Homelessness




  1. Where can I apply for shelter?

    You can apply for shelter at any of the following locations:

    • Families with children under 21 and pregnant families (single pregnant women or families in which at least one person is pregnant) should apply in person at the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) office located at 346 Powers Avenue, Bronx, NY
    • Adult families with no children under 21 should apply in person at the Adult Family Intake Center (AFIC), located at 29th Street and 1st Avenue, NY, NY.
    • Single Men should apply for shelter at 400-430 East 30th Street (at 1st Ave.).
    • Single Women should apply for shelter at one of three locations: The Franklin Shelter, located at 122 Franklin Ave, Bronx, NY; The Jamaica Armory, located 93-05 168th St. Queens, NY; The Help Women’s Center (Brooklyn Women’s Shelter), located at 116 Williams Ave, Brooklyn, NY.


  2. When can I apply for shelter?

    PATH, AFIC, and all intake facilities for single men and women are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


  3. What should I bring to apply for shelter?

    You will need identification such as a welfare ID care, driver’s license, non-driver’s license, green card, passport/visa, picture employment ID card. You can also use a birth certificate, social security card, Medicaid card, record of your identity in the public assistance computer or pay stub in conjunction with a picture ID.

    In order to show that your household constitutes a family, you should be able to show that:

    • the adults in your family are listed as parents on the child(ren)’s birth certificates, or have legal custody of the children or have filed for paternity in court with the Department of Health,
    • the adults are legally married or have a domestic partnership certificate, and that at least one adult is the child(ren)’s parent or guardian,
    • the adults in your family have lived together for six months or longer and are interdependent, and that at least one adult is the child’s parent or guardian,
    • your doctor believes that long-term cohabitation is medically necessary (in some cases, living together previously will not be required).
    You should also bring the following documents if you have them:

    • Eviction papers or marshal’s notice
    • Proof of residency for the past two years
    • Leases
    • Con Edison or telephone bill
    • Pay stub, or proof of income


  4. What is shelter application process like for homeless families?

    You will be conditionally placed in a shelter while DHS investigates your eligibility for shelter. They will review where you have lived for the past two years and may visit places where you have lived and call or visit relatives or friends or your emergency contact. You may be given appointments to return to PATH or AFIC for a NOVA domestic violence interview, an ACS interview, and Eligibility Assessment Conference, or for any other reasons.

    It is important that you either attend these appointments as scheduled or, if you cannot attend, call ahead of time to reschedule them.

    It is important that during the investigation process, you disclose to DHS all reasons why you cannot return to all previous addresses where you or your family were living. For example, if you cannot return to an apartment due to a medical condition suffered by a member of your family or by a resident of the apartment, get a doctor’s letter stating why your family’s return to the apartment would be harmful to that person’s health. If you are a domestic violence survivor or have suffered any verbal or physical abuse or violence at a previous address, tell DHS and request to see NOVA. If you were living in an apartment where you were not authorized to be, get a letter from the landlord, or NYCHA or the Section 8 worker stating why you cannot stay there.

    DHS will decide if you are eligible for shelter. This generally takes 10 days. If you are found eligible, you can stay in the shelter you are in. If not, you will be served with a notice of ineligibility. An ineligibility notice must tell you exactly why you are being found ineligible- for example, where DHS thinks you can stay, how you failed to cooperate, or what inaccurate information you gave. You have the right to reapply for shelter immediately after being found ineligible or anytime after.


  5. What can I do if the Department of Homeless Services finds me ineligible for shelter?

    You can request a legal conference at PATH or AFIC. You may bring an advocate, friend or relative with you. In the conference, a lawyer for DHS will review the eligibility decision and you can present evidence that the ineligibility decision is wrong. The lawyer must accept and consider any documents that you submit at the conference.

    If you are still found ineligible after the conference, you can reapply for shelter at any time. You may also request a State Fair Hearing. Fair hearings can be requested by phone at 800-205-0110 or in person at 14 Boerum Place in Brooklyn. State that you want an emergency hearing because you were denied shelter.

(March 8, 2011)