Lawyers Manual - Unified Court System

Public Assistance and Housing 275
leaving a homeless or domestic violence shelter for permanent housing. In New
York City, homeless shelter residents will now apply for HSP instead of
Section 8 or public housing. The family must have an open public assistance
case and at least one minor receiving benefits. HSP is a form of rental assistance
through the public assistance case. The Human Resources
Administration/Department of Social Service’s (HRA/DSS) Office of Domestic
Violence Emergency Intervention Services (ODVEIS), rather than the
Department of Homeless Services (DHS), will process applications for domestic
violence shelter residents with active public assistance cases. HSP is a timelimited
rental subsidy for families residing in shelters. Domestic violence
survivors are eligible for SHP after 42 days in shelter. HSP is intended to
streamline the shelter process for survivors. Survivors and their families should
transfer directly from an HRA shelter to Department of Homeless Services
(DHS) housing, bypassing DHS intake. HSP is available to families for a
maximum of five years and will decrease by 20% each year. At the end of the
fifth year, the subsidy will end, and the family will be expected to pay for
shelter costs.
Families in HRA/DSS domestic violence shelters can apply after 42 days in
shelter for HSP. The amount of the supplement is based on the number of family
members receiving public assistance and the number of bedrooms of the
apartment. For example, in 2006, a household of one would be eligible for a
$765 subsidy, a household of two would be eligible for a $820 subsidy and a
family of three or four would be eligible for a $925 subsidy.
Emergency Transfers in Public Housing
Rather than forfeit public housing for safety, the client may want to
consider seeking a transfer allowing her to move to a different unit or to another
housing development. While HUD has encouraged PHAs to develop special
transfer policies to assist domestic violence survivors who need to move within
the public housing system, many agencies have chosen not to formalize any
procedure. 120 VAWA III reforms do not specifically require the creation of
survivor-sensitive transfer policies. In order to determine the transfer policies,
advocates will need to examine the local admissions and operating plans. If
policies are not survivor-friendly, advocates may lobby their local PHAs to
adopt such policies. Regardless of local policy, PHAs have the discretion to
allow these transfers. If a client is having difficulty with a transfer, advocates
should send a letter explaining the client’s situation and requesting relief.