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December 2022 |
PEU staff at The People’s Bus event |
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About the Public Engagement Unit (PEU)
The NYC Public Engagement Unit (PEU) uses community organizing principles to re-envision how the city provides services to its most vulnerable communities. Rather than expecting constituents to navigate a complex city bureaucracy to get the help they need, PEU adopts grassroots tactics to meet residents where they are — at their doors and on their phones, in their social media feeds and in their communities. PEU combines this proactive outreach with comprehensive case management, and in doing so, builds long-term relationships between New Yorkers and their government.
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TEAM WINS
Tenant Support Unit Canvassing
Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit’s (PEU) Tenant Support Unit (TSU) has been pounding the pavement, reaching out to thousands of NYC tenants through door-to-door canvassing. This month, the team is targeting zip codes identified by our partners at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) as more likely to experience issues with landlord harassment. TSU is conducting a survey of tenants to identify those who are potentially facing landlord harassment, and also speaking with tenants who have been identified as having a pending ERAP application. As always, the team is also providing information about tenants rights, offering referrals to City resources, and following-up with clients who need ongoing case management.
The Tenant Support Unit (TSU) provides free information on tenants’ rights, assistance navigating housing-related issues, and connection to a range of resources, including the Tenant Resource Portal, anti-eviction legal assistance, and rent freeze and homeowner tax exemption programs. To contact the Tenant Support Unit, visit nyc.gov/TSU. |
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PEU announces Partnership with the Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS)
PEU and the Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) announced a partnership to connect more New York City Veterans with health coverage. Through this partnership, New York City Veterans will have new pathways to get enrolled in the health insurance plans that are right for them.
Veterans who text “CoveredNYCVet” ("SeguroNYCVet" en Español) to 877877 will receive a call from a Specialist who will help connect them to an appropriate healthcare coverage option, including for VA healthcare, if they are eligible. This partnership will ensure that no Veterans are left behind . Read more about it English, Russian, or Spanish in the following articles:
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GetCoveredNYC Benefits Screening
GetCovered is conducting phone outreach to New Yorkers who PEU previously texted about Fair Fares and who requested a full benefits screening. As part of this work, the GetCovered team will also be connecting clients who need health insurance directly to enrollers through our existing enrollment outreach process.
GetCoveredNYC provides free assistance for New Yorkers seeking to enroll in health care, regardless of immigration status or income. Our Specialists speak over a dozen languages and conduct outreach to proactively identify uninsured New Yorkers and help them get access to health care and other health-related benefits. To contact GetCoveredNYC, call 311, text CoveredNYC (SeguroNYC en Español) to 877877, or visit nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC.
PEU Partners with the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA)
PEU is partnering with the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA) to provide free 1-on-1 assistance with health coverage in Arabic from a GetCoveredNYC Specialist. GetCoveredNYC held its kickoff webinar on Facebook on Saturday, December 3. Ongoing office hours will be held on the first and third Fridays of each month from 1 to 5 p.m. in Brooklyn (6740 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220) to discuss the health insurance enrollment services that GetCoveredNYC offers. The next office hour will be held on Friday, December 16th, when GetCoveredNYC Specialists will go over the health insurance enrollment services that GetCoveredNYC provides.
PEU at Health Events Across New York City
The GetCoveredNYC team attended several health events across the city to share health insurance information with communities in different boroughs. These health events ranged from GetCovered Specialists presenting at events focused on specific health topics, like St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s “Hate the Disease Not the Diseased” event in the Bronx in collaboration with National Black Leadership or at State Assemblymember Brian Cuningham’s Diabetes Education Health Fair - to Specialists tabling at a series of Health Insurance 101 Information Sessions in collaboration with NYC Health+Hospitals and the National Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx to make sure people could schedule an enrollment appointment after learning about health insurance available in NYC.
Get Health Insurance for the New Year!
It’s time to sign up for health insurance for 2023! Enroll by 15th of this month to have full coverage in the new year! The Open Enrollment Period has been extended, which means that New Yorkers can continue enrolling in health insurance and making changes to their Health Insurance plans. Now more people have time to sign up for a Qualified Health Plan passed the anticipated January 31st deadline. Connect with us for help: nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC
HSU and Large Families Project
PEU’s Home Support Unit (HSU), is kicking off the third round of outreach to connect larger families in Department of Homeless Shelter (DHS) shelters and/or with Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) with available units, leading up to another Week of Action this month.
The Home Support Unit (HSU) conducts outreach to rental owners and brokers in order to identify vacant homes for voucher holders living in shelters. HSU supports owners and brokers throughout the lease-up process, improving their experience with rental subsidies so that they continue to provide units to voucher recipients in the future. To contact HSU, visit nyc.gov/HSU. |
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PEU staff join Shelter Director (middle) of WIN Shirley Chisholm location, Reginal Thomas, during outreach for the Large Families Week Day of Action.
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PEU staff join WIN Rosa Parks Shelter's Director, Naja Haynes and Housing Coordinator, Evril Mason, during outreach for the Large Families Day of Action.
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PEU and Assemblyman Brian Cunningham in Brooklyn at the Life with Diabetes health fair in collaboration with State Senator Kevin Parker
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PEU at Senator Biaggi's 2nd annual Food and Health empowerment event
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Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month. During November, and all year long, w e're proud to celebrate Native American heritage and honor Indigenous people in New York, past and present. |
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Hakim, a TSU/Rent Freeze Specialist, recently worked on a case of two sisters who lived inseparably their whole lives in Queens. Several years ago, the older sister’s daughter had helped them to enroll in the Rent Freeze program and they’ve been getting financial support with their rent ever since, until recently. When the older sister could no longer care for herself, she moved to a senior home. When the time came for the younger sister to renew their benefits, her application was rejected because the older sister no longer lived in the apartment. That is when they reached out to PEU’s Rent Freeze team and connected with our Specialist, Hakimi. Not only was Hakim able to reinstate the younger sister's benefits and renew her SCRIE application, but he also discovered that she qualified for a redetermination application, which helped lower her rent even more. This story has quite the happy ending, the client’s benefits increased substantially and she’s now getting more support each month so that she can stay in her home.
For support with applying for the SCRIE/DRIE benefit, please contact PEU's the Rent Freeze Hotline at 929-252-7242. |
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RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Heat Season
Heat season in New York City begins on October 1st and ends on May 31st. During these months, your landlord is required by law to provide you with adequate heat. That means:
- If the outside temperature drops below 55 degrees between 6 AM and 10 PM, your landlord must make sure that your unit is at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Between 10 PM and 6 AM, your landlord must always maintain your apartment's temperature above 62 degrees Fahrenheit (regardless of the temperature outside).
- Mental health counselors are available 24 hours a day to provide free support in many languages. You can contact them directly by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL (1-888-692-9355), Text WELL to 65173 or Chat nyc.gov/nycwell
- If your apartment is rent stabilized, your rent can only be increased in compliance with the rent increases voted on each June by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board. This year’s rent changes are valid for rent-stabilized apartments with leases starting on or after October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023. Call 311 and ask for the "Tenant Helpline" to connect to a Specialist to learn more about what this means for you!
- NYC Fair Fares: Eligible New York City residents can get a 50% discount on eligible transportation. Help us to spread the word by sharing this HRA toolkit and check your eligibility at nyc.gov/fairfares or by calling 311.
- The Affordable Connectivity Program is available to help you pay for broadband internet service! Qualifying individuals and families can receive up to $30 per month off their broadband costs. You can learn more about and sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program here: GetInternet.gov.
- There are more than 30 programs you or your family may be eligible for regardless of immigration status and even if you’re already receiving benefits or have a job. Use ACCESS NYC to find help in NYC with food, money, housing, work and more.
- Walk-ins available for first and second doses of the monkeypox (MPV) vaccine
- No appointment needed
- Find a walk-in location: nyc.gov/vaccinefinder
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