Thousands of low-income New Yorkers do not have enough income to get by, and although more than 500,000 of them are currently receiving financial assistance from the city government in the form of small monthly sums of money, for many this could soon end.
This is what community leaders and organizations defending workers, immigrants and vulnerable communities are denouncing, after learning that starting next July 28, the Social Services agency of the city of New York plans to begin cutting benefits to those residents who do not meet work requirements. That is, in order for a good part of New Yorkers covered by the cash support program to continue receiving their monthly payments, which give them a push to cover their most basic needs, they will have to prove that they are looking for work or participating in job training activities.
“We are concerned that the Department of Social Services’ new work requirements will exacerbate the economic vulnerability of low-income New Yorkers. Language barriers, lack of digital literacy, and insecure housing will present disproportionate hardships to immigrants, in particular, who already struggle to navigate the complexities of the city’s social services system,” said Frederica Solomon, administrator of the economic recovery and resilience unit at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC).
The advocate took the opportunity to call on the administration of Mayor Eric Adams to review its intentions to implement the changes in less than two weeks, warning that if they go ahead with these modifications and requirements, the stability of families and individuals who depend on these aids will be put at risk. Despite not being high, they make a big difference in vulnerable communities. With the cash program, a single adult can receive $183 per month, and families of up to three members, $389.
“We urge the City to implement more flexible and supportive measures to ensure that every New Yorker receives the assistance they need to maintain stability and continue to thrive,” the NYIC spokesperson added.
The program is increasingly helping more New Yorkers, as shown by City figures, which indicate that last May the number of beneficiaries was more than 550,000, which represents an increase of more than 30% compared to the 400,000 who were enrolled in May 2020.
It should be noted that the requirements that will be implemented from now on are not new, but were suspended by the city due to the Covid pandemic. The aim is for people who receive benefits to have to work, go to school or look for work to receive cash assistance benefits, as was the case more than four years ago.
The New York Working Families Party echoed concerns about the reinstatement of the requirements, and most strongly condemned the plan, criticizing the move when support services have not even been improved.
“Months ago, by their own admission, the Adams administration couldn’t even process applications for cash assistance in a timely manner. Now the Mayor has declared war on the poor,” said Ana Maria Archila, Co-Chair of the New York Working Families Party. “Instead of investing in the social safety net for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, Mayor Adams has decided he wants to police the most vulnerable in our city. The decision to reinstate archaic work requirements for people to get basic City aid tells us everything we need to know: Mayor Adams will lean toward the wealthy and well-connected while turning away those who need the most help. Shame on the Adams administration.”
Kathleen Kelleher, a supervising attorney at The Legal Aid Society, said that although the law has changed since the last time the labor rules were in effect, because there are greater chances of fighting for benefits, changes are urgently needed at the Social Services agency to more effectively serve those who depend on handouts.
“Most of our clients remember when their efforts to resolve a penalty were often futile. Now, if clients respond to agency appointments and follow up quickly when an appointment is missed, they are likely to avoid losing their benefits,” the attorney said.
More than half a million New Yorkers receive cash assistance from the City. /Edwin Martinez
“For the new law to work, the agency needs to improve the ability of clients to communicate with the agency, both in person and by phone. Currently, it can take hours on the phone to reach a real figure with a person at the Department of Social Services, only to be disconnected,” she said.
Kelleher also added his voice to the criticism of the plan, saying the agency should not rely on the same system to cut off services to beneficiaries who do not comply with work rules.
“Failures to improve these systems will mean that beneficiaries who are attempting to comply with work programs will still face a reduction or termination of their subsistence benefits,” she said.
Adriana Mendoza, benefits supervisor for the Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project, also expressed concern about the outlook that many beneficiaries will face.
“For people who have housing problems, this means that more money is not going to the landlord. This puts a greater burden on a situation that people are already going through,” he said, warning that there are fears of chain reactions, including homelessness.
The Department of Social Services has defended the reinstatement of the work rules as a compliance with state and labor mandates, as the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance began asking New York municipalities to reinstate the 2021 requirements.
Neha Sharma said not only is the agency helping a “record number of New Yorkers,” but it has also “taken an incredibly careful and thoughtful approach and recently began this process after requesting more time to avoid reinstating work requirements immediately after the pandemic, recognizing that low-income New Yorkers were still recovering from its devastating economic impact.”
The agency also says it is giving current beneficiaries who are unable to seek employment time to demonstrate why they might be exempt from the work-related requirement in order to continue receiving their benefits.
Information on new cash program requirements
- July 28, the Social Services agency plans to begin requiring proof of job search or job training to continue receiving benefits
- 550,000 beneficiaries depend on these cash aids
- Low-income single adults receive $183 per month
- Families of up to three members receive $389 per month
- 400,000 New Yorkers were beneficiaries of the program in 2020
- 150,000 more are asking for help now