In addition to the employment-related benefits discussed above, such as paid leave as a result of COVID-19 (useful guidance on obtaining an order for mandatory or precautionary quarantine is available here), unemployment insurance, and other unemployment assistance, there are also other types of benefits, including SNAP (food stamps), health insurance, medicaid, cash assistance, and disability insurance, that you may be eligible for.

Information various social programs can be found here on New York State’s website. A helpful 2-page summary of potential benefits is also available on City of New York’s website (versions available in English and Spanish).

Financial Assistance.
- You may be eligible to receive stimulus checks from the federal government, which will begin being distributed in mid-April 2020, with no action being required for most people. Some seniors and others who typically do not file returns will need to submit a simple tax return to receive the stimulus payment. To learn more about these stimulus checks, including information on eligibility, visit the Economic Impact Payments page of ACCESS NYC.
- You may consider applying for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) grant, which is a federally funded program that helps low-income homeowners and renters pay for utility and heating bills. Forms are available for HEAP Application and HEAP Cooling Application, and the application must be sent to:
  Home Energy Assistance Program/HEAP
  P.O. Box 1401
  Church Street Station
  New York, NY 10008
  
  You can find more information regarding HEAP programs, eligibility, and associated deadlines here on New York State – Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website.
- Utility Assistance Program (UAP) assists families or individuals who are elderly, blind, disabled, mentally impaired or those residing in a neglected or hazardous environment who require financial assistance for their energy bills. Contact the Heat Line if you are having trouble paying your utilities bill 212-331-3150. Here are some other situations that may make you eligible for cash assistance.
- (New York City only) If your work schedule was reduced as a result of the coronavirus and you are unable to pay your rent, you can apply for a Cash Assistance special grant request to get benefits for emergencies.
- (New York City only) You can search FoodHelp NYC to find locations near your home that are distributing meals for free, including food pantries and Grab & Go meals at NYC Schools, available for all children or adults in need. NYC Department for the Aging provides home-delivered meals are available for seniors ages 60 years and older who may have disabilities, access, or functional needs. HungerFree NYC and Hunter College Food Policy Center publish neighborhood-based food resource guides. These guides covers all neighborhoods in NYC by ZIP code and are available in multiple languages. City Harvest Mobile Markets distribute fresh produce in all five boroughs.
- (New York City only) NYC Food Delivery Assistance may be available to you if you meet certain requirements, such as not being able to go out and get food for yourself, not having someone else who cannot get food for you, and not being able to afford food delivery from a restaurant or grocery store.
- (New York City only) The Door has implemented a revised schedule to include 3 meals each day, as well as drop in hours on Monday through Friday from 9am - 7:30pm.During this time, youth can connect with a Case Manager to work on stable housing.Youth can also reach out via email at Resources@door.org and via the textline at (646)39208563, available Monday through Friday from 10am - 8pm.
Food Assistance.
- Consider applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which issues electronic benefits (food stamps) that can be used like cash to purchase food. SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled, and others feed their families. Information on what can be purchased, eligibility, application, and contacts can be found here on New York State’s website. If you live in New York City, you can also apply for SNAP here on ACCESS NYC’s website.
- Consider receiving food assistance through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). You can find the necessary information, such as contact numbers of the regional food banks listed below and the eligibility requirements here on New York State’s website:
  - Food Bank for New York City (Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond) – (718) 991-4300
  - Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY (Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington) – (518) 786-3691
  - Food Bank of Western NY (Cattaraugus, Chatauqua, Erie, Niagara) – (716) 852-1305
  - Food Bank of Central NY (Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence) – (315) 437-1899
  - FoodLink (Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates) – (585) 328-3380
  - Long Island Cares (Nassau, Suffolk) – (631) 582-3663
  - Food Bank of the Southern Tier (Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins) – (607) 796-6061
  - Food Bank for Westchester (Westchester) – (914) 923-1100
Health & Medical Assistance.
- You can apply for coverage through the NY State of Health website or by phone at 855-355-5777, or directly to insurers. The special enrollment period for uninsured New Yorkers is open until May 15, 2020. If you lost employer coverage, you must apply within 60 days of losing coverage. Because of a loss of income, New Yorkers may also be eligible for Medicaid, the Essential Plan, subsidized Qualified Health Plans, or Child Health Plus. Information about public charge can also be found on a page on NY State of Health.
- (New York City only) If you live in New York City, you can also visit ACCESS HRA to apply for Medicaid, and visit the Department for the Aging website for counseling on Medicare MSP, LIS, and other Medicare low-income programs.
- (New York City only) NYC Care also provides low-cost or free healthcare for all New York City residents regardless of ability to pay and immigration status (this is not an insurance plan). You can call the 24-hour NYC Care service at 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-3373) to enroll and make an appointment (visit here for help in other languages).
- For more information on medical insurance, you can visit the Health Care and Medical Rights chapter of this Handbook.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council also maintains a live list of resources in New York City around COVID-19 support efforts, relating to funds, housing, education, mental health, food, internet, wellness, and many other areas.

If you are homeless in New York City and need immediate help finding shelter or meeting other critical needs, you can call the Coalition for the Homeless special crisis hotline at 212-776-2177, and leave a detailed message, including your phone number. You can also click here to find a list of resources (including food, shelter and other services) available to you based on your borough that gets updated weekly by the Coalition for the Homeless and contain the most relevant resources for homeless New Yorkers. Further, there is a small system of shelters for homeless youth, aged 16 to 24, in New York City (list of shelters available here).

For more information on public benefits available in New York, you can visit the Public Benefits chapter of this Handbook.

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New York

Chapter: *COVID-19 Rights & Resources*

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