The New York City Department of Homeless Services has offered 150 migrant families up to $4,000 to leave city shelters.
The grants are expected to help migrant households make a smoother transition from shelter to permanent housing.
“Nearly 150 households have benefitted from this pilot over the last seven months, and we look forward to supporting more households as we assess the success of the pilot and feasibility of scaling up and expanding access to this form of assistance.” Department of Homeless Services statement
Similar to the Enhanced One-Shot Deals (EOSD) program, the Asylee Moveout Assistance (AMA) program is a pilot intended to help bridge a pathway to housing for asylum seekers.
The pilot is modeled after the EOSD program which also includes $4,000 to provide for upfront rehousing costs.
According to DHS, the pilot uses existing city dollars and the authorized spending for rehousing assistance and is “is carved out from discretionary funding and flexibilities.”
“… The city continues to use every tool at its disposal to implement innovative solutions while creating fundamental resettlement supports for recently-arrived asylum seekers who may not be eligible for most federal and state-funded rehousing assistance,” a statement from the Department of Homeless Services said.
AMA is only available to asylum-seeking families with children, families with adult children, and pregnant women who are residing in select DHS emergency shelter sites and have identified permanent housing.
Once approved, the not-for-profit provider makes the payments to authorized/verified recipients on behalf of the household.
For example, moving expenses would be paid directly to the moving company. Rental payments and security deposits would be paid to either landlords or primary tenants.
Households would be provided gift cards to purchase necessary household items (up to $1,000).
The one-time grant of $4,000 could be used for:
- First/last month’s rent
- Security deposits
- Moving expenses
- Household supplies
If a household were to return to shelter, they would not be eligible for this form of assistance again, DHS says. According to the department, no cash payments/transactions are permitted.
To be eligible for and receive this grant documentation is required.
Here are some examples of required documentation:
- Quote or receipt from a moving company
- Lease or rental agreement documenting rental amount
- Move Statement certifying that the move was complete
- Gift card purchase for household supplies receipt showing the amount purchased/Copies of paid checks
According to DHS, over the past seven months, the pilot has grown from 4 providers to 12 providers offering the option of AMA housing assistance across 62 emergency sites providing shelter services for asylum seekers.
In 2023, Mayor Adams said the city would end up spending more on migrants than it does on the Fire, Parks, and Sanitation Departments combined.
For more information, please click here Welcome to the NYC Department of Homeless Services – DHS
Click here for the link to the full story NYC offers migrants $4K to leave city shelters: How it works (msn.com)
Source: NYC DHS
