Agency Mission
Meeting Clients Where They Are
The Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) enhances the quality of life for all New Yorkers by providing temporary help to eligible individuals and families with social service and economic needs in order to assist them in leading independent lives. These goals are accomplished through the effective administration of a broad range of social welfare programs and services.

Agency Overview
The New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) spearheads New York City 's Welfare Reform initiatives, and serves a diverse group of New Yorkers through a wide range of social service programs. HRA/DSS's mission is to make work central in the lives of all able-bodied New Yorker receiving public assistance. HRA/DSS's programs also ensure that those needy individuals who meet eligibility requirements are provided food, shelter, temporary financial assistance, medical care, counseling and other essential services.

Federal and State welfare reform has prompted a new model for the public assistance system. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) has been replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) which focuses on work and personal responsibility. The federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 replaced the welfare programs that were part of Title IV of the Social Security Act of 1935. The new federal welfare reform laws limit cash assistance to a lifetime of five (5) years for U.S. citizens and mandates that recipients participate in a work-related activity within two years of their entry into the program.

New York State's welfare reform incorporates the provisions of the federal welfare reform program with additional requirements for providing assistance. It also creates a Safety Net program which provides cash and non-cash assistance to those not eligible for federal benefits.

HRA/DSS's job centers reflect both a philosophical commitment to self-sufficiency and a programmatic effort to emphasize the essential role of work in our lives. The goal of job centers is to:

• Emphasize personal responsibility for obtaining employment and achieving independence.
• Provide access to resources and community services that support participants' efforts towards economic independence.
• Create an environment conducive to participants' achievement of financial independence.
• Treat participants in a respectful, courteous and professional manner.
• Meet participants' emergency and temporary financial needs, while supporting their efforts to obtain a job and achieve financial independence.
• HRA/DSS's Work Experience Program (WEP) establishes reciprocity for public assistance. The guiding principle of WEP is that one learns to work by working.

The ultimate goal of  job centers and the Work Experience Program is to assist public assistance recipients in obtaining unsubsidized employment as quickly as possible.

For those with the ability to become self-sufficient, HRA/DSS provides temporary supports including: temporary public assistance, food stamps, health benefits, childcare, adult protective services and eviction prevention.

For New Yorkers who require long term support to live independently, HRA/DSS provides housing support, home care and long term care for the elderly and disabled, and counseling and housing support for people with HIV and AIDS.

The Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services is committed to being a model social service agency that maximizes individual self-sufficiency, familial responsibility, and community involvement.

Click here for HRA's Organization Chart