Benefits & the Social Safety Net

Public benefits are a vital lifeline providing access to food, healthcare, and housing. They are administered by multiple City, State, and federal agencies, each with its own complex web of rules and regulations. These bureaucratic hurdles prevent many New Yorkers from accessing the crucial services to which they are entitled. Even when families are able to access benefits and shelter, punitive regulations and onerous administrative requirements put those benefits at constant risk of termination. BDS fights to make benefits and shelter more accessible.