September 8, 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. To be added to the invitations for the weekly briefing calls or to the distribution list for this weekly update, please send an email request to dssoutreach@dss.nyc.gov.
Please note that our next weekly call will be held today, September 8th at 4pm.
We appreciate your ongoing participation in these calls and continuing to raise important issues that we are able to address in this weekly communication of the latest information, which you can share with the clients you serve. We welcome your continued questions and comments in order to help us make sure we are providing the most relevant information and clarifications about the evolving public benefits and government services landscape affecting our shared clients.
COVID-19 Vaccination Information
The City has created a vaccine fact sheet which can be found here.
As a reminder, New York City will pay $100 to anyone who goes to a city-run vaccination site for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. To learn more go to nyc.gov/vaccineincentives.
NYC continues to offer an incentive to community and faith-based organizations to help get people vaccinated by awarding $100 for each referral for each first dose at a City-run site. Interested organizations must sign up at nyc.gov/vaccinereferralbonus.
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.
While walk-up vaccines are available at City-operated vaccination sites, appointments can still be made by using vaccinefinder.nyc.gov.
Vaccination and Testing Apps
New Yorkers can meet vaccine and/or testing requirements by carrying their paper vaccination card with them or scanning and storing it in one of two authorized mobile apps - Excelsior Pass Wallet and NYC Covid Safe.
The Excelsior Pass Wallet, developed for New York State, allows an individual to find and store their proof of vaccination right on their phone with a QR code, or to print out their QR code instead. The app will only work for people who have been vaccinated in New York, as it confirms the vaccination information against city or state records. The app, called NYS Wallet, is available for download on iPhone and Android phones.
The NYC Covid Safe app doesn’t connect directly to vaccine records. The app allows a person to upload a vaccine card and/or a recent COVID test. The vaccine card will stay on the app unless removed, but test results will disappear from the app after seven days. The app is also available for download on iPhone and Android phones.
COVID-19 Testing
Free in-home COVID PCR testing is now available for all immunocompromised New Yorkers and people 65+. Call 929-298-9400 to schedule an appointment.
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.
Department of Education Vaccine Mandate for All Staff
Monday, September 13 is the first day of school for New York City students. All Department of Education employees are required to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 27, without an option for weekly testing.
NYS Eviction Protections for Tenants – Update
On September 2, 2021, Governor Hochul signed state legislation that extended legal protections from eviction for most tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through January 15, 2022. The new law follows recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court that found the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nationwide restriction on evictions and the earlier NYS COVID-19 eviction protection laws (CEEFPA) to be unlawful.
The new law provides that tenants who have submitted completed Hardship Declarations attesting to their financial hardship affecting their ability to pay rent or find new housing during the pandemic are protected from eviction until January 15, 2022, and that their eviction cases are stayed (paused) until that date. Tenants who have not yet submitted Hardship Declarations can do so now and likewise be protected until January 15, 2022. To address legal issues addressed in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling, the new law gives a landlord the ability to challenge a tenant’s Hardship Declaration if the landlord believes that the hardship does not exist. The landlord can file a motion in Housing Court for a hearing to determine whether a hardship exists (in which case the stay remains in place until January 15, 2022) or not (in which case the eviction case can move forward in Housing Court). Additionally, tenants who file hardship declarations may still be evicted if a judge finds that they violated their lease by intentionally causing significant property damage or by creating a nuisance to other tenants in the building. Tenants who have submitted Hardship Declarations should respond to any court notices they receive that their case is scheduled for a hearing.
In addition, the new law extends the coverage period of the NYS Tenant Safe Harbor Act until January 15, 2022, meaning that tenants who can prove that they had financial hardship between the start of the State COVID-19 emergency period on March 7, 2020 through January 15, 2022 may have a defense in court to eviction for non-payment of rent owed during that period.
Also, the new law clarifies that tenants who file applications for the NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will have their eviction case stayed (paused) until their application is reviewed and decided by NYS, regardless of when the case was originally filed against them.
Our waiver of the State requirement that applicants for the State Family Homelessness Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) have a pending court action is also extended through January 15, 2022; the parallel requirement for CityFHEPS is also extended through January 15, 2022.
Tenants who are scheduled for appearance in eviction proceedings in Housing Court, including for hearings about Hardship Declarations, have access to free eviction defense legal services provided by HRA’s Office of Civil Justice (OCJ) under the City’s right-to-counsel law, regardless of ZIP code. Tenants with questions about their protections from eviction can get free legal advice and other assistance provided by OCJ. For more information on how to access free legal services for tenants in NYC, call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline, call nonprofit Housing Court Answers at (718) 557-1379, or visit HRA’s Office of Civil Justice online at www.nyc.gov/civiljustice.
State OTDA Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Program Updates
Please continue to encourage everyone who may be eligible to apply for ERAP, 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.
Resources are available for download to help clients access this benefit:
All are available in additional languages here.
Either a landlord or tenant may initiate an ERAP application. All OTDA ERAP applications require documentation from both the landlord and tenant to be deemed complete and to be reviewed for payment of arrears and other expenses.
When a landlord files an ERAP application, tenants are required to provide requisite information to complete the application. Tenants will be contacted by the State OTDA vendor/system.
When the application is initiated by the tenant and a landlord does not or refuses to provide information needed to make a rental arrears payment to the landlord on behalf of a tenant the amount of rental assistance that the landlord would have been paid is set aside for 180 days. If the landlord has not provided the needed information after 180 days from the tenant’s determination of provisional eligibility, the tenant may use the provisional determination of ERAP eligibility as an affirmative defense in any proceeding brought by the landlord during the subsequent year for a monetary judgment or an order of eviction based on the nonpayment of rent that would have been covered by the ERAP payment. After 12 months, the landlord is deemed to have waived the amount of rent that would have been covered by the ERAP payment.
Additional information can be found here.
Medicaid and Medicare Applications Easements Extended
Easements on new applications for the Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program have been extended. Application processing, which had previously been set to resume on November 1, 2021, will not resume until at least January 1, 2022.
NYS Department of Labor Updates
As a reminder, on September 5, 2021, several Federal unemployment benefit programs expired across the country, in accordance with federal law.
The Federal benefit programs that expired were:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
- Extended Benefits (EB)
- $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
“Regular” Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits from the NYS Department of Labor will continue to be paid to eligible claimants even though these four Federal programs have ended. To be considered eligible for UI after September 5, 2021, a claimant needs to be unemployed AND be in the first 26 weeks (or 104 effective days) of benefits. Claimants can find their effective days remaining for UI benefits in their online Payment History. Because FPUC has ended, any weeks a claimant is eligible to receive UI benefits after September 5, 2021 will no longer include the additional $300.
Claimants will be contacted by the NYS Department of Labor through emails and text messages to inform them of which program they are currently in and whether they will be eligible to continue receiving benefits after the federal benefit expiration date.
The US Department of Labor (USDOL) has asked States to accept new PUA claims for a period of 30-days after September 5, 2021. The NYS Department of Labor will accept those claims, evaluate for eligibility, and backdate where appropriate, as required by USDOL.
Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida
New York City has compiled a list of resources for New Yorkers impacted by Tropical Cyclone Ida, including food and housing assistance, emotional and spiritual support, and more. Visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/em/resources/ida.page for more information.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Know Your Zone is a resource to ensure that all New Yorkers know their hurricane evacuation zone, what to expect, and how to prepare for hurricanes and other storms. Use the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder to locate your zone and find nearby evacuation centers. Residents can also call 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115) to find out if their address is in an evacuation zone.
Areas of NYC at-risk of storm surge flooding are divided into six evacuation zones (1 through 6) based on risk level. The City will determine which of the hurricane evacuation zones (from zone 1 through zone 6) should be evacuated depending on the characteristics of an actual storm as it is approaching the city.
Additional Resources:
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For more information on what to do before, during and after flooding, visit the NYCEM Flooding page. For information on basement flooding clean-up and repairing damage, NYCEM offers a one-pager, available here.
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Individuals who rely on certain medical equipment (including respirators, dialysis machines, apnea monitors, etc.) that requires electrical power may request to be listed as a life-sustaining equipment (LSE) customer with their utility company. More information on how to register and other important preparedness steps all New Yorkers can take to prepare for utility outages can be found here.
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NYCEM’s Damage Assessment Tool allows New Yorkers to help the City collect damage information to assess the impact on affected areas. Damage reports made here are for tracking purposes only. Service Requests must be made through 311 online, by calling 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115).
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NYCEM Community Preparedness homepage includes resources to help community and faith-based organizations and networks prepare for emergencies. The website includes a toolkit for organizations, information about Community Preparedness Boot Camp for community and faith-based organizations, Hazard Planning resources, and more. Sign up for the Community Preparedness newsletter here.
Notify NYC
Notify NYC, part of New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), is New York City’s official source for information about emergency events and important City services. Sign up for Notify NYC to receive free emergency alerts and updates by visiting NYC.gov/notifynyc, calling 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115), following @NotifyNYC on Twitter, or getting the free Notify NYC mobile application for your Apple or Android device. Notify NYC messages are available in multiple languages, audio format, and American Sign Language (ASL) video format.
NYC Department of Education Parent University
Parent University seeks to educate and empower all families from early childhood through adulthood with 500+ FREE pre-recorded, on-demand, and live, web-based courses, resources, events, and activities focused on a wide range of topics including adult education, student social-emotional learning, and special education.
Department of Youth and Community Development – Family Development Credential Program
The Family Development Credential Program (FDC) is a New York State professional development training that provides frontline staff with the skills and competencies they need to empower families. FDC-trained staff help families build on their strengths and set attainable goals.
Applications for the FDC program are due by September 10 for the fall 2021 session. The application guide can be found here.
The FDC Curriculum developed by the National FDC Program at the University of Connecticut, consists of approximately 90 hours of intensive, interactive classroom study. The following curriculum was revised in 2015 to include the following new and updated modules:
- Family Development: A Sustainable Route to Healthy Self Reliance
- Communicating with Skill and Heart
- Presence and Mindfulness: Cornerstones of Healthy Relationships
- Taking Good Care of Yourself
- Our Diverse World
- Strengths-based Assessment
- Helping Families Set and Reach their Goals
- Helping Families Access Specialized Services
- Home Visiting
- Collaboration and Community Support
There is also an additional 10 hours of small group instruction in portfolio development. Each student develops a portfolio that applies FDC concepts to their everyday work experience. With regular attendance, a satisfactory portfolio, and a passing grade on the New York State credential exam, students can earn a Family Development Credential and college credits.
HRA Office of Child Support Services – Snapshot Online Tool Update
The Child Support Snapshot online tool allows community organizations and government agencies to assist noncustodial parents with their child support case. The tool has just been expanded to offer individual case information for custodial parents, too. The custodial parent case details include their upcoming court dates, monthly child support order amount, last five child support payments received, potential funds being held for them, and a summary of recommended next steps. By using Snapshot, organizations can find out whether or not a client has a child support case and share child support program information with custodial parents and information on how to apply. For noncustodial parents, the Snapshot presents case information including upcoming court dates, monthly child support order amount, last five child support payments, potential refund information, and recommended next steps such as links to employment and how to reduce child support debt. Organizations must sign a Snapshot agreement to gain access to the system and submit the parents’ waiver forms to view their case information. To sign up for Snapshot, email OCSS at dcse.cseweb@dfa.state.ny.us, with “Snapshot” in the email subject line.
Curbside Composting
The NYC Curbside Composting service will resume this fall on a rolling basis, with priority based on the number of sign-ups in each neighborhood. The Curbside Composting program, operated by the NYC Department of Sanitation, will collect food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste to be turned into compost or renewable energy. The service is free and voluntary, but residents must sign-up to participate. Multi-unit apartment buildings must have management approval. Building managers and individuals can sign up here.
Community-wide Conference Call
We appreciate your continued participation on 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.
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
