The Administration for Children's Services is committed to assisting families and young adults involved with foster care find suitable, stable, long term housing. To that end, the Housing Support Services (HSS) unit was created. Additionally, Children's Services entered into a partnership with the Division of Homeless Services (DHS) to increase coordination and communication, in an effort to better service families involved with both agencies. The information-sharing database which was created as a result of the recent Children's Services/DHS partnership, allows DHS employees to readily identify families involved with Children's Services where housing is the sole barrier preventing the reunification of parents with children who are in foster care.

HSS also launched a new training initiative with Children's Services' foster care and preventive agency partners to assist young adults with a permanency planning goal of APPLA (Alternative Planned Permanent Living Arrangement, formerly referred to as independent living) find appropriate housing-if they choose not to remain in foster care until age twenty-one. The approach to processing housing applications has also been revamped and streamlined. Families with active foster care or preventive cases-including independent living youths-along with their Case Planners and Children's Services' Case Managers can now meet face-to-face with HSS specialists on a walk-in basis during business hours Monday-Friday at 150 William Street, 8th floor in Manhattan.

The HSS specialists will provide counseling, make referrals, and assist with the completion of related forms regarding the following:

• Housing Subsidy & Special Grants/One Shot Deal
• NYCHA Section 8
• NYCHA Public Housing
• New York/ New York, III
• Contact Housing Support Services

Housing Subsidy & Special Grants

Housing Subsidy is a rent subsidy program administered and funded by Children's Services. Its primary purpose is to assist in reuniting parents with children placed in foster care (foster care subsidy), as well as to prevent children from entering foster care by providing a monthly rent allowance (preventive subsidy). Young adults in foster care, with a permanency planning goal of APPLA and are over the age of eighteen also qualify for this program. Children's Services' Housing Subsidy pays up to three hundred dollars per months. Monthly subsidy is calculated, in part, on monthly rent and lasts for a period of up to 3 years or $10,800 (ten thousand eight hundred). The subsidy also has an allowance for two special grants or one shot deals in the amount of $1,800 (eighteen hundred) dollars each: $1,800 that may be applicable to rental arrears (if any), and $1,800 which can be used for broker's fees, rent/mortgage arrears, security deposit, moving expense or extermination. (These two grants are separate and can not be combined.) Special grant funds are deducted from the $10,800 total grant allowance for clients receiving on-going monthly subsidy. For these clients, the allotted three year period will be reduced based on the total amount received in special grants.

NYCHA Section 8

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which oversees Section 8 housing, granted Children's Services what is known as priority code access to Section 8 vouchers for families involved with Children's Services as part of its Family Reunification Program (FUP). Young adults residing in foster care with a permanency planning goal of APPLA and who are over 18 and leaving care, also qualify. As a result, Children's Services Housing Support Service Specialists can now process families and youths for Section 8 housing in cases when lack of permanent housing is the primary reason preventing a timely reunification of parents with children who are in foster care or young adults who are being discharged from foster care. Applicants are required to undergo a criminal background check and meet other NYCHA requirements.

NYCHA Public Housing

Similar to the priority access code given to Children's Services under the Section 8 program, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) also assigns a special code to families involved with Children's Services to expedite applications for public housing. Unlike Section 8, however, vouchers are not issued, and clients must reside in an apartment specifically set aside for public housing. Residents of public housing are required to pay rent equivalent to thirty percent of their adjusted gross income. Public Assistance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can be used as sources or income. Children's Services' partnership with NYCHA, relative to public housing, targets families involved with the agency where housing is the only reason preventing reunification of families with children in foster care. Young adults in foster care over 18 with a permanency planning goal of APPLA also qualify for this program. Applicants are required to undergo a criminal background check and meet other NYCHA requirements

New York/ New York, III

NY/NY III is an affordable, supportive housing program with a social services component, for nine distinct populations. This housing will be either (1) “congregate”, where supportive services can be assessed on-site within reach of the tenant, or (2) “scattered-site’”, in which individual apartments are rented from existing market housing throughout the City.

Who Benefits

The populations to be served under NY/NY III include:

Youth:

• Young adults aged 18-25 years leaving or having recently left foster care or who had been in foster care for more than a year after their 16th birthdays and who are at risk of street homelessness or sheltered homelessness, and
• Young adults aged 18-25, who have a serious mental illness being treated in a State psychiatric facility or NYS licensed residential treatment facility and are leaving or having recently left foster care and who could live independently in the community if provided with supportive housing, and who would be at risk of street or sheltered homelessness if discharged without supportive housing assistance.

Adults:

• Chronically homeless single adults who suffer from a serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) or who are diagnosed as mentally ill and chemically addicted (MICA);
• Single adults who are presently living in NYS-operated psychiatric centers or State-operated transitional residences and who could live independently in the community if provided with supportive housing and who would be at risk of street or sheltered homelessness if discharged without supportive housing;
• Chronically homeless single adults who have a substance abuse disorder that is a primary barrier to independent living and who also have a disabling clinical condition (i.e. a medical or mental health (non-SPMI) condition that further impairs their ability to live independently);*
• Homeless single adults who have completed a course of treatment for a substance abuse disorder and are at risk of street homelessness or sheltered homelessness and who need transitional supportive housing (that may include half-way houses) to sustain sobriety and achieve independent living;*
• Chronically homeless single adults who are persons living with HIV/AIDS (who are clients of HASA or who are clients with symptomatic HIV who are receiving cash assistance from the City) and who suffer from a co-occurring serious and persistent mental illness, a substance abuse disorder, or a MICA disorder;*

Families:

• Chronically homeless families, or families at risk of becoming chronically homeless, in which the head of the household suffers from SPMI or a MICA disorder;
• Chronically homeless families, or families at serious risk of becoming chronically homeless, in which the head of the household suffers from a substance abuse disorder, a disabling medical condition, or HIV/AIDS;*

*=Up to 100 units in these categories will be targeted to young adults (aged 18-25 years).

How to Apply

Applications will go through HRA and the HRA 2010(e) must be completed. The HRA 2010(e) replaces the old HRA 2000. Applications are only accepted electronically. 
To submit the HRA 2010e application, an agency  must be trained by HRA and receive a username and password
A complete HRA application package includes:

• HRA housing application
• A comprehensive psychosocial summary, completed within 6 months of the application submission date
• Tuberculosis testing results (PPD)

and

• If the applicant is mentally ill: a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, signed and dated by a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner, and completed within 6 months.

For youth who have left foster care, we expect their last case planning agency to assist them with completing the documentation.

Process

Once an application is submitted and completed, HRA determines eligibility for the program and which level of housing is deemed appropriate. Youth who fall into the following 2 categories will have their applications and eligibility determination routed to the Children’s Services Housing Support and Services Unit:

• Young adults (aged 25 years or younger (18-25?) leaving or having recently left foster care or who had been in foster care for more than a year after their 16th birthdays and who are at risk of street homelessness or sheltered homelessness, and
• Young adults, ages 18-25, who have a serious mental illness being treated in NYS licensed residential treatment facilities, State psychiatric facilities or leaving or having recently left foster care and who could live independently in the community if provided with supportive housing and who would be at risk of street or sheltered homelessness if discharged without supportive housing.
• In addition, youth who are still in foster care who fall into any other category will have their applications sent to Children’s Services.

Youth not in care or who were never in care and who fall into any other category, along with families and single adults will have their applications routed to DHS for processing.

Housing Support and Services will prioritize applicants based on need and match clients with available housing. Youth once housed will then receive services through this program. They can stay in their apartment for until their 26th birthday, during which time they will be assisted in finding permanent housing. If they continue to need supportive housing, they

Contact Housing Support Services

The Housing Support Services office is located at 150 William Street, 8th floor in Manhattan. Our Housing Support Specialists are available Monday-Friday from nine to five. In order to expedite the processing of relevant housing forms, the Case Planner and the Case Manager should accompany families to our office.

Contact us via online form