ANNOUNCEMENTS & RESOURCES

• Elected Officials can stay tuned for two presentations from PEU this February on:
  1. the City’s Response to the  Eviction Moratorium and
  2. the resources available to constituents through PEU.
     
     
• The deadline for homeowner tax exemptions for elderly and disabled New Yorkers is coming up on March 15. Constituents can speak to a PEU Specialist for help with applying by attending our in-person session at the Brooklyn Public Library on 2/17, via our virtual session on our Facebook page, or by calling the Rent Freeze Helpline at (929)252-242.
  
  
• Did you know that the health care Open Enrollment Period was extended, the Eviction Moratorium expired and the Emergency Rental Assistance Portal portal reopened? Help get the word out about these important updates with our graphics, flyers, and social media content at nyc.gov/PEUResources.

TEAM WINS

Bronx Fire

In response to the tragic Bronx Twin Parks fire, PEU swiftly designed and executed a cash assistance distribution effort. Through door-to-door and phone outreach and client intake at the City’s service centers, our team distributed more than debit cards to the over 100 households affected by the fire.

GetCoveredNYC

The deadline to enroll in health coverage through the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) has been extended indefinitely. To raise awareness of the deadline extension, PEU hosted a Day of Action on January 19, using phone banking, text banking, social media outreach, and relational organizing, to offer over  370,000 New Yorkers assistance with insurance. If you or someone you know needs assistance, go to nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC, call 311 and ask for GetCoveredNYC, or text CoveredNYC to 877877.

Tenant Helpline

In response to the expiration of the Eviction Moratorium and the reopening of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) applications, PEU joined Mayor Adams at a press conference to let New Yorkers know that help is available and their City is here for them. In addition, PEU has reached out directly to 46,000 tenants to offer support and connect them to resources. If you or someone you know needs assistance, including support in completing an ERAP application or information on the Right to Counsel, call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline to speak to a PEU Specialist.

Home Support Unit

PEU coordinated with HPD, MOPT, and DSS to reach out to landlords who have not completed paperwork for their (or their tenants’) ERAP application. The team led a text and phone outreach campaign to contact approximately 40,000 landlords, and followed up to provide thousands of landlords who requested further assistance with one-on-one support in completing the ERAP process.

Affordable Connectivity Program

Since January 2022, PEU has called thousands of New Yorkers in TRIE neighborhoods to let them know about the Affordable Connectivity Program - an FCC benefit program that helps ensure households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more. Through this outreach, PEU has helped successfully connect nearly 1,000 eligible New Yorkers to the benefit in less than a month. Learn more about ACP and find resources to promote the program at nyc.gov/PEUResources.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Meher and Mohsina are GetCoveredNYC Specialists who together have more than a decade of experience working to get the word out to New Yorkers, specifically the Bengali community, that health coverage options are available. At GetCoveredNYC, in-language support is a priority, with more than 20 languages spoken on the team.

“​​I am here to help you in your language, regardless of your immigration status, to connect to all the resources you may need to make your life easier.” –Mohsina

In line with these efforts, Meher and Mohsina partnered together on a GetCoveredNYC virtual information session in Bengali that was streamed on the PEU Facebook page, along with other colleagues who presented in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. These sessions, besides letting New Yorkers know about GetCoveredNYC and how they can get free health coverage enrollment assistance, also helped to call attention to the Open Enrollment deadline, which was extended past January 31 and currently does not have an end date.

“I would like the Bengali community to know that the Open Enrollment Period is extended now. Now people will be able to apply for no-cost or low-cost insurance.” –Meher

Head to nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC, call 311 and say “GetCoveredNYC” or text CoveredNYC to 877877 to have a GetCoveredNYC Specialist like Meher and Mohsina get you the one-on-one health coverage enrollment assistance you need, in your language

TWEET OF THE MONTH

IN THE NEWS

• Shorefront News: New York State Health Insurance Enrollment Period Extended January 19, 2022
  
  
• Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City Partners with Bank of America, the Met Council to Immediately Distribute $2250 to Every Household Impacted by Bronx Fire January 14, 2022
  
  
• Epoch Times: 禁驱令将到期 纽约市转向提供租户法律援助 (Eviction moratorium set to expire, NYC turns to legal aid for tenants) January 14 , 2022
  
  
• New York State of Health has Extended the Open Enrollment Deadline NYC Encourages New Yorkers to “Get Covered” with a Day of Action on January 19 January 14, 2022
  
  
• Transcript: Mayor Adams Makes Announcement on Tenant Outreach Effort January 13, 2022
  
  
• Mayor Adams Calls for Additional Emergency Federal Aid for Emergency Rental Assistance Program January 13, 2022
  
  
• NY1: Adams launches public eviction education effort as moratorium ends January 13, 2022
  
  
• News 12: Segment on the Eviction Moratorium January 13, 2022
  
  
• NY Daily News: N.Y.’s rent moratorium ends Saturday; Gov. Hochul, NYC Mayor Adams ask for more federal COVID funds January 13, 2022

PEU Staff members provided support in the aftermath of the Bronx Fire by doing intake and giving out financial assistance to survivors of the fire.

On December 9 and January 19, PEU held two GetCoveredNYC Days of Action, reaching more than 370,000 New Yorkers via phone, text, and canvassing. To speak to a GetCoveredNYC Specialist about enrolling in health coverage, go to nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC.

PEU Specialist Hakim was at the Brooklyn Public Library to help New Yorkers with questions about rent freeze and the homeowner tax exemption. The deadline for the homeowner tax exemption is March 15.

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