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Many New Yorkers hit hard financially by the coronavirus crisis will struggle to recover government benefits due to the closure of almost 30 city welfare and job center offices, advocates for the poor say.
Welfare and job center offices were closed along with schools, bars, restaurants and other government facilities and businesses to battle the spread of COVID-19. Though government offices are closed, many government services remain online.
But the closure of welfare and job centers — 28 of them, by advocates’ count — will make it almost impossible for those who aren’t tech savvy, or who don’t own a smart phone, to access their benefits in time of dire need. Ending so much in-person welfare service is especially a problem for thousands of people.
“It’s an essential service,” said Kiana Davis. a policy analyst with the Urban Justice Center. “People should be able to access the centers. Having fewer centers means more overcrowding in the centers that are open.”
But keeping more centers open could also accelerate the disease’s spread, which is why the city is directing people to access benefits online or over the phone.
“In the past week, we’ve taken extraordinary steps to change how we provide benefits, making it easier for clients to access and stay connected to them, while also eliminating all adverse case actions during this period,” said city Human Resources Administration spokesman Isaac McGinn.
“Staff are prepared to provide assistance to anyone who needs to manage their case or apply by phone, including to talk through or help older New Yorker navigate the process,” McGinn said.
As it now stands, five offices — one in each borough — are open to process walk-in food stamp applicants. Nine have closed since COVID-19 began to paralyze the city. Seven job centers are open now; 11 have closed.
Also among the 28 closed offices counted by advocates are the city’s specialized service centers for refugees and immigrants, veterans and burial services.
“With more and more people in need of access to life-saving benefits such as SNAP and cash assistance during this time, we call on HRA to consider the essential services it has denied these communities and resume in-person services citywide with proper safety planning,” Davis said.
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