Preview - What's New at PEU - September

Hello neighbors and friends –

Summer may be winding down, but the City is ramping up our efforts to connect New Yorkers to benefits that put money back in their pockets. We dig into this, including an exciting day of action with hundreds of City staff, down below – keep reading to learn more!

This month, we’re here to support you with back-to-school prep, apartment move-ins, eviction protection, and more. We also want to extend a big thanks to our summer interns for their incredible work connecting New Yorkers with vital services.

In a New York state of mind 🗽,

The Public Engagement Unit

Top 4️⃣ Resources We're Sharing this Month

Back to School

PEU is here to help you save money, stay healthy, and thrive this school year and beyond. Get connected and prepared for a successful semester with our back-to-school checklist.

Apartment
Checklist

Property owners can make inspections easier with our checklist for preparing for move-ins. This guide helps ensure everything is in order, leading to a smooth inspection and move-in process. Want more tips, tricks, and support? Contact our Home Support Unit.

Eviction
Protection

Don’t self-evict! Even if threatened or harassed, you can't be forced out without a court order and eviction warrant. If facing eviction, resources and assistance are available.

Student OMNY Card

Children in NYC schools may qualify for a Student OMNY Card, which provides four free rides daily, including weekends and in summer, with no time restrictions. Valid throughout the entire school year, it offers more flexibility than the older Student MetroCards.

Program Spotlight:

Closing out a Summer of Benefits and HUGE thanks to our summer interns!

In early July, over 40 student interns from CUNY joined our team as part of our Summer Internship Program to amplify our impact of supporting New Yorkers. These students were trained and mentored by skilled PEU Outreach Specialists who taught them strategies for on-the-ground canvassing, effective communication, and peer-to-peer text banking; and then hit the ground running to deliver essential information to New Yorkers in need.

Over the years, our unit has hosted hundreds of interns from across the CUNY campuses. We provide training in targeted outreach strategies and technologies and provide them with various professional development opportunities to help them in their studies and careers. This year, a cohort of 44 interns spread the word about CitiBike discounts, tenant support, Jobs NYC, benefit screenings, IDNYC, tools to beat the heat, and our Home Support Unit. The interns attended 160 events and completed 2,063 shifts since the start of the program this summer. They’ve texted over 250,000 New Yorkers to promote Jobs NYC Hiring Hall events, making it easier for people to connect with career opportunities. Additionally, they messaged over 50,000 people to offer rideshare discounts and called over 4,000 people to share information about City Bike discounts.

As a culmination of their time with us, interns just participated in our city-wide Day of Action, launching the Money In Your Pocket campaign to help New Yorkers save money by connecting them to essential City benefits. Our staff and interns, in partnership with NYC Opportunity, the Human Resources Administration (HRA), and hundreds of City staff from partner agencies, screened New Yorkers for benefits in all five boroughs and connected them to the services that they need. Together, we engaged thousands of New Yorkers at their doors and on busy street corners in over 20 neighborhoods with the highest need for resources.

As our interns return to school this fall, we wish them the very best of luck and thank them for their valuable contributions to New York City.

PEU - WHO ⭐ Staff Spotlight

Meet Orville, a Specialist on our GetCoveredNYC team!

Tell us about your work at PEU

When I decided to join PEU, I was motivated by my previous experience as a Community Health Worker. What I appreciate most about working at PEU is the flexibility it offers and the opportunity to contribute my insights. This allows me to work smarter, not harder. I've been involved in many projects and accomplishments, but the one that stands out most is organizing and delivering presentations that truly connect with our audience, helping them understand the vital work we do.

By providing New Yorkers with the information, knowledge, and resources they need, we empower them to make informed decisions that can dramatically improve their quality of life.

What types of support do you and your team provide New Yorkers?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is the gratitude and appreciation I receive from New Yorkers when they are successfully enrolled in the programs we offer. One experience that particularly stands out involved enrolling a woman into NYC Care. She was unaware that these services were available to undocumented New Yorkers. Months later after helping her enroll, I encountered her again, and she thanked me profusely. She shared that after enrolling, she received a medical examination, which led to the early detection and treatment of stage 2 cancer. She credited me with saving her life by connecting her to these health services.

In the News 🗞️

Read more here

Adams launches 'Money in Your Pocket' benefits initiative (NY1)
NYC lanza recurso para que neoyorquinos se beneficien de más de 70 programas de ayuda económica (Telemundo)

‘Money in Your Pockets’: Mayor Adams’ program aims to connect ‘underserved’ New Yorkers with public benefits (AMNY)

Mayor Adams Launches “Money In Your Pocket” Initiative To Aid New Yorkers From Harlem To Hollis (Harlem World)
Mayor Adams unveils ‘Money in Your Pocket’ initiative to empower New Yorkers (Parkchester Times)

Mayor Adams Launches ‘Money in Your Pocket’ Initiative to Help New Yorkers Access Benefits (Little Africa News)
NYC housing specialists help people find permanent homes (PIX 11)

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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