ACS Housing Support Services
Children’s Services is committed to assisting families and young adults find suitable, stable, long term housing. To that end, Housing Support Services (HSS) was created as part of the Cross-Systems Child Planning unit.
Children’s Services is also involved in a partnership with the Division of Homeless Services (DHS) to increase coordination and communication to better service families involved with both agencies. An information-sharing database allowing DHS employees to quickly identify ACS-involved families for whom housing is the sole barrier preventing the reunification of parents with children who are in foster care.
Housing Support Services is also very involved with helping train foster care and preventive agencies to help young adults with a permanency planning goal of independent living find appropriate housing—if they choose not to remain in foster care until age twenty-one.
Finally, this unit has revamped its approach to processing housing applications. Now, families with active foster care or preventive cases—including independent living youths—along with their Case Planners and Children’s Services’ Case Managers can meet face-to-face with HSS specialists on a walk-in basis during business hours Monday-Friday at 150 William Street, 8th floor in Manhattan. The HSS specialists will provide counseling, make referrals, and assist with the completion of related forms regarding the following:
- Housing subsidy and special grants/one shot deal
- NYCHA Section 8
- NYCHA Public Housing
- New York/New York III
- Work Advantage Rent Subsidy Program
This information can also be found on ACS’s website.
