Westchester County eviction and foreclosure prevention programs.
Residents of Westchester County that are at risk of homelessness (either eviction or foreclosure) and that have no financial resources or other solutions available to them can apply for eviction as well as foreclosure help. The assistance arranged in the city of White Plains (and the region) and county of Westchester will combine Housing First case management as well as the possibility of financial aid.
Programs are focused on people who are either currently homeless in Westchester County or who are at imminent risk of homelessness from eviction, foreclosure, or a shut off of their power or water. The family (or individual) applying for help can't have any other housing options available to them, whether from a friend, family member, or local charity. Some partners include the Hispanic Coalition, Westhab, Samaritan House Shelter, Sharing Community as well as other groups. In addition, the landlord or lender needs to agree to be fully involved in these eviction prevention programs as well.
Financial help in Westchester County
If found eligible for assistance, the type of support arranged is below. The exact type of aid will of course depend on many other factors too. Using HUD funds and regulations set by the government Social Services as well as the Emergency Solution Grant program, homeless prevention may include the following.
-Short term rental assistance, money for utility or security deposits, and grants to pay off some of the arrears due to a landlord.
-One time, short term assistance for project-based rental assistance, such as section 8 in Westchester County. Or read more on applying for section 8 in New York
-Very limited amount of money for mortgage costs including property taxes, fees and home loan refinancing expenses.
-HUD will pay for some qualified legal services related to mortgage review or the analysis of a pay or quit notice.
-Utility bills, including water, electric, and/or heating can be paid directly to the power company.
Westchester County homeless prevention programs will offer assistance to those on the verge of eviction or foreclosures. There is also help for households as well as individuals with a total household income exceeding 30% of the area median, but each agency offers help at their sole discretion. This will include all sources. Such as single moms will need to factor in their child support, the disabled need to report on SSI, and seniors any income from pensions. All sources of income will be assessed for anyone seeking eviction or foreclosure help.
Oftentimes refugees or immigrant struggle to pay for housing in the very expensive Westchester County market as well as towns such as New Rochelle, White Plains, or Peekskill. They too can apply for assistance, including from groups such as the Hispanic Coalition. When they do, the HUD ESG grants can pay for a portion of legal services. But the immigrant will need to contribute as well. There is help for immigration and citizenship needs.
Grants are only provides from ESG if other funds in the community have been exhausted. If there are other charities that a tenant or homeowner can still turn to for support, then it is more likely that the homeless prevention program will issue them a loan for their housing, mortgage payment or rental need. No matter what is done, agencies will require all the steps and the process to be documented for each applicant.
The costs for the new home or apartment need to be shared. Homeless prevention will not pay for all of the rent or utilities due. The amount owed by the tenant will be based on their income, and government aid may only last for 3 to 4 months. During this time-frame, the client’s portion of what they owe gradually increases in a scale, usually be 25% per year. This stresses shared responsibility for both the low income family and the government.
Attorneys and case managers for homeless prevention in Westchester County
Homeless families, tenants, and homeowners will need to meet with a case manager or free legal aid attorney, maybe from social services in White Plains or Westhab. This process will be used to determine if an eviction/foreclosure or even rehousing program will work for them. This will go over the client's barriers and seek to address the cause of their crisis. Attorneys in Westchester County also participate on stopping foreclosures or evictions, and can serve in housing court. All applications will need to be verified, and cases of fraud will be addressed accordingly by the authorities in Westchester County.
Homeless prevention services in Westchester County will require the creation of a case plan. This will involve ensuring the client has housing stability. This is used for preventing a future eviction or related event. It is a goal driven process with benchmarks and deadlines in place. There will be verification done as well as a review of documentation from non-profits as well as employers in the region.
Any financial aid for a deposit or rental costs is temporary. It can end at anytime. The likely hood of funds ending sooner rather than later is for those people that do not meet the goals in the plan. The client will work with staff from Westchester County based agencies on rebuilding credit, learning new job skills, and tips on how to increase their income.
Assistance for homeless in Westchester County
Rapid rehousing is also used in Westchester County. There are also warming and cooling centers in the county run by DSS Emergency Services. Anyone that was evicted by their landlord, or lost their home to a foreclosure, will need to create a future budget that lists their income and expenses. This will be required in order to get assistance in moving into a property. There is also rehousing priority given to pregnant women or parents with children under the age of 6 including shelters run by partners like Samaritan House Shelter.
Grants will be paid out (or a loan as noted), and until this occurs, the applicant can't sign a lease for the new apartment. They also can't try to work with the landlord to move into the property until it has passed an affordability as well as habitability inspection from the Westchester County agency. Appointments are needed for this.
Applying
For more information on all of these programs for stopping homelessness in the Westchester County region, dial (914) 995-2099 for Emergency Services. There are also pro-bono, free lawyers that help immigrants, the low income or elderly, non-profits like Westhab that work to stop homelessness and other agencies.
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