Donations - DHS

Department of Homeless Services

Serving New Yorkers with Care & Compassion


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Meet the Commissioner
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Contracts & Procurement
DHS FAQ
Office of Equity & Inclusion
Office of Equal Employment Opportunities
Donations
History
Language Law Access Plan
Legal Notices
Transgender, Non-binary, and Intersex Clients
Turning the Tide on Homelessness in NYC
Stats & Reports
Unsheltered Outreach
Working with Communities

Meet the Commissioner

Child Health and Safety

Applicants and Clients with Disabilities

Contracts & Procurement

DHS FAQ

Office of Equity & Inclusion

Office of Equal Employment Opportunities

Donations

History

Language Law Access Plan

Legal Notices

Transgender, Non-binary, and Intersex Clients

Turning the Tide on Homelessness in NYC

Stats & Reports

Unsheltered Outreach

Working with Communities


Strategic Partnerships

The DSS Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) collaborates with organizations across diverse sectors to develop new and innovative opportunities to improve benefits and services to clients, and to secure crucial donations for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and income insecurity.

Partnership Opportunities

In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations, such as clothing, school supplies, and personal care products, make a significant, tangible impact on the lives of individuals and families in shelters. OSP collaborates with private and public organizations, as well as individuals, to secure meaningful contributions supporting thousands of adults, and families with children as they transition to permanent housing and rebuild their lives in the communities, they once called home.

View our In-kind Contribution Menu and discover how we can make a difference together

Event Sponsorships

Access to cultural, sports, social, and educational events enriches the lives of adults and children in shelters by broadening their horizons and helping them envision a brighter future. DSS-HRA-DHS partners have the opportunity to make a direct impact on the well-being of shelter residents by providing experiences that inspire hope and encourage personal growth. Each year, through collaborations with our sponsors, OSP organizes over 300 special events, offering shelter clients access to a wide range of activities. Want to create a transformative experience with us? Email osp@dss.nyc.gov

Financial Contributions

Organizations and individuals can support DSS by making a donation to our shelter support fund, the DHS Homeless Trust Fund.

A donation to the DHS Homeless Trust Fund helps improve the quality of life for thousands of individuals and families currently experiencing homelessness. Your donations go directly to shelters, which use the funds to buy clothing, gifts, board games, and sports equipment. The fund also helps DSS sponsor special events, such as trips to amusement parks, the circus, and baseball games. Donations may be earmarked for specific shelters.
For donations to the Homeless Trust Fund, please make checks payable to the NYC Department of Homeless Services and mail to:
DHS Homeless Trust Fund
Office of Strategic Partnerships
33 Beaver Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Cross-Sector Partnerships

OSP cultivates and maintains strategic relationships with key leaders across philanthropy, government, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community groups. These partnerships foster cross-sector collaboration, resulting in innovative initiatives that enhance DSS’s ability to serve. Through these efforts, OSP secures philanthropic funding and in-kind contributions to test and develop service interventions with the potential to transform how the city addresses the needs of its most vulnerable citizens.

Flagship Partners and Programs

We would like to extend our appreciation to all our collaborative partners that are helping DSS-HRA-DHS bring innovative and new approaches, including:

UNIQLO AND DHS – PATH Child Wait Space Glow Up

Last fall, UNIQLO donated toys, games, and furniture to help revamp the PATH Child Wait Space, a children’s indoor play area at the DHS families with children intake site, with new toys, games, art & crafts kits, and more. Since 2014, UNIQLO in USA has donated over 250,000 units of clothing to families at PATH who are experiencing immediate housing crises. UNIQLO has also partnered with DSS to help provide clothing to those experiencing homelessness who are not yet living in a shelter. Each night, DSS homeless outreach workers engage with people in subway stations and trains, offering guidance as well as necessities, such as socks and t-shirts, many of which have been donated by UNIQLO.

Get to know some more of our partners

What New Yorkers Can Do to Help

DSS-HRA-DHS is grateful to receive an outpouring of generosity and support from organizations and individuals in the community that wish to improve the lives of clients in shelter.

We also receive numerous requests from ordinary New Yorkers who would like to know how they too can help households experiencing homelessness. If you or your corporation is interested in hosting an event, please email osp@dss.nyc.gov.

To find volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood, please visit NYC Service.

Finally, DSS reminds all City residents to dial 311, should they see an individual who is sleeping on the streets or subways and who is in need of assistance. Though outreach teams are deployed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, New Yorkers can serve as an extra set of eyes and ears for the City, helping to connect street homeless New Yorkers with potentially life-saving services.

Letters of Support

OSP also supports cross-sector collaboration by vetting request to DSS-HRA-DHS for letters of support from for community organizations to accompany their grant proposals for State, Federal and philanthropic funding. DSS does not provide Letters of Support for funding opportunities with DSS or other New York City agencies unless it is specified in the RFP that a DSS letter is required. Organizations seeking a letter from DSS in support of their grant proposal should follow the DSS Letter of Support Procedure to submit a request. We ask that applicants submit their request to us at least two (2) weeks prior to the RFP deadline.

Please submit your Letter of Support request and supporting documentation to the DSS Office of Strategic Partnerships at letterofsupport@dss.nyc.gov.

Please note that Letters of Support from the NYC Continuum of Care (NYC CoC) must be requested directly from the NYC CoC webpage.

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