Children Advantage/Fixed-Income Advantage Program Basics

The Advantage NY program provides eligible families residing in shelters with the opportunity to receive financial assistance for suitable housing while assisting with expedited application processing for the Section 8 Program. The Advantage NY program clients qualify for a specific number of bedrooms based on the family's size and gender composition.

Who is eligible for the Children Advantage/Fixed-Income Advantage Program?

• Children Advantage assists families in shelter with open Administration for Children's Services (ACS) cases who are identified by ACS as eligible for the program.
• Fixed-Income Advantage assists families who are receiving a fixed income benefit such as Veteran's benefits, Social Security benefit or SSI as identified by the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA).

To be eligible for the rent supplement, a family residing in shelter must:

1. Be identified by ACS or HRA as a candidate for the benefit.

   -And-

2. Have resided in the shelter system for a minimum of 60 consecutive days.

Qualified clients automatically will receive an eligibility letter by mail informing them of the maximum rent amount and number of bedrooms for which they are authorized.

Clients who believe they meet the above guidelines by having an open ACS case or receiving fixed income benefits and meeting the minimum shelter stay, should contact their housing specialist or caseworker to request further consideration and possible certification for the program.

Clients should present this letter of eligibility to landlords and brokers when seeking the Advantage NY program apartments.

The Advantage NY program rental payments will be made directly to the landlord on a monthly basis until the expiration of the one-year lease, or until the program tenant is accepted into the Section 8 Housing Program, whichever comes first. Rental payments will be based on bedroom counts, determined by a family's composition. Rental payments will not be affected by a tenant's Public Assistance (PA) status.

If a tenant is accepted into the Section 8 Program, the landlord and tenant will sign a new one-year Section 8 lease (processed by NYCHA). The landlord and tenant then will be subject to all regulations of the Section 8 Program and the Advantage NY program lease and rider will immediately terminate. The subject apartment then will be considered a Section 8 apartment.

Amount of Rental Supplement
(Not to Exceed Legal Rent)

ONCE A CLIENT RECEIVES A LETTER FOR THE ADVANTAGE NY PROGRAM

Once a client receives a letter stating he/she qualifies for the Advantage NY program, a Participant Statement of Understanding should be signed and returned to the Office of Re-Housing. The statement should be mailed to:

Department of Homeless Services
Office of Re-Housing
33 Beaver Street, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10004

LEASE SIGNING

Anticipate having less than 24-hours notice of lease-signing appointments. The Office of Re-Housing is scheduling leases as quickly as possible and therefore may contact housing specialists and landlords/brokers on very short notice.

Clients should be informed that side-deals are prohibited and under no circumstances will they be required to pay any additional amount above that stipulated on the lease. Additionally, clients should receive keys at lease signing for no additional fee.

Time Saving Tips
DHS has two locations available for signing Advantage NY program leases: 890 Prospect Avenue in the Bronx, or 78 Catherine Street in Manhattan. Clients are encouraged to:

• Make pre-arrangements for childcare to avoid bringing children to lease signing if possible, as the space is small. 
• Allow extra time for public transportation and walking as the location is a 10-15 minute walk from the closest subway. Public buses also are available.
• Arrive at your scheduled lease-signing time. (Lease signing schedule is based in the order that the tenant signs the Lease Signing Log)

Directions:

890 Prospect Avenue, Bronx
Subway: Take the #2 or the #5 train to the Prospect Ave. stop. Exit at East 160 Street.

OR take the #6 train to the Longwood Ave. stop. Exit near the intersection of Southern Blvd. and Longwood Ave. Walk west (toward Fox St.) on Longwood Ave. for six blocks. Turn right onto Prospect Ave.

Bus: Take BX-4 or BX-6 or BX-17 or BX-19 or BX-35 to Prospect Ave.

78 Catherine Street, Manhattan
Subway: Take the #4 or the #5 or the #6 train to the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall stop. Exit near the intersection of Frankfort St. and Nassau St.  Walk east on Frankfort St. Turn left onto Rose St. Turn right onto Madison St. Turn right onto Catherine St.

OR take the J or M or Z train to the Chambers St. stop. Exit near the intersection of Duane St. and Lafayette St. Walk east on Duane St. toward Centre St. Turn left on Centre St. Turn right on Hamill Pl. Turn right on Worth St. Turn right on St. James Pl. Turn right on Oliver St. Turn left on Madison St. Turn right on Catherine St.

OR take the F train to the East Broadway stop. Exit near the intersection of Rutgers St. and Madison St. Start out going west on Madison St. toward Pike St. Turn left onto Catherine St.

MOVING

Advantage NY program clients will be provided moving services by DHS' Intensive Casework Unit (aka the Lend-A-Hand Unit). Clients should fill out a move authorization form completely and accurately to bring to the lease signing.

AFTERCARE SERVICES

Tenants and landlords will have access to Homebase, DHS' nationally-recognized homelessness prevention program, for aftercare services including:

• Tenant conflict resolution
• Tenant recertification assistance
• Good neighbor education
• Payment resolution

For all questions concerning Homebase aftercare services in your area, call 311 or the DHS Prevention Hotline at 212-607-6200.