When you apply for shelter at PATH (Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing in the Bronx), you will be asked where you lived for the last two years. DHS looks at any place you have stayed in the last two years to see if you can go back there.

It can be hard to prove where you lived for two years and, if you have trouble proving your housing history, DHSmay say you are “ineligible,” which means they do not think you have proven you are homeless. If that happens, you will get a notice that has a box that looks like this:

If you get a notice from PATH like the one above that says, “We cannot help you because: Incomplete 2-Yr Housing History,” it means PATH does not agree that you have enough proof of where you stayed for the past two years. It could mean they don’t know where you were on certain dates OR that they have not been able to reach anyone by phone who can say when you were there. The notice they give you should show the dates that PATH was unable to confirm – if there are no dates listed, ask a PATH worker what dates they still want you to tell them about.

If you get a notice like the one above, you must reapply for shelter as soon as you receive the notice. To reapply, you should call PATH to reapply by phone. You will be able to stay in your current shelter placement after you reapply and while you wait for a new notice. You can send PATH new documents and information to prove your housing history by sending an email to programgroup@dhs.nyc.gov. You can also fax your documents to PATH at 917-637-7756. In order to confirm that PATH received your fax, you can call 718-716-6013 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

The best way to prove where you lived is to provide mail from every month that you were staying at each address (such as ConEd bills, phone bills, etc.) and something showing the dates you moved in and out from that address (such as leases and eviction notices). Make sure your PATH worker has these documents.

If you don’t have mail or proof of when you moved in and out, the next best way to prove an address is to have someone who knows where you were staying (including a friend, family member, neighbor, coworker, or social service worker) write a letter to say when you were there. The person writing the letter does NOT have to have lived at that address with you, but they must know you were there. If the person remembers, it is best to have the exact day you started staying there, the exact day you left, how the person knows when you were staying there, and a phone number where PATH can contact the person writing the letter. The letter does not need to be notarized. If you can, you should find someone who is able to talk on the phone during business hours. The person should say in their letter when they can talk. The letter does not have to be in English; it can be in the language that the person writing the letter prefers to speak and write.

If you have already done everything above and were still found ineligible for incomplete housing history, you should request an emergency Fair Hearing by calling 800-205-0110 or going to the Fair Hearing office located at 14 Boerum Place in Brooklyn. The hearing will be scheduled within 2-3 business days (Monday through Friday). 

Since March 2020, you have the option to have your Fair Hearing by phone or in person. At the Fair Hearing, you will be given a chance to prove your case to a judge. It can be helpful to bring a new piece of evidence of your housing history to the hearing (for example, a new letter, additional mail, or other records). If you can’t provide evidence for a certain time period from your housing history, write down a clear and organized timeline that shows every place you lived for the past two years. It is possible that DHS will accept your timeline and verbal statements during the hearing as proof, especially if the missing time period is only a few days. When you get to the Fair Hearing, ask for a copy of your case file (you have a right to the file). If you have access to email, ask the  DHS representative to email you a copy of your case file. You can also request the file before your fair hearing by emailing dhsfhevidencepacket@dss.nyc.gov. It is important to get a copy of your case file to understand why PATH is unable to verify your housing history. You should also ask the judge for a few minutes to review the case file before the hearing starts.

If you had a Fair Hearing and lost or you are waiting for a decision, you can contact Coalition for the Homeless by calling their hotline at 888-358-2384, and they may be able to help you figure out what went wrong and how to get what you need. Coalition for the Homeless is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will return your call as soon as possible.

The information on this page has been translated into Spanish and is available for download here.

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.