FHEPS provides rental housing support specifically for families with a minor who are receiving cash assistance. It may cover your rent debt without needing repayment. It’s important to remember that families eligible for FHEPS may not qualify for other city housing subsidy programs.
Requirements
You must have a child under the age of 18 in your household and an active Cash Assistance (CA) case.
Application
To access FHEPS, you’ll need to reach out to a qualified center such as HomeBase. Only HomeBase centers are able to process CityFHEPS applications to move and to stay.
You can find a list of HomeBase centers at www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/homebase-locations.page. These centers are very busy, so if you can’t get an appointment right away, don’t be disheartened. Keep persisting, and you’ll eventually secure an appointment. Remember that wait times for appointments can be quite lengthy, often stretching until six months.
Household Share Letter and Shopping Letter
If you want to keep living in your current home, you will get a Household Share Letter. If you are looking for a new place, you will receive a Shopping Letter. If you plan to stay where you are for now but want to move later, you can ask for both letters.
This Shopping Letter serves as a helpful tool when speaking with potential landlords or working with a broker to find a new home. Once you have the letter, you can begin your housing search. It’s up to you to find and secure your new place.
It’s also important to remember that if HomeBase agrees to pay your overdue rent, you will NOT have to repay the amount provided to cover the past due rent. If otherwise, you apply to other similar programs like Community CityFHEPS, you would have to repay the debt covered. For further questions or concerns about FHEPS, visit www.nyc.gov/assets/hra/downloads/pdf/cityfheps-documents/DSS-7n-(E).pdf.
When you find housing, please inform your housing specialist or case manager at HomeBase. They will assist you in submitting the required documents. This will help Department of Social Services (DSS) to determine your eligibility and ensure that your housing meets the program’s requirements.
How much CityFHEPS will pay depends on household income, number of people in the household, number of rooms in the apartment, utilities, and program rent levels. For more information about how much FHEPS will cover, talk to your assigned FHEPS case manager.
CityFHEPS is a rental housing subsidy for some NYC residents facing eviction. It can help pay a portion of your rent and any rental arrears that have built up over time. Arrear payments with CityFHEPS are loans. Rental subsidies can be renewed for up to 4 years more.
Requirements
To qualify:
Household must be at risk of homelessness and meet of the following:
In addition, the household must have an income at 200% of the federal poverty line and have at least one household member who is a US citizen or resident. All the above is not an exhaustive list of requirements; for a complete list of requirements go to www.nyc.gov/assets/hra/downloads/pdf/cityfheps-documents/dss-7r-e.pdf.
There is no specific limit on the amount of rent debt, but any case involving an amount over $20,000 needs to be justified. Offering a comprehensive explanation for larger amounts is always advantageous, particularly when combining charitable or client funds.
Regarding income, all adults in the household must have income and support their children; no exceptions. If the adults do not have income, they must apply for cash assistance, and their children must be part of the case unless they receive SSI, foster care, or adoption subsidies.
Application
To access the CityFHEPS program, you’ll need to reach out to a qualified center such as HomeBase. Only HomeBase centers are able to process CityFHEPS applications to move and to stay.
You can find a list of HomeBase centers at www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/homebase-locations.page. These centers are very busy, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get an appointment right away. Some centers have just 10 walk-ins and others have a wait time of months to make an appointment.
Once you are at a Homebase office, a caseworker will collect the information needed by Department of Social Services (DSS) to assess your potential eligibility for CityFHEPS. The caseworker may refer you to apply for other public benefits, including federal and state rental assistance programs.
If trying to move to a new place, HomeBase may take up to three months to get a rental voucher or “shopping letter”. This letter lets you search for a new apartment or room to rent. It’s valid until its expiration date, even if your case was closed at HomeBase. If you are interested in moving to other counties in NY State CityFHEPS vouchers can be used.
Household Share Letter and Shopping Letter
If you want to keep living in your current home, you’ll receive a Household Share Letter, and if you’re looking for a new place, you’ll get a Shopping Letter. If you’d like to stay where you are for now but plan to move later, you can request both letters. If HomeBase approves the payment of rent arrears of your apartment, you must pay back the amount given to pay the backed-up rent. Most of the CityFHEPS cases will end up in offering a voucher for a new rental home.
The Shopping Letter serves as a helpful tool when speaking with potential landlords or working with a broker to find a new home. Once you have the letter, you can begin your housing search. Just remember, it’s up to you to find and secure your new place.
When you find housing, please inform your housing specialist or case manager at HomeBase. They will assist you in submitting the required documents. This will help DSS determine your eligibility for CityFHEPS and ensure that your housing meets the program’s requirements.
How much CityFHEPS will pay depends on household income, number of people in the household, number of rooms in the apartment, utilities, and program rent levels.
Living in the Shelter System
If you or someone you know is in the shelter system and needs help with subsidized rent, the shelter will help, and you may qualify for a different type of voucher with different requirements.
For further questions or concerns about CityFHEPS, please go to https://www.healthandhousingconsortium.org or email info@hhconsortium.org. Otherwise go to www.nyc.gov/assets/hra/downloads/pdf/cityfheps-documents/DSS-7n-(E).pdf.
The One-Shot Deal is an emergency aid program intended to meet the immediate needs of low-income New Yorkers. This aid can be utilized to address a variety of scenarios, including rental assistance to prevent or postpone an eviction.
You need not be a recipient of public assistance to get an offer. Remember that most one-shot deals will have to be repaid over time with regular monthly payments.
Check out the program information at access.nyc.gov/programs/one-shot-deal.
If the program could fit your needs, apply at access.nyc.gov. In addition, on the second page of this handout, check the documents you need to submit with your application.
After all documents have been submitted, a ruling may take 30–45 days, depending on the case’s urgency. Access the HRA website at access.nyc.gov or call the HRA InfoLine at (718) 557-1399 to know if your case has been decided.
Free legal services under the Right-to-Counsel program are made available to residents of New York in any ZIP code, regardless of their immigration status. In the five boroughs, organizations offer free legal representation or guidance to tenants facing administrative eviction from the New York City Housing Authority or the Housing Court.
Call 311 and ask for the “Tenant Helpline”. Learn more at https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/legal-services-for-tenants.page.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) had been suspended for several years, but a waiting list application reopened on Monday, June 3, 2024. Just a reminder, all applications closed on Sunday, June 9, 2024. If you’re on the waitlist, you may need to update or submit a complete application.
Learn more about the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) and what you may need to do if you’re on the waitlist at “Applying for Section 8”.
Housing options for low-income renters and homeowners are available through the New York City Housing Lottery, NYC Connect. Sign up at housingconnect.nyc.gov to get on the waiting list for any developments that interest you.
Learn about the application process visiting the link housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/about-us.
Find affordable and accessible homes and apartments across New York State at www.nyhousingsearch.gov. In the application process, your credit score may be requested.
Updated on August 12, 2024