Click here for a listing of the Job Centers located in Manhattan.
Anyone can apply. Whether you and your family will get Public Assistance depends on your income, resources, family size, and immigration status. Public Assistance is not only for families. Anyone who meets the rules for income, resources, and immigration status can get Public Assistance.
Back to top
Call 1-877-472-8411 to find out which Job Center covers your zip code. Go to the Job Center and ask the receptionnist for an application. You should get help filling out your application at the Job Center. If not, contact the Legal Aid Society and we will help you with it. Click here to obtain a list of the offices and locations of the Legal Aid Society.
You can apply at a Job Center or an Income Support Center. It may be easier to apply at a Income Support Center (less rules than at Job Centers).
Besides your application, at most Job Centers there are 2 other screening forms you will have to complete: one is about domestic violence, and one is about drugs and alcohol. You should hand in your application as soon as possible. After you hand it in, you should be sent to the Financial Planning Unit and then to the Employment Planning Unit.
Click here to learn what will happen at the Financial Planning Unit and the Employment Planning Unit.
If you have no money to buy food, medical precriptions, or other necessary things, or if you face eviction or an electricity or gas shutoff, or if you are homeless: Tell the Job Center about your emergency when you hand in your application. The center should tell you that same day if you can get emergency assistance. If you are not told by the end of the day if you will get emergency assistance, contact the Legal Aid Society. Click here to obtain a list of the offices and locations of the Legal Aid Society.
For more information on the following questions, please read The Legal Aid Society's "Guide to Applying for Public Assistance at a Job Center" by clicking here: