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FAQ FOR INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY THE ELIMINATION OF ADVANTAGE
Q: Why is the Advantage program ending?
The final State Budget withdraws all federal and state support for the program which terminates the City's authority and fiscal ability to run the Advantage program. The City strongly disagrees with the State's decision. Q: Will my February rent be paid?
NO. Ever since April, 2011, the City has been paying Advantage rent subsidies because there was a court order requiring the City to continue the payments pending the outcome of ongoing court action. On Thursday, February 2, 2012, the court discontinued that order. Therefore, the City will NOT be paying the February rent subsidy. There are still pending court proceedings and the City will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available. Please note that the discontinuation of February Advantage payments is NOT an eviction notice. DHS strongly encourages current Advantage tenants to attend a Homebase information session. Homebase offers comprehensive services, including eviction prevention counseling, free legal assistance, short term emergency funding and assistance in obtaining employment and public benefits. By attending a Homebase workshop, Advantage tenants will receive assistance in planning for maintaining their housing. For further information, please call 311 to locate a Homebase office in your community. Q: If I am an Advantage landlord, who can I contact to discuss the options that are available for my tenants?
During business hours call 212-607-6200, or 311 anytime. Q. If I am an Advantage landlord, may I use the security deposit if my tenant is unable to pay the full rent?
As with any other lease, the security deposit can be used towards non-payment of rent or towards damages incurred in the apartment. Q. Does the end of the Advantage program mean that I have to leave my apartment?
Absolutely NOT. The notices that you have received from HRA and DHS were only to let you know the status of your rental assistance. NONE OF THESE NOTICES WERE EVICTION NOTICES. EVEN THOUGH THE PROGRAM IS ENDING, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO VACATE YOUR APARTMENT. If your landlord has asked you to leave your apartment or is threatening to evict you because the Advantage program has been terminated, please contact the DHS Prevention Helpline during business hours at 212-607-6200, or 311 anytime. Q: What if I can't pay my rent - what are the options available to me?
DHS will be holding a number of information sessions for Advantage tenants at Homebase locations throughout the City. Please click here (in pdf) to view the current schedule of these sessions. The City also offers a range of community-based eviction prevention resources including: One shot deals may be available for families and individuals. In order to qualify, you will have to be able to show future ability to pay the rent. You need to go to an HRA Job Center to apply for a one-shot deal. You can call 311 for the location of an appropriate Job Center. Families who are receiving or are eligible for Cash Assistance and receive a Housing Court notice may be eligible for the Family Eviction Prevention Supplement (FEPS). Families who receive a Housing Court notice should go to their HRA Job Center. For more information go to www.nyc.gov/hra, call the DHS Prevention Helpline during business hours at 212-607-6200, or 311 anytime.
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 | City Conducts Eighth Annual HOPE Survey
On Monday, January 30, thousands of volunteers canvassed the five boroughs to conduct the City’s eighth annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). As one of the most comprehensive surveys of its kind nationwide, HOPE enables the City to efficiently allocate resources to the issue of street homelessness, ultimately aiming to help this population transition from the streets into housing. This year, DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond was joined on his survey route by John U. Sepúlveda, Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Additionally, DHS was pleased to welcome Adolfo Carrión, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), at the Hostos Community College site in the Bronx. Thank you to all of the 2012 volunteers, who once again stepped up to prove that one night can make a difference in the lives of homeless New Yorkers.
 View the photos
See the coverage from NY1
Read the coverage from the Huffington Post |
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An Eligibility Process for Single Adults
Over the past three decades, the City has built a homeless services system for single adults that is now recognized as the most comprehensive and sophisticated in the nation. What started in the 1980’s as essentially “three hots and a cot” is now a network of approximately 60 shelters that provide a broad range of services to assist homeless New Yorkers obtain permanent housing and remain stably housed in the community. Shelter, like all other public benefits, comes with responsibilities — the responsibility of the City to allocate this costly and limited resource to those who truly need it, and the responsibility of applicants to show that they have no other place to stay, even on a temporary basis. For this reason, we determined to implement an eligibility process for single adults seeking shelter. This policy is closely aligned with the existing eligibility process for families with children and adult families — a process we have successfully implemented for the past 16 years. Although DHS operates the most extensive and innovative shelter system in the country, we remain steadfast in our belief that shelter is not a home but a short-term response to a housing crisis; that shelter is never the best option, but the option of last resort; and that it is the City’s responsibility to allocate this critical yet costly resource to those truly in need. Through eligibility, we can continue our efforts to help at-risk New Yorkers remain in the community, while at the same time return shelter to its root emergency purpose. Data shows that nearly 60 percent of single adult men currently seeking shelter were living with family or friends before they arrived at intake. While only five years ago, one-third of the adult shelter population reported living on the street prior to shelter entry, today less than 15 percent of those seeking shelter report a history of street homelessness. For these reasons, we are confident that through an eligibility process we can identify applicants who can safely return to available housing resources in the community. As discussed in the following Daily News editorial on eligibility, it is the City’s responsibility to determine the best strategies for fighting homelessness and to implement them in the most cost-effective manner. An eligibility process for single adults will allow DHS to do precisely that.
Read the New York Daily News editorial
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