Forms for Applicants

In response to questions we’ve received regarding application assistance for HEAP applicants, as a reminder the signature waiver for benefits applications taken by phone was only granted to HRA staff. For community organizations providing assistance to applicants by phone who are unable to sign and submit an application, either on ACCESS HRA (for SNAP and Cash Assistance) or on paper for HEAP applications, the authorized representative process can be utilized. Detailed information on how to employ this process can be found on the Community Updates page on our website.

Rental/Emergency Assistance AND Ongoing Cash Assistance Benefits

In response to questions we’ve received regarding rental assistance, as a reminder emergency grants are available through ACCESS HRA to provide assistance with rent arrears and other emergency needs. An eviction proceeding is not required to be found eligible for an emergency grant for rental arrears.

To apply for Cash Assistance or a one-time emergency grant (one shot deal), clients will need to take the following steps:

  • Visit ACCESS HRA and log-in
  • Select the ‘Benefits’ link from the menu options on the homepage
  • Select ‘Start a New Application’
  • Select the ‘Cash Assistance’ option in the ‘Select Application’ page
  • Identify any applicable emergency indicators and click ‘Next’
  • Select the type of benefits you would like to apply for. The three options are: Cash Assistance, One Shot Deal, or Child Care without Cash Assistance (CILOCA)
  • Complete and submit the application
  • Follow instructions in the ACCESS HRA confirmation page and submit required documents using the ACCESS HRA Mobile App

Clients with an active Cash Assistance case can also submit a special grant request for rent or utility arrears via ACCESS HRA. To submit a Cash Assistance Special Grant Request, clients will need to:

  • Visit ACCESS HRA and log-in
  • Enter identifying information to ‘Find My Case’ and link to your HRA case
  • Select ‘View Case’ in the ACCESS HRA user home page
  • Select ‘Request Special Grant,’ located on the left-hand side
  • Identify the special grant you are requesting, complete the request and submit
  • Follow instructions in the ACCESS HRA confirmation page and submit required documents using the ACCESS HRA Mobile App

As a reminder, not all emergency grants require repayment. Nonetheless, as part of the application process and in order to expedite the issuance of grants, if rent arrears or utility arrears are identified as a need, clients are asked to sign a State-required repayment agreement at the time of application in ACCESS HRA. This does not mean that the grant will need to be repaid. The client will be notified when they receive confirmation of grant eligibility whether the grant requires repayment.

Additional information on emergency grants and grant repayment can be found on the new Community Updates page on our website.

Evictions - Governor’s Executive Order: Time to Answer Eviction Petition
 
NYC Housing Court began accepting new eviction filings effective June 20, 2020. Landlords are only permitted to file new eviction cases by mail or electronic filing. Tenants who are served with papers for an eviction case do not need to visit the courthouse to respond. Nevertheless, unrepresented landlords or tenants who come to the courthouse to file a case or answer will be assisted. Tenants who have not yet answered a nonpayment petition filed against them must file an answer with the court. Under an order of the Governor issued on November 3, 2020, combined with a memorandum issues by the chief Administrative Judge on November 17, 2020, tenants with nonpayment eviction cases that were filed on or before November 3, 2020 should file their answer by the end of this year (December 31, 2020). Tenants against whom a nonpayment petition is filed after November 3, 2020 have the ordinary legal period of ten days to file an answer. Failure to answer an eviction petition could lead to a default judgement against a tenant, which can lead to eviction. For updated information about how to answer a petition, please visit the NYC Housing Court’s website.

Tenants who have questions about how this might affect their eviction case — and tenants who receive a nonpayment petition after November 3 — can call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline to be connected with free legal advice and other assistance through HRA’s Office of Civil Justice (OCJ). 

Project Parachute – Eviction Prevention and Rent Relief

Project Parachute is a coalition of property owners, nonprofits, and City agencies committed to helping vulnerable and underserved New York residents stay in their homes as the COVID-19 crisis continues, through its program FASTEN (Funds and Services for Tenants Experiencing Need), which offers eviction prevention services and financial resources, including rent relief.

FASTEN services are being delivered by HRA's eviction prevention Homebase providers - BronxWorks, CAMBA, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, Catholic Charities Community Services, HELP USA, RiseBoro Community Partnership (RiseBoro), and Services for the UnderServed (S:US).  Individuals and families served by FASTEN must: Have income that is not more than 50% of the area median income (AMI); be experiencing housing instability, such as inability to pay rent fully; and have experienced negative COVID-related financial impacts, such as loss of income or an increase in expenses. Anyone who meets these requirements can receive assistance regardless of immigration status or employment status (e.g. temporary, intermittent, part-time, day labor, and contract workers) through non-profit Homebase providers.

Tenants can be referred by landlords, referral partners, and agencies or reach out directly to their respective Homebase provider which they can identify by calling 311 or visiting the Homebase Locator webpage here.

Community-wide Conference Call

We appreciate your continued participation in our weekly briefing calls and your ongoing work to help make sure that the changes we’ve undertaken quickly during this emergency are being communicated to our clients.

If you were not able to join the 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.
 
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 located here. If you would like to reference a specific prior communication, please click on the links below:
 

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