Page 127 - Impact: Collected Essays on the Threat of Economic Inequality

For all these New Yorkers, these supports can be critical in maintaining employment . Having health insurance means workers can stay healthy and working and avoid the economic disaster that severe illness can impose on those with no insurance . Food and energy assistance, child support, and the Earned Income Tax Credit strengthen households and help families survive on low-income jobs . Emergency cash assistance and services to prevent homelessness can also stabilize families and individuals and keep them from losing employment in the face of sudden emergencies . Clearly, efforts aimed at keeping low-income workers in the workforce are much less expensive and more efficient than having to help New Yorkers return to the workforce, especially after an extended absence .
HRA also helps thousands of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, providing shelter and supportive services to families recovering from the trauma of domestic violence, support for people living with HIV and AIDS, protective services for adults unable to care for themselves and home care services for seniors and individuals with physical or mental disabilities, and legal services to address the harassment of tenants, avert homelessness, and help immigrants .
Reforms
For the past year, we have been focused on implementing significant reforms to better serve low-income New Yorkers . As part of this ongoing process, I met with frontline staff in all five boroughs, created staff focus groups and surveys, and reorganized the senior level of HRA’s management to move the reform process forward . We also looked to our external stakeholders soliciting input from clients and engaging the advocates, community-based organizations, and legal representatives to seek input .
Our reforms focused on addressing HRA policies that harmed clients, were barriers preventing New Yorkers from accessing assistance, had an adverse impact on staff workload and morale, and subjected the City to potential financial penalties for unnecessary fair hearings . With more than two dozen key reforms in place, we continue our work to ensure that those in New York City who need to access our programs and services are able to do so and that relief is effective and assists low-income New Yorkers in working toward more permanent stability .
These reforms have had no impact on the most accurate measure of the number of people receiving public assistance . The annual unduplicated caseload of New Yorkers receiving recurring cash assistance has remained steady at 500,000 during the past year, as it has since at least 2008 .
The number of people receiving cash assistance during any given month fluctuates around 360,000 . As one would expect, ending the policy of churning clients on and off the caseload, which artificially reduced the monthly number, has resulted in a small variance in that number . Since the churning of people on and off the caseload subjects the City to a potential $10 million New York State penalty for unnecessary fair hearings, keeps clients from participating in job training, and is associated with shelter applications, reducing churning is good, fiscally sound public policy . An analysis of the Department of Homeless Services (“DHS”) shelter applications during a six-month period in 2013 found that 23 percent of the applicants had an HRA case closing or case sanction within the prior 12 months .
Three representative new initiatives highlight the impact of the ongoing reform efforts .
Lessons from New York City
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