Mayor de Blasio. Photo–Flickr.
Throughout September, Mayor de Blasio’s Public Engagement Unit will hold free events citywide to provide New Yorkers with individualized and in-person assistance related to tenants’ rights, affordable housing, homelessness prevention and reduction, and healthcare.
Follow @MayorsPEU on Twitter for more updates and details on events.
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’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 programs 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. Learn more at nyc.gov/tenantsupportunit and nyc.gov/rentfreeze.
The Home Support Unit partners with landlords and brokers to identify apartments for New Yorkers transitioning out of shelter with rental subsidies. HSU partners closely with the Human Resources Administration, the Department of Homeless Services 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. Learn more at nyc.gov/homesupportunit.
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, and 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 appointments and case manage them through the enrollment process.
In addition, the initiative runs a city-wide public information campaign to promote the importance of coverage and how New Yorkers can receive free in-person enrollment assistance by calling 311, texting ‘CoveredNYC’ (‘SeguroNYC’ in Spanish) to 877877, or visiting nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC.
For more information on these programs and services, New Yorkers can call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov
