Preview - What's New at PEU - February

Happy February, NYC! 🎉

Welcome to our revamped PEU newsletter. We're still here to provide you with all the resources and City services you need, now in a condensed and refreshed format in honor of the new year! We’re also adding a Program Spotlight where we’ll dig a little deeper into one big project each month.

Our team hit the ground running this new year: we hosted days of action to connect New Yorkers to Fair Fares and illegal lockout support, helped New Yorkers start the year off with health insurance and tenant support, and more. We’re at locations across NYC.

Keep scrolling to learn more about City resources and how we deliver them straight to New Yorkers.

In a New York state of mind 🗽,

The Public Engagement Unit

Program Spotlight: Preventing Illegal Lockouts in NYC 🔐

All tenants have the legal right to remain in their homes unless evicted by an NYC Marshal after going through the housing court process. It is illegal for landlords or others to pressure or force tenants to leave their homes.

In August, our Tenant Support Unit (TSU), which provides holistic support to tenants on a variety of critical issues, launched a new outreach initiative to inform NYC tenants about their rights and help prevent unlawful evictions. Over 30 TSU Specialists hit the streets in 37 high-risk ZIP codes, distributing tens of thousands of flyers and going door-to-door to speak with tenants about their rights. The team also ran a targeted LinkNYC campaign with engaging visual ads in over 200 NYC ZIP codes.
When the team identified tenants facing issues, our Specialists were there to provide hands-on support. TSU Specialists can assist tenants in filing a complaint when their landlord, in an effort to force them to leave, has turned off the utilities or failed to make necessary repairs. They also help them navigate the bureaucracy to access other resources - everything from legal support to financial assistance.

The campaign culminated in a successful Day of Action against illegal lockouts last week in East New York. See our team in action on NY1, CBS, PIX11, and El Diario (and more below!).

Utilizing data from our Tenant Helpline, on-the-ground outreach, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and other partner agencies, PEU continues to refine our targeted outreach and design new campaigns to help keep New Yorkers in their homes. The illegal lockouts initiative, coordinated by PEU in partnership with HPD, is one of the projects the City intends to scale under the new Tenant Protection Cabinet, announced by Mayor Adams in his State of the City address last month.

Top 4️⃣ Resources We're Sharing this Month

Fair Fares

Eligibility for NYC’s Fair Fares program expanded, giving more New Yorkers access to discounted train and bus fares. Our Special Projects team has been
conducting outreach about Fair Fares for months, and most recently hosted a Day of Service to get the word out in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Learn more about this Fair Fares expansion.

Home Energy Assistance

Get financial help to heat your home this winter with the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). We’re meeting New Yorkers in the streets and on their phones to help them learn more about HEAP and apply.

The Key to Housing

The Public Engagement Unit’s (PEU) Home Support Unit works with landlords, real estate brokers, and property managers in all five boroughs to lease vacant apartments to qualified New Yorkers receiving recession-resistant rental assistance. Help us recruit new partners with our new outreach materials.

Medicaid Expansion

Undocumented immigrants age 65 and older may now qualify for full Medicaid (as opposed to only emergency Medicaid) depending on income. Learn more from NY State of Health here and
contact GetCoveredNYC for support!

PEU - WHO ⭐ Staff Spotlight

Meet Gabriel Gjyla, an Outreach Specialist on PEU’s Special Projects Team (SPT). Learn more about our special projects here.

What inspired you to join PEU?

As a former CUNY intern with PEU, I had the privilege of working alongside many of my current colleagues, witnessing the remarkable work they do for the people of New York, including members of my community in the Bronx. This ignited a passion that led me to join SPT.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

In my role, I take pleasure in going out to different neighborhoods, connecting with locals, and sharing information about the numerous resources available to assist them. Some of the resources I work with include Benefits Access, Fair Fares, Rent Freeze, and more. Each initiative is a testament to PEU’s commitment to addressing critical needs within the community.

In the News 🗞️

Mayor Adams' Public Engagement Unit hits streets to inform tenants of their rights in face of illegal evictions in CBS News

Illegal lockouts in NYC: These are your rights as a tenant in PIX11
NYC Public Engagement Unit teaching New Yorkers to fight against unlawful evictions in News 12 Brooklyn
New effort in mayor's administration aims to prevent unlawful evictions in NY1

Caseros no pueden desalojar a inquilinos ni cambiar cerraduras en NYC sin una orden judicial en El Diario

Mayor’s Unit Launches Action To Help Seniors And People With Disabilities Stay In Their Homes in Harlem World
Programa para congelar tu alquiler en la Ciudad de Nueva York: cómo aplicar en Univision

About PEU

The NYC Public Engagement Unit (PEU) uses community organizing principles to re-envision how the city provides services to its most vulnerable communities. Rather than expecting constituents to navigate a complex city bureaucracy to get the help they need, PEU adopts grassroots tactics to meet residents where they are — at their doors and on their phones, in their social media feeds, and in their communities. PEU combines this proactive outreach with comprehensive case management, and in doing so, builds long-term relationships between New Yorkers and their government.

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