Due to the public health crisis posed by COVID-19, Crisis Intervention walk-in services are temporarily closed.
In order to stay healthy and safe, we suggest staying indoors in a shelter, traveling as little as possible, and keeping a safe distance between yourself and others.
If you have a question about accessing shelter or other services, including if you have been denied access to shelter, please call 1-888-358-2384, the Crisis Intervention emergency hotline, and leave a detailed message, including your phone number. Advocates are available Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm. Messages received on weekends or after hours will be returned the next business day. Please note that the Crisis Intervention Program is based in NYC and only able to respond to questions regarding NYC services.
You have a right to apply for shelter if you have no other safe, available housing option. You must be allowed to apply for shelter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information on where to apply for shelter or the documents you will need in order to apply, please click here.
When you apply for shelter, you will submit documents proving your family status and identity at the triage windows. If you are missing any of the required documents, the AFIC should help you to gather the documents you need to apply, and should give you a place to sleep, for a short time, while you gather this paperwork. If you need additional assistance in gathering required documents please visit the Crisis Intervention Program to speak with an advocate.
You will meet with a worker who will also discuss with you where you have lived for the past two years. Be sure to tell the worker where you have lived, but also why you had to leave, highlighting any conditions that were unhealthy or unsafe at prior residences.
You may be provided with shelter that night, depending on the time you arrived at the intake center (if you do not get a placement that night, the Department of Homeless Services might allow you to stay inside the intake center). When you are first placed in shelter, the placement should last for the next 10 days. During this time the AFIC will investigate your eligibility. They will visit and call the places you have stayed, your family and people you have lived with to see if there are any housing options available to you. You may also be given appointments at the AFIC during this time.
At the end of the 10 days DHS will make a decision about your eligibility for shelter. If you are found ineligible, you have the right to re-apply any time with no waiting period. However, the City can deny shelter to families when they re-apply. If you need assistance with your application for shelter, come into the Crisis Intervention Program.
