If you live in a HERRC shelter with your family, you will receive a 60-day notice. If you live in a New York City Department of Homeless Services (“NYC DHS”) shelter, you will receive a 60-day notice unless you or any member of your family has an active Cash Assistance case with the City’s Human Resources Administration (“HRA”). If you live in an NYC DHS shelter and have an active Cash Assistance case with HRA for any member of your family, you do not currently have a time limit on your stay and you will not receive a 60-day notice.

It means that you have a maximum of 60 days from the date of the notice to stay in your current shelter. After 60 days, you will have to come back to the Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel to reapply if you need a new placement.

You may receive an extension of your current shelter stay if you fall into either of these groups:

Living in NYC DHS Shelter and Currently Receiving Cash Assistance Benefits
If you are a family living in NYC DHS shelter and are receiving money from the government through an HRA program called “Cash Assistance” or “Safety Net Assistance,” you can continue to stay at your shelter without a time limit.

Pregnant People & Infants in HERRC shelters
Pregnant people in their third trimester and infants under six (6) months should automatically get an exception to the 60-day rule. These groups can stay in their current shelter until the infant is six months old.

Disability
If someone in your family has a disability, the whole family may receive an extension on their 60-day notice. If the disability is obvious (such as being in a wheelchair), you should not need to get proof of the disability. If the disability is not obvious, the person with a disability should get a letter from a medical provider (or other professional with expertise about the person’s disability) that explains why the disabled family member needs an extension or exception. If the accommodation is granted, the whole family will receive an extension on their 60-day stay. Note: having a disability is not enough for an extension; the documentation must explain why an extension is necessary to accommodate a person’s disability.

If you are eligible for Cash Assistance but do not have an open case, you should immediately apply. Otherwise, the City expects you to try to find another place to live, talk to social services and non-profit organizations for help, and try any available work or school that might help you move out of the shelter. You should meet with your case manager to discuss any other housing options you might have. If you know you will need an extension because one or more members of your family have a disability, you should speak to your case manager or staff on-site as soon as possible about how to apply for a reasonable accommodation.

You are eligible if you have applied for asylum or Temporary Protected Status and meet the income requirement. You may be eligible for other reasons too. You must apply for Cash Assistance with HRA in order to receive it. It takes HRA 30 days to process an application, so you should apply immediately if you are eligible.

You must first submit an application. You can submit an application online at ACCESS HRA, in person at any HRA Benefits Access Center, or print a paper copy and mail it to any HRA Benefits Access Center. If you need a copy of the application or have any questions, you can call the HRA Infoline at 718-557-1399.

After you submit the application, you must submit the required documents. You can upload documents on the AccessHRA app by taking pictures with your smartphone. 

You must also complete an interview for your application to be processed. To complete the interview, call the CA Interview Phone Line at 929-273-1872 on Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. You may need to wait on hold for several hours before you get connected with a caseworker to do your interview.

Once you submit your application, HRA should process your case within 30 days. If your case is not processed in 30 days, or you need help, ask shelter staff or contact The Legal Aid Society’s Access to Benefits helpline by calling 888-663-6880 on Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

On the 60th day, you will need to pack all your belongings, leave your current shelter, and go to the Roosevelt Hotel (also known as the Arrival Center) located at 45 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10007 to apply for another placement. You cannot leave belongings behind at your current shelter. At the Roosevelt Hotel, there is a separate line for families returning after 60 days. Meals will be provided for you while you wait for placement.

School-aged children can remain in school while you reapply for shelter after 60 days. If the City places you in a new HERRC shelter, you can go straight to the new shelter without having to bring your school-aged children to the Roosevelt Hotel.

However, you may receive a placement in the traditional NYC DHS system or in a hotel room through the Hotel Association of New York City (“HANYC”). If you get one of those placements, you must bring your children to the Roosevelt Hotel before you can go to the new shelter. The staff at the Arrival Center will tell you if you need to bring your children once they locate a placement for your family.

Yes. Families with children have a right to shelter in New York City, and the City must find your family another placement when you reapply. The new placement might be in a HERRC for 60 days, in a hotel for 28 days, or in a DHS shelter with no set time limit.

Unfortunately, no. At this point, the City does not permit families to return to their original placement. You will receive new placement in one of New York City’s shelter systems.

Currently, the City says families will be placed in shelters in the borough of their youngest child’s schools. While this is the current policy, the City has not promised to keep families in the same borough as their youngest child’s school after their second 60-day notice expires. For more information about your child’s educational rights, see: What You Need to Know About Your Rights As a New Immigrant Student.

Your original shelter should hold your mail for a period of time after you move. You should ask shelter staff how long mail will be held before you leave to ensure you do not lose any important documents.

It can take many hours, but you should be provided placement the same day that you reapply.

This resource has been translated and can be downloaded in Fulani/Pulaar and Wolof.

The information in this document has been prepared by The Legal Aid Society for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. You should not act upon any information without retaining professional legal counsel.