Throughout November, Mayor de Blasio’s Public Engagement Unit has planned events citywide to help New Yorkers access resources and information from the Tenant Support Unit, Home Support Unit, and GetCoveredNYC.
The Tenant Support Unit engages and provides assistance to New Yorkers who may be at risk of displacement or experiencing harassment in zip codes covered under the Human Resources Administration (HRA)’s Anti-Harassment Tenant Protection legal service funding. In addition, TSU proactively engages New Yorkers who may be eligible for the Department of Finance’s Rent Freeze benefits to assist them through the application process. Outreach specialists go door to door to inform tenants of their rights, identify any housing-related issues and connect them with a range of resources, such as anti-eviction legal assistance, to keep them in their homes. In addition, outreach specialists’ partner with elected officials and community groups to hold weekly office hours and attend local events.
The Home Support Unit partners with landlords and brokers to identify apartments for clients transitioning out of shelter with rental subsidies. HSU partners closely with the Human Resources Administration, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), and community-based providers to match prospective tenants to apartments, coordinate viewings, and navigate landlords and brokers through the City’s leasing process. Specialists remain engaged with the landlord even after lease signing to ensure new tenants are supported and have access to resources that help them remain stably housed.
The Homebase Outreach Team proactively engages families at risk of entering shelter to connect them to Homebase, a homelessness prevention program that provides casework services and referrals to existing resources. Specialists make phone calls and attend community events to provide families at risk with information about the preventive services available in the community and, when appropriate, help them access those services, so they avoid entering shelter.
GetCoveredNYC is a city-wide initiative to enroll New Yorkers in health insurance and provide them with access to primary and preventive care at NYC Health and Hospitals. The initiative is a partnership between NYC Health and Hospitals, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Human Resources Administration and MetroPlus. The initiative includes a robust team of outreach specialists, who proactively go door to door and call uninsured New Yorkers to discuss their health insurance options, schedule them for free in-person enrollment assistance and case manage them through the enrollment process. In addition, the initiative launched a city-wide paid media campaign to promote the importance of coverage and how New Yorkers can receive free in-person enrollment assistance – including calling 311 or texting CoveredNYC to 877877.
For more information on these initiatives, New Yorkers can call 311 or visit nyc.gov.
The Bronx
November 1, 8, 15
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Davidson Community Center- Food Pantry
(Home Support Unit)
November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Weekly on Wednesdays)
11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Assembly Member Blake’s Office
(GetCoveredNYC)
November 2, 16
11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Assembly Member Joyner Office Hours
910 Grand Concourse
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 2, 16, 30
11:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
UNHP Refuge House
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 2, 16, 30
3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
New York Public Library- Francis Martin Branch
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 7, 14
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Community Food Pantry at Highbridge
(Home Support Unit)
November 9
3:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.
New York Public Library- Grand Concourse Branch
155 E 173rd St
Bronx, NY 10457
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 11, 25
11:00A.M. – 2:00 P.M.
New York Public Library - Sedgwick Branch
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 14, 20
3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. on 14th and 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. on 20th
Tabling with Senator Serrano
New York Public Library- High Bridge Branch
78 West 168th Street
Bronx, NY 10452
(Tenant Support Unit)
November 17
10:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Evelyn Place Senior Center
(Tenant Support Unit)
