Home Energy Assistance Program
122 East 124th Street, New York, NY 10035
Manhattan Location: (800) 692-0557
NYS HEAP Hotline (English and Spanish): (800) 342-3009
HEAP Assistance in Spanish: (518) 402-3096
Mobile App: ACCESS HRA
HEAP website
Services: Federally funded program that provides heating benefits to supplement a low-income household's energy costs. Also provides emergency assistance for households in a heat or heat related energy emergency; assists with furnace repairs and/or replacements for households with inoperable heating equipment; supplements Electricity, Propane, Natural Gas, Wood, Oil, Kerosene, Coal, or any other heating fuel costs; provides cooling assistance benefit.
Application process is not continuous. Note that timing for various programs may change each year and specific dates can be found online.
Eligibility: Use the eligibility and benefits screening tool at: http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/program.asp#income; mail application to HRA/HEAP, PO Box 1401, Church Street Station, New York, NY 10008
Language: English and Spanish
ACCESS NYC Screening Tool
Languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian
Services: Fantastic, user-friendly online screening tool for over 30 city, state and government resources.
Ability to screen anonymously (website deletes all personal information entered) or create an account.
Can directly apply online for: School Meals, Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption, Food Stamp Benefits.
Can directly renew online: Medicaid/Family Health Plus
Provides information for how, where, and what documents are needed to apply for:
- Programs for Families with Children: Child Care, Head Start, Out-of-School Time (OST), Universal Prekindergarden (UPK)
- Food and Nutrition Programs: Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Food Stamps, School Meals, Summer Meals, WIC
- Employment and Training Programs: In-School Youth Employment Program (ISY), NYC Unemployment Insurance, NYCHA Resident Employment Services (RES), Senior Employment Services (SES), Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Workforce1
- Health Care Services: Nurse-Family Partnership (for first time pregnant women)
- Health Insurance Programs: Family Planning Benefit Program (FPBP), Healthy NY, Public Health Insurance/Medicaid (adults, children, prenatal)
- Financial Assistance Programs: Cash Assistance, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, (Federal and NYS)/NYC Child Care Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit (Federal)/Empire State Child Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, HEAP
- Housing Programs: Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE), Disabled Homeowners’ Exemption (DHE), School Tax Relief (STAR), Section 8 Housing Assistance, Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption (SCHE), Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE), Veterans’ Exemption
Temporary Assistance Program
NYS Temporary Assistance Hotline: (800) 342-3009
Human Resources Administration (HRA) InfoLine: (718) 557-1399 (all hours; for live representatives, 8:00am-5:00pm, Mon-Fri)
http://otda.ny.gov/programs/temporary-assistance/
Services: Temporary Assistance (TA) is temporary help for needy men, women and children. Individuals and families who are unable to work, are unemployed, or have inadequate earnings may be eligible for TA to assist with their expenses, via the following programs:
Family Assistance: cash assistance to needy families that include a minor child living with a parent (including families where both parents are in the household) or a caretaker relative. Eligibility is determined along federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) guidelines. Eligible adults have a lifetime limit of 60 months of assistance, and must comply with work requirements if deemed able to work.
Safety Net Assistance (SNA): cash assistance available if ineligible for other assistance programs, including single adults, childless couples, children living apart from adults, families of persons found to be abusing drugs or alcohol, persons who have exceeded the 60 month limit on assistance, and immigrants who are eligible for temporary assistance, but ineligible for federal reimbursement. Cash SNA is provided to a lifetime limit of two years; beyond that individuals may qualify for non-cash SNA (including vouchers)
Emergency Assistance: payment support for urgent needs for individuals who are homeless, have little or no food, are facing eviction, have no fuel for heat, are facing loss or imminent loss of utilities, or are victims of violence
Eligibility: Individuals may apply for TA at their local job center, as designated via the HRA InfoLine or online at http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/html/directory/job_centers.shtml
Weatherization Assistance Program
Harlem location: (212) 961-4100
WAP website
Services: WAP is a federally-funded program that assists families and individuals by reducing their heating/cooling costs and improving the safety of their homes through energy efficiency measures. Energy efficiency measures performed through the program include air sealing (weather stripping, caulking), wall and ceiling insulation, heating system improvements or replacement, efficiency improvements in lighting, hot water tank and pipe insulation, and refrigerator replacements with highly efficient Energy Star rated units. Both single-family and multi-family buildings are assisted. Household energy use reductions and resultant energy cost savings are significant, with an average savings in excess of 20%. For multi-family buildings, the WAP application is initiated by the landlord once participation by 66% or greater of the tenants is assured.
Social Security
345 East 102nd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10029
1-800-772-1213
1-800-325-0778 (for deaf/hard of hearing)
Hours: 9:00am-3:30pm, Mon-Fri; Social security representatives are available to speak by phone from 7:00am-7:00pm, Mon-Fri
Services: Assistance in obtaining social security