Every month, seniors will be able to dial-in to the toll-free number and listen to English and Spanish informational recordings on issues like scam prevention, protecting your personally identifiable information, important state programs and resources, estate planning and many others.  At the end of each message, seniors will be provided with the number to the Division of Consumer Protection’s Consumer Assistance Hotline which they may call for additional assistance or to file a consumer complaint.

To call the Senior Consumer Information Line dial, 1(800) 503-9000.

In March 2011, New York City told 16,000 Advantage households that it would stop paying Advantage rent subsidies. Legal Aid and Weil won court orders requiring the City to pay the Advantage rent temporarily. After a trial, the court ruled in September that the City can end Advantage payments.  Legal Aid and Weil appealed the trial court’s decision. The City continued to pay Advantage rents for October through January because of the appeal. On February 2, 2012, the appeals court told the City it could stop paying Advantage rent for now.  We think that about 8,000 households will be affected by the early end of Advantage payments.  On February 9, Legal Aid and Weil will ask the appeals court to restore the Advantage payments. We don’t know when the court will decide.

I am still within the period of my Advantage lease rider or my Advantage lease extension. What should I do now?

If you cannot pay the full rent on your lease, continue to pay your portion of the rent specified on your Advantage lease rider. Continue to follow Advantage rules.  However, if you can pay your full rent and want to stay in your apartment, you may want to pay the full rent.

If I can’t afford to pay the full amount of my rent, should I go back to Path to apply for shelter?

• No, don’t leave your apartment just because Advantage is ending. Remember, your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing Court.
• Visit the DHS website www.nyc.gov/dhs for more information about Homebase sessions being hosted by DHS to provide “eviction prevention counseling, free legal assistance, short term emergency funding and assistance in obtaining employment and public benefits”.

What if my landlord says s/he did not receive Advantage payments from the City that should have been paid for months prior to February 2012?

• Request a payment history printout from your HRA job center for the period you lived in the
apartment.
• Call 311 to request an investigation.
• Call the HRA Prevention Hotline during business hours at 212.607.6200.

What if I get sued in Housing Court?

• Go to Housing Court, and answer the petition. If you have bad conditions in your apartment, make a list of them, bring it with you every time you go to court, and show it to the clerk and the judge.  Take photos if you can. You can also call 311 to request HPD to inspect for violations.
• Call the Legal Aid Office in your borough:
Bronx 718-991-4600 Queens 718-286-2450
Brooklyn 718-722-3100 Staten Island 347-422-5333
Manhattan 212-426-300
• Or walk in to the Crisis Intervention Program of the Coalition for the Homeless:
129 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan
Take the 2/3/4/5 train to Fulton Street in Manhattan OR the A/C/J/Z train to the
Fulton/Broadway/Nassau station.
This walk-in clinic can see a limited number of clients on a first come, first served basis each day.
Please arrive no later than 8 am, Monday – Friday, to ensure you will be seen the day you come in.

What if I have been paying a side deal?

Your side deal was illegal. If you have proof that you paid money to your landlord in addition to the amount specified in the Advantage lease rider, bring the proof to Housing Court. You should get a rent credit for any side deal amounts you paid.  Or you can sue your landlord in Small Claims Court (www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/smallclaims) to get the side deal payments back.

This information is made available thanks to a handout developed by Legal Aid Society – Homeless Rights Project, 1-800-649-9125

In order to ensure that your taxes have been filed accurately and that you have not missed any important tax credits, it is important to have your taxes completed by an accredited tax professional.  If you can’t afford one, try looking at the resources below to see if there is free tax help in your area or if there is a free online tax help tool that can help you correctly process your 2010 tax claim:

Free tax help for qualifying New York residents:

• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program: The VITA Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $49,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. To locate the nearest VITA site, call 1-800-906-9887   or check this partial VITA site list online. (This list does not include every VITA site.)
• Tax Counseling for the Elderly: The TCE Program provides free tax help to people aged 60 and older.  For more information on TCE, call 1-800-829-1040.
• AARP Tax Help: AARP also offers free Tax-Aide counseling program at more than 7,000 sites nationwide during the filing season.  To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669   or visit AARP’s website.
• Contact your local United Way: United Way partners with many local agencies to help provide free tax help services to families in need.  If you are still having a hard time finding help, contact your local United Way office. Click on this link to find your local United Way office.

Free tax help for residents of NYC only:

• Baruch Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program starting on Friday, February 4^th through Friday, April 15^th at seven locations throughout the city. Services are free and no appointments are necessary. Particular locations offer E-filing services, weekend hours and interpreters for the following languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Russian and Korean.  Visit their website to learn more.
• The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs has set up many free tax sites across the five boroughs.  Click here to look at the complete list of NYC free tax sites
• Food Bank NYC: offers free tax assistance for qualified residents of NYC Click here to learn more about their program.

Free online tax help:

• ICAN E-File: an easy online program that will guide you how to file your NYS Tax.  Before using this you must have filed your federal taxes: Read more here: http://www.icanefile.org/
• Turbo Tax: If you earn less that 31,000 you may be able to file your taxes using Turbo Tax.  Click on this link to read more about Turbo Tax’s free online program.
• Beehive Online program: If you earn between 31,000 and 57,000 you may qualify to file your taxes with the easy to use Bee Hive Tax Online Program.  Visit their website to learn more: http://www.thebeehive.org/nyc
• IRS Free File program offers free federal preparation and electronic filing with participating private software companies. Click here to get a list of all participating companies, IRS Free File program.

If you have questions about tax credits or your tax payer’s rights check out New York State Tax Information on LawHelp/NY.  Click here for Free Legal Resources on Tax Issues for New Yorkers.

The new office, located at 27-35 Jackson Ave., consists of waiting rooms, an Application Support Center (which offers fingerprinting and photographic services as part of the application process), a naturalization ceremony room, and interview and file rooms. The USCIS is expecting to serve up to 500 people each business day. The office’s hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

If you are filing an immigration application and need more assistance, click here to find a USCIS Application Support Center near you.

To help HUD staff better communicate with Limited English Proficient (LEP) families about the information they need on housing programs and services, the HUD Language Line, a pilot telephone service will offer live, one-on-one interpretation services in more than 175 languages, 24 hours a day.

The HUD Language line is currently scheduled to run through next September and will help ensure non-English speakers and their families have access to information on HUD related issues. Whether it’s a question about fair housing, homeownership, lead abatement, or housing assistance remember HUD speaks your language.

*This article has been reprinted from the following HUD website: http://blog.hud.gov/2011/12/22/languages-hud/

We do not know if any rent will be paid going forward.

Please click here or download an informational sheet on the Family Eviction Prevention Supplement (also in Spanish) for detailed information for all Advantage tenants. And continue to check back for updates!

Remember,
• Continue to pay your part of your rent to your landlord on time.
• Continue to follow Advantage rules.
• If you are in the middle of your Advantage lease period but the City has not sent some of your payments, call 311 to complain and ask for an investigation.
• Your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing Court.
• Don’t leave your apartment to reapply at Path just because you think your Advantage rent will not be paid!

If you don’t have health insurance getting a cold, flu, or other respiratory illness can also cause unnecessary financial stress.  The information below provides some useful prevention tips and information on health hotlines and resources for New Yorkers.

Some FDA Prevention Tips: How to Reduce the Chances of Getting Sick this Winter

If you have no medical insurance and are having a hard time accessing public health insurance options in New York, you can contact any of the following health and insurance hotlines for New Yorkers:

Office of the Attorney General Healthcare Helpline – 1-800-428-9071

Community Health Advocates Hotline – 888-614-5400.  Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.  Operators  answer questions regarding health insurance (Medicaid, Family Health Plus, Child Health Plus, Medicare, commercial insurance, the uninsured, etc) and health access.  They can also help find insurance, dispute insurance company denials, and help people with medical and hospital bills they can’t afford.

NY Health Options/Medicaid Helpline – 1-800-541-2831

Medicare Rights Center – 1-800-333-4114 (Statewide)

For legal Know Your Rights information on Medicaid, Family Health Plus, Child Health Plus & PCAP click here.

If you or a family or friend is encountering a legal issue and you reside in New York State, be aware that LiveHelp will available this week on:

Thurs, 12/22: 9:30am-9pm

Fri, 12/23: 9:30am-3pm

Monday, December 26: CLOSED

LiveHelp will be back and running on regular schedule starting next week, 12/27 from 2pm-9pm most days.

LiveHelp is a free online chat service provided by LawHelp/NY which provides real-time help to New Yorkers looking for legal information and free legal services.

For example, if you have a legal question and you live in New York City and you are low-income, you can call the Legal Hotline, which is staffed by attorneys and paralegals who are trained to give free advice over the phone.

Another useful hotline that serves New York City residents is NEDAP’s hotline for people who have debt or credit problems, or have a frozen bank account.

There are three hotlines for people who are victims of domestic violence—at the NY City, NY State and national level.  There are also hotlines for Teen Dating Abuse and Child Abuse!

The majority of people who visit the LawHelp/NY website are seeking help with a family law problem, such as divorce, guardianship, custody or more. New York State is lucky—we have the LIFT (Legal Information for Families Today) hotline. And many of their resources are in Spanish and other languages.

Don’t forget to let us know if there is a hotline you know of that isn’t on our list. Thanks.

We do not know if any rent will be paid going forward.

Please click here or download an informational sheet on the Family Eviction Prevention Supplement (also in Spanish) for detailed information for all Advantage tenants. And continue to check back for updates!

Remember,
• Continue to pay your part of your rent to your landlord on time.
• Continue to follow Advantage rules.
• If you are in the middle of your Advantage lease period but the City has not sent some of your payments, call 311 to complain and ask for an investigation.
• Your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing Court.
• Don’t leave your apartment to reapply at Path just because you think your Advantage rent will not be paid!

Click here to read the November announcement.

Click here to read the December announcement.