The Human Resources Administration or Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) is the department of the

government of New York City The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the ...

in charge of the majority of the city's social services programs. HRA helps New Yorkers in need through a variety of services that promote employment and personal responsibility while providing temporary assistance and work supports. Its regulations are compiled in title 68 of the '' New York City Rules''. The current Commissioner of HRA is Gary Jenkins, who was appointed to the position by Mayor Eric Adams. HRA is the largest city

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

agency in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It has a budget of $9.7 billion, employs over 14,000 people, and serves over 3 million New Yorkers.

HRA Programs

Cash Assistance

HRA's Family Independence Administration (FIA) provides temporary cash assistance under the

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF ) is a federal assistance program of the United States. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent Ame ...

(TANF) program and the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

Safety Net program. Eligibility is based on factors such as income and family size. Participation in an employment or training program is required for anyone receiving temporary cash assistance.

Food Stamps

The Family Independence Administration also provides access to

food stamps In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

to low-income families and individuals. The food stamp program is known as SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Employment Services

HRA's Employment Services, a part of the Family Independence Administration, connects HRA clients with employment and training opportunities in the private and public sector. Many employment services programs combine subsidized work and on-the-job training with guided job hunting and workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills.

Public Health Insurance

HRA used to provide healthcare services and information through the

Medical Assistance Program Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

. With the introduction of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

, HRA now mainly caters towards specific

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

applicants, such as those over 65 or have disabilities.

Long Term Care Services

The Long Term Care Services Program offers a wide variety of in-home, community based or institutional assistance programs for the elderly and persons with disabilities who need medical care and help with daily tasks.

Home Care Services

The Home Care Services Program (HCSP) provides Medicaid-funded care programs to seniors or disabled individuals that allow them to remain safely in their homes, instead of a nursing home or other institution. Clients must be eligible for Medicaid to receive these services.

HIV/AIDS Services

The HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) helps New Yorkers living with

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

gain access to benefits and support. HASA clients may receive help with medical care, housing assistance, direct links to other HRA services such as food stamps, employment services, and counseling. HASA was first created as a unit serving clients with HIV/AIDS in 1985, then expanded into the Division of Aids Services and Income Support in 1995. In 2000 it became the HIV/AIDS Services Administration.

Domestic Violence and Emergency Intervention

The Office of Domestic Violence (ODV) provides support and temporary shelter for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

and their children. ODV can provide counseling and advocacy on a client's behalf, and help them obtain other HRA benefits they are eligible for.

Adult Protective Services

Adult Protective Services (APS) provides case management and services for mentally or physically impaired adults who are at risk of harm. APS assists adults suffering from abuse, neglect, financial exploitation or hazardous living conditions and provides them with service plans that help them live safely within their homes and communities.

Child Support Services

The Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) serves parents (both mothers and fathers) and guardians, regardless of income or immigration status. OCSS assists custodial parents in getting a

child support Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is paid d ...

order in place, facilitate the receipt and disbursement of child support payments, and refer unemployed noncustodial parents to employment services and other programs. OCSS also refers parents to mediation services to resolve disputes and participates in several outreach programs to promote responsible fatherhood.

Energy Assistance

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides assistance with heating bills and equipment repairs to low-income renters and homeowners.

Health Insurance Access

The Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) helps connect uninsured New Yorkers with the NY State of Health. OCHIA operates NYC Health Insurance Link, a website which helps individuals and businesses understand insurance options.

Organization

New York is divided into fifty-eight local social services districts. In New York City, the five boroughs (counties) compose one district, whereas outside of New York City each district corresponds to one county.

Administrative review An administrative court is a type of court specializing in administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are considered s ...

s ("Fair Hearings") are handled by the

New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, Office of Administrative Hearings.

History

New York Social Services Before HRA

Social services in some form have existed in New York City since shortly after the first settlers came to what was then the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam in the 1600s. Early programs were usually run by churches and private charities. As an English colony, New York's social services were based on the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1598-1601, in which the poor who could not work were cared for in a Poorhouse. Those who could were employed in a

Workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

. The first Poorhouse in New York was created in the 1740s, and was a combined Poorhouse, Workhouse, and House of Corrections. As poverty increased in the 1800s, more private charities and public initiatives were created to deal with the issue. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many social work-based private charities merged with government agencies, and New York became a leader in developing social work-oriented public service organizations. The Great Depression was a catalyst for social service organizations to go further in addressing the needs of the poor and unemployed across the nation, and the New Deal led to an expansion in the type and amount of aid provided to low income families, and increased cooperation between public and private social service providers.

Creation of HRA

The Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services was created on August 15, 1966, by consolidating many of the city's existing social service administrations under Mayor John Lindsay’s Executive Order No. 28. The city agencies combined to form HRA included HRA Central Operations and the Department of Welfare, the Manpower and Career Development Agency, the Community Development Agency, Youth Services Agency and Addiction Services Agency. The Administration initially had two chief officers, the Administrator of the Human Resources Administration and the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services. In 1970, these positions were combined into the office of Commissioner. HRA was initially created as a ‘super-agency,’ housing all of the city's social service programs. In 1993, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) became a separate city agency, and in 1996 the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) was also separated from HRA.

Welfare Reform

In 1996, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

signed the

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The bill implemented major changes to ...

(PRWORA), more commonly known as welfare reform. This required social services agencies around the country to shift to a work-first philosophy that emphasized job training and employment services combined with temporary aid and work supports. The

Aid to Families with Dependent Children Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was a federal assistance program in the United States in effect from 1935 to 1997, created by the Social Security Act (SSA) and administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Serv ...

(AFDC) program was replaced nationwide with

(TANF). In 1998, the first phase of welfare reform was implemented in New York City under HRA Commissioner Jason Turner. The Agency's Income Support Centers were converted to Job Centers. Since the implementation of reforms in New York City, the Cash Assistance Caseload has declined to its lowest level since 1964, while enrollment in work support programs like Food Stamps has increased.

List of Human Resources Administration Commissioners

List of Human Resources Administration Commissioners * William Hodson - January 1934 — January 1943 * Leo Arnestein - February 1943 — January 1944 * Harry W. Marsh - February 1944 — June 1945 * Leonard Harrison - June 1945 — December 1945 * Edward E. Rhatigan - January 1946 — October 1947 * Benjamin Fielding - October 1947 — March 1948 * Raymond M. Hilliard - March 1948 — April 1951 * Henry L. McCarthy - May 1951 — August 1959 * James R. Dumpson - August 1959 — September 1965 * Joseph Louchheim - October 1965 — December 1965 * Philip Sokol - (Acting) January 1966 — February 1966 * Mitchell Ginsberg - February 1966 — December 1967 (Department of Social Services Commissioner) * Mitchell Sviridoff - December 1966 — December 1967 (HRA Administrator) * Jack Golberg - January 1968 — December 1970 (Department of Social Services Commissioner) * Mitchell Ginsberg - December 1967 — July 1970 (HRA Administrator) * Jule M. Sugarman - July 1970 — January 1974 (merged HRA Administrator and Department of Social Services Commissioner positions) * James R. Dumpson - January 1974 — January 1976 * Henry J. Smith - March 1976 — January 1978 * Blanche Bernstein - January 1978 — May 1979 *

Stanley Brezenoff Stanley Brezenoff (born 1937) is a civil servant who served as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1990 to 1995. He was appointed by Mario Cuomo, and stepped down when George Pataki assumed the office. He also ...

- May 1979 - March 1981 * James A. Krauskopf - March 1981 — September 1984 * George Gross - October 1984 — June 1986 * Harvey Robbins - (Acting) June 1986 — December 1986 * William Grinker - December 1986 — November 1989 * Doby Flowers - November 1989 — April 1990 * Barbara J. Sabol - April 1990 — December 1993 * Marva L. Hammons - January 1994 — February 1997 * Lilliam Barrios-Paoli - February 1997 — December 1997 * Jason Turner - January 1998 — December 2001 *

Verna Eggleston Verna Eggleston served as the Commissioner for New York City's Human Resources Administration (HRA) for the Bloomberg Administration, appointed by former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. She was the longest serving Commissioner of the agency, ...

- January, 2002 — January 2007 *

Robert Doar Robert Larkin Doar is an American academic, businessman, and former public administrator serving as the president of the American Enterprise Institute. His research focuses on federal and state antipoverty policies and safety net programs. Earl ...

- February 2007 — December 2013 * Kathleen Carlson - (Acting) January 2014 — March 2014 * Steven Banks - April 2014 — December 2021 * Gary Jenkins - January 2022 - Present

References

HRA Webpage
History of Welfare and HRA
HRA Milestones
A Timeline of HRA Commissioners

External links

New York City Department of Human Resources Administration

Human Resources Administration
in the

Rules of the City of New York The ''Rules of the City of New York'' (RCNY) contains the compiled rules and regulations (delegated legislation) of New York City government agencies. It contains approximately 6,000 rules and regulations in 71 titles, each covering a different cit ...

Regulations of the Department of Social Services
in the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations {{Authority control Human Resources Administration State-based welfare in the United States Welfare in New York (state)