Public Assistance or Welfare

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

The Human Resources Administration (HRA) is trying to eliminate, whenever possible, the need for clients to come in person to HRA offices.

You can use the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App from anywhere and at any time to submit requests to HRA. You can also submit documents using the Document Upload feature on the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

New Applicants and Current Recipients for Cash Assistance

You can apply for Cash Assistance and/or apply for Emergency One-Time Assistance, as well as recertify for ongoing Cash Assistance benefits, using the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App. HRA will call you to complete your telephone eligibility interview. In-person interview appointments at Job Centers are not available at this time.

Get more information about COVID-19 and your HRA benefits.

Current Cash Assistance Recipients Only

If your case is due to recertify and you would like to continue receiving Cash Assistance, you must complete the recertification process to see if you are still eligible. HRA will mail you a letter with detailed instructions on how to submit your recertification form. You can always check the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App to see when you must recertify next.

If you receive a Cash Assistance 6-month eligibility mailer, you must complete, sign and submit it before the due date printed on the notice.  Submit it by either:

  • Mailing it back to HRA using the included postage-paid envelope, or
  • Uploading pictures of the entire form using the Document Upload feature on the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

Your Cash Assistance case will stay open even if you:

  • Needed to complete your Cash Assistance recertification interview between March and August 2020, but did not submit a recertification form. Your certification period was automatically extended, and HRA will mail you a letter when you need to recertify.
  • Missed an HRA appointment, including HRA child support or child care services
  • Missed an HRA work or training assignment (even if you are or were sanctioned)

All scheduled in-person appointments have been cancelled until further notice. HRA will notify you by text, email and/or postal mail for any steps you must take in the future.

If you have child care forms to return, please upload them using the ACCESS HRA Mobile App or submit them at an open HRA Job Center in the borough where you live.

Use ACCESS HRA to submit any of the following changes to your case: 

  • Update your residential address and add new housing expenses and utility expenses for your new address
  • Provide changes to your household income
  • Remove a household member from your case

You do not need to submit a new application to make these changes, but you will need to upload, fax or mail HRA documents that prove why the change(s) are needed.

Learn about the documents you can use and the ways to submit them.

Get more information about COVID-19 and your HRA benefits.

Keep Your Information Up-to-Date

Use the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App to view your case information and update your contact information. It's very important that HRA has your current contact information.

HRA Locations  

The number of HRA Centers and Offices open to the public has been reduced. Please only visit an HRA Center or Office if your needs cannot be met online or by phone. Hours and locations may change.  Visit the HRA Center Locations website for more information.

EBT Cards

Applicants who have been approved for benefits will receive an EBT card in the mail. If your EBT card has not yet arrived, you can go to the Brooklyn Over-The-Counter (OTC) site for your permanent card, or one of seven open HRA locations for a temporary card that will have all benefits available until your EBT card arrives. Visit the HRA Center Locations website for more information.

Permanent EBT cards can only be sent via the mail or picked up at the Brooklyn OTC site. For more information, visit the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card page.

SNAP ABAWD Work Requirements

Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) work requirements are currently suspended.  If you receive SNAP benefits as part of your Cash Assistance case, the SNAP portion of your case should not have been affected if you did not comply with ABAWD work requirements since March 2020.

Supplement for Some SNAP Households

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provided funding for a supplement to all SNAP households that did not receive the maximum SNAP benefit amount allowed for their household size in March 2020 through March 2021.  These supplements have been or will be issued on a monthly basis during this period.

If you already received your March 2020 through March 2021 SNAP benefits, and it was not for the maximum amount allowed for your household size, you should have received or will receive another payment for the difference.

SNAP Households that received the maximum benefit are not eligible for a supplement payment.

Get answers to frequently asked questions about the supplement benefit.

Need something else?

You can find out if you are eligible for Public Assistance, also known as Cash Assistance. You can apply for cash benefits and participate in programs that prepare you for self-sufficiency. 

Eligible families may receive up to 60 months of federally funded Cash Assistance under the Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF). Single individuals without children and families who have already received Cash Assistance for 60 months may receive benefits under the New York State Safety Net Assistance Program.

Caregivers who are not foster parents but are financially responsible for children in their care may also be eligible for Cash Assistance.

Temporary benefits include:

  • A cash grant that includes a shelter portion
  • Utility assistance grants 
  • Additional money to assist with other expenses

You can learn more about eligibility and the application process from the Human Resources Administration (HRA). You can also find out your case status.

Learn more about Public Assistance (Cash Assistance).

The fastest and easiest way to apply for Cash Assistance is on the ACCESS HRA website or the ACCESS HRA Mobile App. You can also apply by fax, by mail or in person.

You will need to submit documents that prove your eligibility.  You can submit documents using the Document Upload feature of the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

If you’re already receiving Cash Assistance, you can complete an online recertification application.

Online

Use ACCESS NYC to pre-screen for Cash Assistance and other programs and learn how to apply.

Find out what documents you need to apply.

In Person

You can get the location of the nearest Job Center.

Find a Job Center.

By Phone

  • Agency: Human Resources Administration
  • Phone Number: (718) 557-1399
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Staff is available through the automated phone system during business hours. Automated assistance is also available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. Most languages are available through a staff person. If you get a fast busy signal or hear a message that the number is not in service, please call back later for assistance.

If you are an applicant or recipient of Cash Assistance and you must move, you may be eligible for help with: 

  • Moving expenses
  • Security deposit voucher
  • Broker’s fees
  • Temporary storage for furniture and personal belongings if you are being evicted from permanent housing or must move from temporary housing

All requests for moving and storage expenses can be made online or at an open Job Center. You can also learn about the request process by phone.

Online

Visit the ACCESS HRA website or use the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

In Person

Find a Job Center.

By Phone

  • Agency: Human Resources Administration
  • Phone Number: (718) 557-1399
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Staff is available through the automated phone system during business hours. Automated assistance is also available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. Most languages are available through a staff person. If you get a fast busy signal or hear a message that the number is not in service, please call back later for assistance.

Public Assistance clients can get case status information, request a budget letter, and request changes to certain information on their case online or by phone.

Examples of changes include:

  • Adding family members
  • Removing family members
  • Changing the amount of household income
  • Changing their residential address

Online

Visit the ACCESS HRA website or use the ACCESS HRA Mobile App.

By Phone

You can call HRA to request a budget letter or to request changes to your case.

  • Agency: Human Resources Administration
  • Phone Number: (718) 557-1399
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Staff is available through the automated phone system during business hours. Automated assistance is also available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. Most languages are available through a staff person. If you get a fast busy signal or hear a message that the number is not in service, please call back later for assistance.

Be aware of a scam using texting to obtain your personal information.  The text might say you were chosen to receive food stamps or SNAP.  

If you are a New York City resident and do not know if a request for information about SNAP is real or not, contact HRA by phone.

Never share personal information with individuals or organizations that you do not know. Personal information includes your social security number, bank information, or SNAP electronic benefits transfer card or PIN number. If you think the text is a scam, do not reply at all.  Just delete the message.

If you gave your personal information using the link in the text, you should file an Identity Theft report.

  • Agency: Human Resources Administration
  • Phone Number: (718) 557-1399
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Staff is available through the automated phone system during business hours. Automated assistance is also available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. Most languages are available through a staff person. If you get a fast busy signal or hear a message that the number is not in service, please call back later for assistance.

If you owe HRA money on a closed Public Assistance case, you can set up a payment plan by phone.

Call 311 for assistance.

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