Correctional Library Services > Connections 2007 > Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance

Dealing with government agencies is often a very frustrating experience, requiring both patience and endurance. There is the inevitable waiting line, service is usually impersonal, and it is not uncommon to be shifted from one office or agency to the next in search of simple answers. In recent years many government departments have posted their application forms, eligibility requirements and procedures on the Internet for downloading. If you do not have access to a computer and printer, remember that your neighborhood public library (or organization supporting formerly incarcerated people) may be able to print needed forms and web pages for you or show you how to do so using their computers.

NEW YORK CITY HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION

180 Water Street, Manhattan 10038
Telephone: 877.472.8411
www.nyc.gov/html/hra
The New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) administers programs in a number of areas, including:

• Foodstamps and food pantry programs
• Child care
• Support for domestic violence survivors
• Home Energy Assistance Program (help with high heating bills)
• Job search and placement services
• Services for people living with HIV and AIDS
• Child support services
• Home care
• Medicaid

Information on applying for benefits is available through the automated telephone line and website. The website includes applications for download and printing, eligibility requirements and FAQs (lists of frequently asked questions about benefits). Spanish, Chinese and Russian are options on the telephone line. No operator is available.

Public Assistance: Income Support

Recipients of Public Assistance fall into four general categories:

1. Families with children under 18 years of age (or 21 if they attend school) without sufficient means of support due to absence or incapacity of one or both parents (ADC, or Aid to Dependent Children);
2. Families with dependent children without sufficient means of support because of unemployed parent (ADC-U, or Aid to Dependent Children with Unemployed Parent);
3. Certain persons in need of financial assistance for such reasons as temporary illness, layoff, or injury (HR, or Home Relief);
4. Persons in need of special services.

Job Center sites in the five boroughs are listed on the HRA website under the Family Independence Administration, and are the place to go to apply for Temporary Assistance, Medicaid and other services: www.nyc.gov/html/hra/html/family_independence/job_center_sites.shtml

Food Stamps

The Food Stamp Program is a federally funded program designed to enable people with limited income to increase their ability to purchase food. The program provides food stamp benefits through the use of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used in the place of cash. People receiving public assistance can sign up for Food Stamps at the Job Centers described above. Other offices provide just Food Stamp benefits: Addresses for the twenty NYC Food Stamp offices in New York City are found online at: www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/food_stamp_offices.pdf

An application package can also be mailed: call 877.472.8411 to request. The application can also be printed from the New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Insurance website: www.otda.state.ny.us/main/foodstamps/ (Available also in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian.)

If you are uncertain whether or not you are entitled to Food Stamps, you can call the Food Stamp Call Center at FoodChange: 212.894.8060. Mon.-Fri. 9-5.

Medical Assistance

Medicaid is the federal program working in cooperation with state governments to partly finance medical assistance to low-income people. The Department of Health and Human Services lists eligibility guidelines on its website,
www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidGenInfo. For telephone information on Medicaid or to order an application kit, call 888.692.6116. You can speak to a Medicaid Counselor Mon.-Fri. 9-5.

Medicare is the federal government's health insurance program for people over age 65. The booklet Medicare and You 2006, detailing the recent changes in coverage, can be found at all branches of the New York Public Library in the Community Information Collection. The federal Medicare office can be reached at 800.633.4227 or online at www.medicare.gov.

Elder Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) helps seniors pay for prescription drugs. Call 800.332.3742 (TTY 800.290.9138) for information on eligibility, or visit www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/epic.

THE COMMUNITY SERVICE SOCIETY

Public Benefits Resource Center
105 East 22nd Street, Manhattan 10010
Telephone: 212.614.5552
www.cssny.org
Provides information on government benefits and answers questions regarding: food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, public assistance, Social Security benefits, SSI, and much more. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish also spoken.

URBAN JUSTICE CENTER

666 Broadway, 10th Floor, Manhattan 10012
Telephone: 646.602.5600
www.urbanjustice.org
If you are homeless, you are still entitled to receive Public Assistance. Urban Justice Center operates outreach clinics at various locations around the city where they can help you get access to Public Assistance and other forms of aid. Call Mon.- Fri. 9:30-5:30 for times and locations. Spanish also spoken.

GAY MEN'S HEALTH CRISIS (GMHC), ADVOCACY UNIT

Telephone: 212.367.1125
www.gmhc.org/policy/benefits.html
Assists people living with HIV and AIDS with understanding and accessing the government programs they are entitled to. Offers monthly public forums and personal assessments. This service is for all people living with HIV. Call for more information.

Veterans

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

245 West Houston Street (at Varick Street), Manhattan 10014
Telephone: 800.827.1000, TTY: 800.829.4833
www.va.gov
Walk in or call Mon.-Fri. 8-4:30 for information on veterans' benefits. Areas covered include education, disabilities, and housing loans. Forms can be downloaded from the department's website. Spanish and French also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

State Veteran Counselors assist veterans and their families with any matters related to veterans' benefits. Bring DD214, copy of birth certificate, Social Security card, proof of address, and proof of income, if any. Assistance is also given in obtaining a copy of your DD214.

For the location of your nearest Veterans Affairs office, anywhere in New York State, call 888.838.7697, Mon.-Fri. 9-4.

Crime Victims

NEW YORK STATE CRIME VICTIMS BOARD

55 Hanson Place, 10th Floor, Brooklyn 11217
Telephone: 718.923.4325 or 800.247.8035
www.cvb.state.ny.us
Provides reimbursement under certain conditions for medical expenses, loss of earnings, funeral expenses, and lost or destroyed essential personal property. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish, Russian, and Cantonese also spoken.

Emergency Assistance

See the chapter on Housing for information on New York City shelters.

NEW YORK CITY HUNGER HOTLINE

Telephone: 866.888.8777
www.nyccah.org
Provides referrals to more than 600 soup kitchens and food pantries across the city. Multilingual service available Mon.-Fri. 8-5, automated assistance available in Spanish and English all other times.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, EMERGENCY SERVICES

Telephone: 877.472.8411 or 311
Provides emergency, short-term assistance in areas of eviction or dispossession, electricity, gas or heating turn-offs, housing, child abuse, medical problems, and the needs of the elderly. Call the HRA INFOLINE listed above for instructions on how to receive emergency help or for the location of the nearest service center.

CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY CARES

Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan 10025
Telephone: 212.316.7581
www.stjohndivine.org/social.html
Provides referrals to all types of services, including legal, housing, detox, clothing, and food pantry. Operates a men's shelter every evening and a soup kitchen on Sundays, as well as a job-readiness program. Two pieces of I.D. (with a photo and address) if possible. Call first, Mon.-Fri. 9am to noon. Spanish also spoken.

SAINT JOSEPH EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Harlem Block Association, Inc.
Telephone: 212.926.5576
Provides a number of social services, including access to food pantries for singles and families. Call Tue., Thu. 9-1. Also provides limited housing and emergency social services to the elderly and to level 1 and 2 MICA applicants. For help in housing issues, including aid in halting or delaying evictions, call Bishop Yarborough at 212.348.0617. Spanish also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

Be sure to check The New York Public Library's Community Information Services (CIS) units, located at every branch, for the latest copy of the Coalition for the Homeless Resource Guide. This invaluable resource lists food, shelter, and other services for the homeless, including information on rights and benefits, drop-in centers, legal services, medical and mental health services, services for youth and immigrants, GED programs, and housing. The Guide is available online at www.coalitionforthehomeless.org. Click on "Resource Guide."

The homeless people's organization Information for Families keeps a list of resources and links on its website: www.informationforfamilies.org. Find lists of food pantries, places to access the Internet for free, free events and programs for children, and more.

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