Disability Advocacy Project of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley

Is your client in need of assistance appealing a SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) decision?

Please see the flyer below (in English & Spanish) for the Disability Advocacy Project of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV). As indicated on the flyer, LSHV will provide free legal representation and assistance for anyone who has applied for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) and been denied benefits.

For more information please contact: 1-877-574-8529

LSHV offices are also accepting walk-in hours:

  1. White Plains - 90 Maple Avenue (entrance on Cromwell Place)

2. Yonkers - 30 South Broadway, 6th Floor

3.  Mt. Vernon -  100 East First Street, Suite 810 (8th Fl.)

4. Peekskill - One Park Place, Suite 202

Click for English flyer
CLICK FOR SPANISH FLYER

8th Annual New York Fathering Conference - November 15, 2022

Please join Westchester County, the City of White Plains and the Administration for Children & Families for their upcoming 8th Annual New York Fathering Conference

Tuesday, November 15

5:30pm - 8:00pm

Fathers & families: Building safe, healthy & thriving communities

Together addressing and ending youth violence in our communities

Featured speaker:

Erica Ford

Human rights activist and anti-violence leader

Learn more

Fall Job Fair Hosted by WEOC - November 10, 2022

The Westchester Educational Opportunity Center will be hosting their Fall 2022 Job Fair at 26 South Broadway, Yonkers NY, 10701 on NOVEMBER 10, 2022 from 12 NOON to 2:30pm. This job fair is open to all job seekers. Thank you for sharing this information and the attached flyer with your clients, colleagues, constituents, congregants and the wider community.

click here to download the flyer

U.S. Dept of Veteran Affairs Announces Two Open Funding Opportunities (PDO & TIP)

On October 27, 2022, VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) published two grant funding opportunities, now available for review on the GPD website:

  • Funding opportunity one: “Per Diem Only” (PDO) grants that fund transitional supportive housing beds and/or service centers.

    • VA anticipates awarding 350 PDO grants to support approximately 10,500 transitional housing beds and 15 service centers nationwide.

    • PDO grant applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, February 6, 2023.

  • Funding opportunity two: “Transition in Place” (TIP) grants that provide Veterans with apartment-style housing that allows Veterans retain the unit as their permanent housing when they complete the GPD program.

    • VA anticipates awarding approximately 40 TIP grants to support 600 TIP beds nationwide.

    • TIP grant applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, January 30, 2023.

These are new nationally competitive awards and both funding opportunities are open to any eligible entity (i.e., not just current VA GPD grantees). More information—including prerecorded technical assistance webinars and FAQs—is available on our website, https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/GPD.asp. Please note the different application deadlines among the funding opportunities. The VA GPD National Program Office team highly recommends that any interested and eligible applicant begin planning and coordination with their local VA medical center points of contact as soon as possible.

Please carefully review the information on our website (https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/GPD.asp), which includes instructions on how to access the electronic grants management system (a.k.a., eGMS) GPD uses to receive grant applications, as well as specifics about each grant.

After thorough review of the notices of funding and the recorded webinars, questions may be directed to GPDGrants@va.gov.

Scholarships for Westchester Certified Peer Specialists to pursue OASAS-CRPA accreditation

In an effort to bolster peer support resources for individuals with co-occurring disorders in Westchester County, the Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) is offering scholarship opportunities to NYS Office of Mental Health Certified Peer Specialists to obtain their NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) credential. To qualify you must live in and/or work in a peer support position in Westchester; priority will be given to those working in such positions. As indicated on the application, you must already be an OMH Certified Peer Specialist to qualify for this assistance and provide documentation of your certification. Scholarships will be provided to meet State Certification application and testing fees as well as costs of the required training (full info on CRPA Certification available here).

Please see the attached scholarship application for further details on eligibility, costs covered by the scholarship, and instructions for completing and submitting your application. We anticipate offering this scholarship at least through 2023 and will be accepting applications on a “rolling” basis—applicants should feel free to submit an application at any time they might decide to pursue CRPA certification (we request that, if you have a date in mind for training, to please apply at least 30 days prior to the training registration deadline).

For those interested, The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD)/Westchester will be offering an online CRPA training in December; please check this link for further information on their training and the schedule (NOTE: the December training may not be posted until sometime shortly after this mailing). Applications for scholarships for this training can be submitted until November 14, 2022.

Learn more

Upcoming Job fairs in Westchester County

Do you have clients who are in need of a job?

Good news - There are several upcoming job fairs throughout Westchester County!

Please see flyers below for information about each job fair.

Westcop job fair
LRC Construction job fair
MOUNT VERNON CAREER CENTER JOB FAIR

Job Opportunity: Hudson Valley 211/United Way - Community Resource Specialist

Position Description: The Intake Specialist is responsible for receiving, prioritizing, and triaging client’s service requests including contract-based calls using a prescribed intake process either by phone or in person. The Intake Specialist’s primary role is to assist callers in need of various human services resources.

Position Requirements: Associates degree or higher in Social Work or related field and

1-2 years of related experience.

Skills Required:

  • Experience in human services programs requiring direct client interactions, accountability and progress reporting

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills

  • Experience managing an active caseload of at least10-15 clients including closed loop referral

  • The ability to multi-task, set priorities, and follow up in a timely manner

  • Ability to collaborate and work in a team environment as well as work independently and make sound decisions

  • Able to meet deadlines, keep schedules, build partner agency relationships and perform in a high-paced environment

  • Proficient with computers and ability to work with multiple applications

  • Bi-lingual in Spanish is preferred

  • An ability to show compassion and maintain confidentiality to callers who may be in crisis                                       

Essential Roles & Responsibilities:

  • Handles incoming referrals of Callers who are interested in finding resources that can assist with various social needs

  • Use active listening, probing, play-back and style-matching skills to evaluate each client’s needs

  • Answer client questions and sort out issues relating to their identified needs

  • Learn and maintain an in-depth understanding of managing specialized contracts calls

  • Accurately document required information in the 211-database system

  • Attend required community meetings related to the program and report as necessary any updates regarding the program

  • Other duties as assigned.

click here for information on how to apply

Scholarships for Westchester Certified Peer Specialists to pursue OASAS-CRPA accreditation

The Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) is offering scholarship opportunities to NYS Office of Mental Health Certified Peer Specialists to obtain their NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) credential.

In order to qualify, you must live and/or work in a peer support position in Westchester; priority will be given to those working in such positions. As indicated on the application, you must already be an OMH Certified Peer Specialist to qualify for this assistance and provide documentation of your certification. Scholarships will be provided to meet State Certification application and testing fees as well as costs of the required training.

This scholarship will be offered at least through 2023 and will be accepting applications on a “rolling” basis—applicants should feel free to submit an application at any time they might decide to pursue CRPA certification.

CLICK HERE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION


THE YONKERS HOARDING INITIATIVE 2022-2023

Family Service Society of Yonkers, in partnership with the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Office for the Aging and other Westchester community organizations invite you to participate in this educational presentation and discussion regarding the collaborative approach to assisting individuals dealing with hoarded environments. 

HOARDING DISORDER: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH  

A Free Webinar for all professionals working with hoarding related issues in the City of Yonkers and Westchester County.

Date: Friday October 7, 2022

Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Virtual event)

Presented by:  Anne B. Pagano, LCSW, ACSW, BCD, C-ASWCM

Learn proven strategies and techniques derived from evidence based research to help understand the mental health roots ofhoarding disorder; what defines hoarding disorder from other behaviors and diagnoses; develop awareness of clinical treatment and harm reduction approaches; and how to help clients cope with the emotional, relational, and environmental impacts related to this chronic condition. 

***  3.0 hours of CE available for licensed social workers through NYSED and certified case managers through PACE/CCMC

Participants must register online. Please click here to register.

Annual Career Fair - September 24th, 2022

Are you looking for employment opportunities or trying to start a career? Do you need help with drafting your resume? Do you have questions about retirement and how to plan effectively? If so, please attend the Annual Career Fair on September 24th at 1:00PM-4:00PM at the Yonkers Waterfront Library.

Companies from a wide variety of industries will be present to speak with you and provide information about current job opportunities. Here is a list of some of the participating vendors.

  • Montefiore Hospital

  • United Parcel Service (UPS)

  • The HOPE Program

  • City of Yonkers Career Center

  • Yonkers YMCA

    AND MORE!

    Click here to RSVP

Click here for English Flyer
Click here for SPANISH flyer

International Overdose Awareness Day - August 31, 2022

A Day of Remembrance and Awareness

An event to remember those who we have lost to substance use, acknowledging those who are still struggling, and to support those in recovery.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2022

5:30 PM—7:00 PM

CITY OF WHITE PLAINS

LIBRARY PLAZA

100 MARTINE AVENUE, WHITE PLAINS, NY 10601

Program includes addresses by:

George Latimer, Westchester County Executive Thomas Roach, City of White Plains Mayor Members of the Recovery community and others.

National Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependency/Westchester, Inc. in collaboration with Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, Westchester County Department of Health, Friends of Recovery, Westchester Inc., City of White Plains, and Westchester Providers.

Click Here to download the flyer

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for Westchester County Department of Social Services Eviction Prevention Program

The County of Westchester (the “County”), acting by and through its Department of Social Services (the “Department” or “WCDSS”), is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to operate an Eviction Prevention Program for Westchester County residents at risk of homelessness and deemed eligible for eviction prevention services by WCDSS. The County will provide both administrative and pass-through funds for the solicited services. Qualified venders can apply to operate all and/or some of the service. If a proposer applies for all, a portion of or both, they will need to submit a separate proposal for each service.  Copies of this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) may be downloaded from the County’s website for RFP’s: http://www.westchestergov.com/rfp.

 

A.) UPDATED PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

Original RFP Issue Date: August 19, 2022

Requests for Clarification Due: September 7, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.

Written Responses to Requests for Clarification Posted: September 14, 2022

Proposal Due Date: September 28, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.

Veterans can celebrate a Spectacular Summer on September 2, 2022 at Rye Playland!

Westchester County resident veterans, military and family are welcome to enjoy a FREE family day at Rye Playland on September 2, 2022!

Wristbands are available, first come, first serve. Maximum of four per veteran / military with documentation of service. All bands must be picked up in advance, they will not be available the day-of.

See flyer below for more information.

Click here for flyer

Diverse Abilities Job Fair for People with Disabilities - 9/15/2022 - Yonkers Riverfront Library

The Westchester County Diverse Abilities Job Fair will be held Thurs., Sept. 15, 2022, 10 am–1pm at the Yonkers Riverfront Library at One Larkin Plaza in Yonkers. This Job Fair is open to all qualified job candidates with disabilities. Connect with Yonkers employers and interview on the spot; employers include Amazon, AFYA, the Arc Westchester, The City of Yonkers, Cross County Shopping Center, CVS, ShopRite, Springhill Suites, Southern Westchester BOCES, WestHab, Westchester County Dept. of Social Services and more.

Preregistration is required. You can use the link or QR Code on the flyer below to register, as well as the link below. You can also register by phone by calling Westchester County Office for People with Disabilities at (914) 995-2956 if you have questions or require further information.

All registered attendees will receive an email with instructions on how to sign up for a time slot to schedule an interview with an employer.

Click here to register

Click here for flyer

Westchester County Launches $10M Landlord Tenant Assistance Program (LTAP)

Westchester County Funds may be used for Needed Repairs to Rental Properties,

In exchange for Landlords Maintaining Affordable Rents 

Watch the full News Conference Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI-wwhWxKgk

Furthering his commitment to preserving affordable housing in communities across Westchester, County Executive George Latimer is announcing the Landlord Tenant Assistance Program (LTAP). LTAP will allow small landlords who own eight units or less, who maintain rent levels that are affordable to residents, to apply for up to $25,000 per unit for repairs to their rental properties. To be eligible, landlords/owners must charge rents that are affordable to households earning between no more than 60% and 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and home improvements may include, but are not limited to, roof replacement, or upgrades to electrical, windows, accessibility ramps, plumbing and heating systems. With $10M available in funds, 400 units can be rehabilitated.

Rent levels, with utilities included, must adhere to the following 2022 HUD Guidelines:

Bedroom Size

Click here for HUD Guidelines

A Westchester County Rehabilitation Specialist will inspect the property after an application has been submitted to the Department of Planning. If the property qualifies, a three-party contract will be signed between the County, the landlord/owner and the contractor, for work to be completed by contractors that are licensed and insured to work in Westchester County. Funds will be disbursed directly to the contractor from the County after a progress inspection has been completed.  

Interested landlords/owners should call or email Gaitre Rambharose in the Westchester County Department of Planning at 914-995-2429 or gqrh@westchestergov.com

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: FY2022 Westchester County Continuum of Care CoC Bonus

  • Date of Release: August 4, 2022 2pm EST

  • Proposers Conference: August 9, 2022 3pm EST (see RFI for location details)

  • Deadline for Proposals: August 12, 2022 2pm EST

The Request For Information (RFI) offered by the Westchester Continuum of Care to solicit proposals from eligible partner agencies requesting to be included as sub-recipient providers in the application to HUD for Continuum of Care Bonus (CoCB) and Domestic Violence Bonus (DVB) projects, which might be awarded through the FY2022 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program competition.

  • Only Continuums of Care which score high enough will receive CoC Bonus and/or DV Bonus funding.

  • CoC’s are allowed to submit more than one CoC Bonus and/or DV Bonus application to HUD, so the Westchester CoC may choose one or two CoC Bonus partners and one or more DV Bonus partners to submit an application.

    • Budget proposals for the CoCB project must request CoC funding of exactly $514,242 or exactly $257,121.

    • Responses to the DV Bonus RFI can request any amount from $100,000 up to to $2,056,968.

  • The DV Bonus is offered by HUD to provide services and housing to homeless households fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and/or human trafficking. Individuals and families who have been made homeless or are at eminent risk of homelessness by attempting to flee are eligible for HUD funded housing as stated in the Category 4 Definition of Homelessness in the HEARTH ACT.

  • The maximum funding request total for applications from Westchester CoC for the CoC Bonus is $1,028,484.

  • The maximum funding request total for applications from Westchester CoC for the DV Bonus is $2,056,968.

  • Responses to this CoC Bonus RFI are due August 12 at 2pm.

There will be a conference to discuss the RFI Tuesday, August 9 at 3pm

Information to join the conference: https://westchestergov.webex.com/westchestergov/j.php?MTID=m808480099de0f3ba8b867add8475c0d4

Meeting number: 2428 993 3956 Password: KCmwdwDs586

Join by phone 1-844-621-3956 United States Toll Free

Access code: 242 899 33956

Please use the links below to download the RFI and required forms:

Any questions about this RFI should be e-mailed to Yoav Spiegel at yqs2@westchestergov.com no later than 12 pm on Tuesday August 9, 2022.

To learn more about how the HEARTH Act defines “fleeing” and the Category 4 Definition of Homelessness please visit the following resources:

National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2020, August). Fleeing DV. Nnedv.Org. https://nnedv.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Library_Policy_HEARTH_Creating_Access_for_Survivors.pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2009). S. 896 HEARTH Act of 2009 - HUD Exchange. HUDExchange.Info. https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/1717/s-896-hearth-act/

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Continuum of Care Competition


The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Continuum of Care Competition and Noncompetitive Award of Youth Homeless Demonstration Program Renewal and Replacement Grants has been posted on Grants.gov and is available on the Funding Opportunities page on HUD’s website. Additional resources will be available on the Continuum of Care Program Competition page of HUD’s website. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE NOFO

The CoC Application, CoC Priority Listing, and Project Applications should be available in e-snaps within the next two weeks. Collaborative Applicants and project applicants will be able to access the applications to review, update, and enter required information for the application process.   

Submission Deadline: Friday, September 30, 2022 at 8:00 PM EDT 

Collaborative Applicants 

  • The CoC Application and CoC Priority Listing that includes all project applications that will be submitted to HUD are separate submissions in e-snaps. Collaborative Applicants must submit both parts of the CoC Consolidated Application by the application submission deadline for HUD to consider the CoC Consolidated Application to be complete.

  • There are six Project Listings in the CoC Priority Listing; however, only the New and Renewal Project Listings require unique rank numbers. The remaining four Project Listings only require Collaborative Applicants to accept or reject project applications.

  • The CoC Competition Report, and instructions on how to access the report, that includes data reported in the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) is available for use by Collaborative Applicants to complete portions of the FY 2022 CoC Application.

Project Applicants 

  • Returning project applicants may choose to import FY 2021 renewal project application responses; however, this must be requested during your registration of the Renewal Funding Opportunity in e-snaps and is only available if you submitted a project application in the FY 2021 CoC Program Competition. Imported responses must be carefully reviewed to ensure accuracy.

  • Projects renewing for the first time, that were previously awarded prior to the FY 2021 CoC Program Competition must complete the entire renewal project application.

  • New project applications must be completed in full and in accordance with the new project application components permitted in this year’s Competition.

  • YHDP renewal and YHDP replacement project applications must be completed in full and in accordance with the YHDP renewal and YHDP replacement project application processes outlined in the NOFO.

  • CoC planning and UFA Costs applications will only be reviewed if submitted by the CoC’s designated Collaborative Applicant identified in the CoC Applicant Profile in e-snaps.

  • Dedicated HMIS projects, renewal and new, can only be submitted by the CoC’s designated HMIS Lead as identified in the CoC Applicant Profile in e-snaps.

Additional Guidance 

The following additional guidance will be posted on the CoC Program Competition page of HUD’s website between August 1, 2022 and August 22, 2022: 

  • FY 2022 CoC Estimated ARD Reports

  • Detailed Instructions

    • CoC Application

    • CoC Priority Listing

    • Project Applications – all types

  • Navigational Guides

    • Accessing the Project Application

    • New Project Application

    • Renewal Project Application

    • UFA Costs Project Application

    • Planning Costs Project Application

    • CoC Priority Listing

Questions 

Questions regarding the FY 2022 CoC Program Competition process must be submitted to CoCNOFO@hud.gov.  

Questions related to e-snaps functionality (e.g., password lockout, access to user’s application account, updating Applicant Profile) must be submitted to e-snaps@hud.gov.  

FSSY Announces Yonkers Hoarding Assistance Program

Family Service Society of Yonkers, in partnership with the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Office for the Aging and other community organizations will provide free services too low to moderate income seniors that are unable to afford services on their own. Mental health, clean-up, organizing, extermination, legal assistance are among the free services that will be provided. Please see the attached flyer for details, all inquiries should be directed to FSSY.