Community Resources

The Met Council on Housing, a tenant advocacy membership organization, has a tenant rights hotline: 212-979-0611

Hours:
Monday, 1:30-8pm
Tuesday, 5:30-8pm
Wednesday, 1:30-8pm
Friday, 1:30-5pm

New York City Municipal Government has various resources for tenants

Calling 311 and asking for the Tenant Helpline to ask tenant related questions or to learn if you qualify for free housing court legal assistance. You can also visit the court website.

Visit the Eviction Prevention Tool, an online tool designed to help renters navigate public and private resources that can stabilize their housing situation.

NYC Access Portal for the various municipal programs

ABC’s of Housing (PDF)

Housing Court Answer, a 30-year-old organization providing resources on housing court and housing law, rent arrears assistance, and homeless prevention guidance. Monday — Friday 9 am to 5 pm Call (212) 962-4795

The Legal Aid Society works throughout New York City to ensure everyone has access to justice. Expert teams work across practice areas on nearly every area of law that impacts New Yorkers. Call 212-577-3300

The City Bar Justice Center’s Legal Hotline offers legal information, advice, and referrals to low-income New Yorkers who cannot afford a private attorney or do not have access to legal representation.

Thursday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM and on Friday from 9:00AM to 1:00PM at 212-626-7383

Bronx Defenders is a public defender office located in the Bronx that provides assistance on a broad range of legal needs including criminal, civil, family, immigration litigation as well non-attorney services like social workers, and investigators.

360 East 161st St. Bronx, NY 10451
Tel: (718) 838-7878
[email protected]

Queen Defenders - Lawyers, social workers, and program staff working in family court, criminal court, immigration court, youth justice court, and in libraries and schools across the borough to provide low-income residents.

1-844-QUEENSD (1-844-783-3673)
118-21 Queens Blvd Suite 212
Forest Hills, NY 11375

ACTION NYC offers, in their language, all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, answers to immigration-related questions, offers information on immigration policy, referrals to other community-based resources and support services, and can connect them to City-funded free and safe immigration legal help including comprehensive immigration legal screenings and legal representation.

ActionNYC Hotline at 800-354-0365, or call 311 and say "ActionNYC" between 9AM to 6PM, Monday to Friday.

Voces Latinas aims to reduce the rate of HIV transmission and domestic violence among immigrant Latinas by empowering, educating, and providing leadership and advocacy training to enable them to make healthier decisions for themselves and their families. They also provide misc support services such as well with immigration and application help. (718) 593-4528

The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, through their network of administered, sponsored, and affiliated agencies, works with immigrant communities to connect them to social services and programs.

Address: 1011 First Avenue, 11th Floor New York, NY 10022
Phone Number: (888) 744-7900

Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) The mission of Immigrant Defense Project is to secure fairness and justice for immigrants in the United States. They provide direct legal services, impact litigation, advocacy, training, and more. Telephone: (212) 725-6422

They have a Know Your Rights Flyer

Hispanic Federation seeks to empower and advance the Hispanic community, support Hispanic families, and strengthen Latino institutions through work in the areas of education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, & the environment. They provide a wide range of services from health, immigration to civic engagement

Address: 55 Exchange Place, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10005
Phone Number: (844) 432-9832

IDNYC is a free municipal identification card for New York City residents, ages 10 and up, IDNYC helps New Yorkers access a wide variety of services, including opening up a bankout as an undocumented New Yorker, and programs offered by the City. IDNYC cardholders also enjoy benefits and discounts offered by businesses and cultural institutions across the five boroughs, and the peace of mind that comes from having a broadly accepted government- issued photo identification.

You can initiate a New York Department of Labor unpaid wages claim by filing the state’s six-page LS 223 form. Call the NY State Department of Labor office at 888-469-7365 if you have questions about the form, or visit their website www.labor.ny.gov.

If you need help in this process reach out to the Laundry Workers Center. They are a workers center that aims to combat abuses such as landlord negligence, wage theft, and hazardous and exploitative working conditions.

Address: 80 Broad Street Ste 613A New York, NY 10004
Phone Number: (347) 829-6748
Email: [email protected]

Learn about your rights as a worker by downloading the Worker Bill of Rights

Learn about starting a career in State Government and how to apply for Civil Service Exams at Department of Civil Service Exams or 1-877-NYS-JOBS (1-877-697-5627)

Workers can report business violations of workplace laws (e.g., NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave, Fair Workweek Laws, Freelance Isn't Free Act, etc.) to DCA. DCA will treat all information received as confidential and will not disclose it without your permission or unless required by law. File a workplace complaint or call 311

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system that provides wage replacement benefits and lifetime medical care for work-related injuries and illnesses. All for-profit employers and most not-for-profit employers must carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover all their employees. You can file online or call 866-396-8314 where rep will help file it for you

If you need help navigating the NYS Healthcare Marketplace there are a variety of institutions that can help. You can visit NYC Department of Health Certified Application Counselors in our district:

Morrisania Health Center (The Bronx)
1309 Fulton Avenue, Third Floor
646-483-1279, 646-983-1712

Astoria Health Center (Queens)
12-26 31st Avenue, Second Floor
Astoria
718-208-6818, 646-483-4270

Corona Health Center (Queens)
34-33 Junction Boulevard, First Floor
Jackson Heights
718-208-6818, 347-236-7049

The Hispanic Federation assists individuals and Small Businesses with their Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and Qualified Health Plans. Their hotline number 1-833-656-2626

NYC Care is a health care access program that guarantees low-cost and no-cost services offered by NYC Health + Hospitals to New Yorkers who do not qualify for or cannot afford health insurance based on federal guidelines. NYC Care is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive initiative to guarantee health care for New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. To learn more and to enroll, call 1-646-NYC-CARE (1-646-692-2273)

NYC WELL offers free and confidential mental health resources to every New Yorker regardless of your immigration status, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in 200 languages. Call (888) NYC-WELL (1-888-692-9355), text WELL to 65173, or chat with a counselor online.

Mutual Aid is a multi-racial network of people and groups building support systems for people in the New York area during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. If you need support you can reach out to their Hotline 646-437-8080 where they will try to connect you with a partner in their network.

The New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) is dedicated to fighting poverty and income inequality by providing New Yorkers in need with essential benefits.

Eligible families may receive up to 60 months of federally funded cash assistance under the Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF). Single individuals without children and families who have already received cash assistance for 60 months may receive benefits under the New York State Safety Net Program. Find a center where you can apply or call 311 and ask for help with.

The Burial Assistance Office assists individuals in need of financial assistance to meet funeral expenses for a deceased low-income New York City resident.

Offices
33-28 Northern Blvd. - Third Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101

If you need help filing taxes, there are a variety of services for low income New Yorkers:

If you earned $68,000 or less in 2020, the City can help you file your taxes for free. You can file for free online or in person. Visit NYC Free Tax Prep services or call 311

The Bronx NHS CDC has received a three-year grant in the amount of $300,000 dollars from the Department of Consumer Affairs of the City to provide FREE tax preparation services to Bronx low and middle-income families.

451 E Gun Hill Rd
Second Floor
Bronx, NY 10467
Phone: 718-881-1180

Ariva provides free financial counseling as well as free tax preparation services in NYC, at locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Sign up on their website or call P: 718-292-2983

The office of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has a dedicated team of caseworkers located in The Bronx and Queens that assist constituents with many federal services. Some services we can help with:

• Social Security claims
• Medicare and Medicaid claims
• Passport requests
• Applications to FEMA’s disaster relief program for Hurricane Ida victims or to FEMA’s funeral reimbursement program for COVID-19 victims
• SBA loans
• Veterans benefits
• Claiming the Child Tax Credit and other IRS issues

Unfortunately the office is not able to assist with…

• Starting an immigration case. If you are beginning an immigration process, we recommend that you seek guidance from an immigration lawyer. New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs offers all New Yorkers free and safe immigration legal services through ActionNYC. To make an appointment, call the ActionNYC Hotline at 800-354-0365 or call 311 and say “ActionNYC” between 9am-6pm, Monday-Friday. For more resources visit our Immigration Page.
• Finding affordable housing or dealing with a difficult landlord. If you live in a NYCHA unit and you are a constituent of NY-14, our office is available to assist with certain matters. We can also connect you with City and State offices that help with affordable housing or emergency rental assistance. Otherwise, please visit our Housing Page, for more information.

Constituents Only: 718-662-5970 or Email Me
Out of District: (202) 225-3965