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Wait times for NYC cash benefits worsen, leaving vulnerable New Yorkers hanging
By
Karen Yi
Published Jan 31, 2024
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Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images
By
Karen Yi
Published Jan 31, 2024
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New York City is processing cash assistance applications at its slowest pace yet, leaving thousands of low-income residents waiting longer than the required 30 days for critical help, new city numbers show.
Between July and October of last year, just 14% of cash assistance applications were processed on time, according to early data from the preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, the city’s yearly report card. That’s worse than the 55% timely processing rate for the same period the year before and the record-low 28% rate the city set in the last fiscal year.
“It is absolutely, positively insane. That is not something that should happen, you knew your numbers were at 28%, you said you would do better, where is the doing better part?” asked Diana Ramos, a volunteer with Safety Net Activists who also received public benefits. “Fix it.”
The lag in processing cash assistance applications, which are available to help low-income families and unemployed or underemployed individuals help pay for basic necessities or rent, come as rents in New York City reach new highs and as record levels of homelessness strain the city's already fraught safety net further.
For months, the Adams administration has been under fire for failing to address ongoing delays with cash assistance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, which help families or individuals supplement the cost of food.
The Human Resources Administration, which is part of the Department of Social Services, attributed the ongoing delays in processing cash assistance to a spike in the number of applications.
DSS spokesperson Neha Sharma said in the first four months captured in the preliminary data cash assistance applications rose 70%, when compared to 2019 pre-pandemic numbers.
“On average, more New Yorkers are receiving these benefits than ever before, and since the start of this administration, we have seen a more than 25% increase in the number of New Yorkers receiving cash assistance,” Sharma said in a statement.
She said DSS “significantly increased staffing levels for processing these applications and we continue to hire and train staff, implement process improvements, and streamline our highly effective remote processes to help get New Yorkers the benefits they need in a more efficient way.”
While cash assistance delays persist, the preliminary report released on Tuesday shows timely processing rates for SNAP are slightly improving.
In the first four months of fiscal year 2024, 41% of SNAP applications were processed within the required 30 days, compared to 40% for the same period the year before. During the last fiscal year, 39% of SNAP applications were approved on time.
“You went from an F to a D-,” said Ramos, who experienced delays in receiving her SNAP benefits. She said delaying benefits means families must make tough choices about who gets to eat or whether they can buy basic hygiene products and risk falling behind on rent.
“They were so efficient before the pandemic," Ramos said. "You had your A four years ago, what’s happening here?”
Tagged
new york city
economy
eric adams
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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