Individuals and Families
The UJO assists individuals and families in a holistic way to improve their lives and lead them to self-sufficiency and prosperity. From putting bread on tables through assistance with applying for SNAP and providing them with food packages; assisting families with housing issues; crisis intervention; and assistance to apply for free to subsidized and affordable medical coverage; assistance for adults to improve their knowledge and skills to join or rise in the workforce; and help to would-be-entrepreneurs with business plans and obtaining loans. We are grateful to the agencies that help provide and fund those services, including: NYC DYCD, NYC HRA, MOCJ, and NYS OCFS.
MEDICAID
Our authorized health care navigators assist low-income families to apply and recertify for Medicaid medical coverage. We are authorized to enroll and directly submit applications and renewal applications for Medicaid coverage.
CHILD HEALTH PLUS
Low-income to middle-income families, earning above Medicaid’s income limits, may still have the option to enroll their children in the Child Health Plus program for free or at a low cost. Our staff will advise you if your children qualify, and if so, will enroll them and also submit their annual renewal.
Essential Plan
Adults between the ages of 19 to 65 with incomes exceeding Medicaid’s income limits may qualify for the New York Essential Plans, covering many medical expenses for no or very low monthly costs. Our staff helps clients understand these plans and enrolls them in the plan of their choice.
Health Insurance - Marketplace
Our devoted and experienced staff are trained and authorized to assist adults and families understand which health insurance options are available to them, which plans are most affordable, what their cost will be, and will enroll them in the proper health insurance plan through the NY State of Health Marketplace.
Health Coverage Guidance and Advocacy
Do you need assistance with choosing the right HMO? Switching an
HMO? Emergency sign-up to the right plan to cover treatments for
critical conditions? Our staff is here to help you make the
right decisions, guide you through the procedures, and advocate
when needed to ensure that you receive the right coverage.
Our staff also assists those with chronic illnesses,
disabilities or meet other eligibility criteria, to apply for
straight Medicaid.
SNAP FOOD BENEFITS
Our office assists clients with applying or renewing their applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. We are authorized to accept and submit the applications and documentation to HRA for approval.
Crisis Intervention Case Management
When crisis strikes, should it be a devastating fire, illness of a family member, a job or financial loss, our case managers stand ready to assist families to enroll them in various programs, and provide financial, emotional, and other types of assistance to help them not only survive, but to thrive with God’s help.
Heating and Utilities Assistance
During the winter months, HEAP representatives from HRA are at
our office to enroll low- and moderate-income residents in the
HEAP program. The HEAP program helps pay for high heating costs
and other utility bills, as well as emergency HEAP to prevent
heat and electricity shut-offs.
We also assist with applying for
Heart Share. This program helps pay for utility bills to ensure that
families can stay warm during the winter.
We also assist with applying for the
Empower NY
program, to make apartments energy efficient.
PASSOVER ASSISTANCE
Passover is the costliest holiday for families, especially large ones, who have to buy large quantities of Passover staples. The UJO – in Partnership with the Met Council - conducts the largest annual Passover food distribution (usually a Sunday or two Sundays before Passover). We also partner with the Met Council on distributing Passover Food Vouchers for needy families in the neighborhood.
Public and Subsidized Housing
Our housing staff assists residents in the NYCHA developments, Mitchell-Lamas projects and other developments. We help with applying and recertifying for housing benefits, ensuring that rents are affordable, adding and removing members from the lease when there is a change in household size, fighting evictions and burdensome right-sizings, advocating for maintenance, heat and hot water, and security in their developments, and much more.
Section 8 Rental Subsidies
We also assist Section 8 clients who rent their apartments from private owners with their applications and recertifications, changes to the household, report income changes, and lease transfers. We advocate for their needs to ensure that families don’t lose their voucher and can afford a decent apartment for their family.
Lead Safety
We have partnered with the NYC Department of Health to promote awareness on the harms caused by lead paint in old houses and other lead-based products, and how to be protected from those hazards. Our lead safety caseworkers assist families with guidance on how to best address lead issues. We also help homeowners apply for the Primary Prevention Program grants to remediate and abate lead paint in older apartments.
Special Education Intervention
Our Special Ed coordinator helps families obtain the necessary remedial services, physical and occupational therapies, and other services for their children in private schools. We guide them through the application, evaluation and approval process with the NYC Department of Education, and advocate for them when services are delayed or denied.
Legal Clinic
Our full-time legal clinic assists low-income clients with an array of services – from addressing identity theft issues, providing legal assistance with benefits and housing, to reaching out to government agencies to defend clients’ rights, and advocating for clients when facing debt collections, and much more.
Immigration Services
Our legal clinic also oversees the free immigration assistance
that we provide to clients. It includes assisting Williamsburg
residents with completing and filing for family reunifications
for relatives to settle in the US, or applications for
Adjustment of Status, citizenship applications, and other
services.
Our Yiddish speaking instructors, also conduct English ESL and
Civics classes in the native Yiddish language, to prepare
immigrants for the Civics test so they can grasp English and
pass the Civics exam for citizenship.
Disability Benefits
Our office assists with applying for SSI financial assistance for disabled children and adults who qualify for the program. We also assist with applying for SSDI for eligible adults.
Workforce Development
The UJO provides a number of trainings to help you succeed in
the workforce. We hold ESL and Basic Computer courses, training
individuals with language and computer skills – such as MS
Office Word, Excel and QuickBooks software. Our menu of classes
for men and women include entrepreneurship classes in
conjunction with the
Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS); Real Estate sales; Auto CAD; Property and Casualty Insurance
Brokerage; CDL; MCSE Computer Programming; Graphic Design; and
Professional Photography.
Our career counselors also assist clients to identify their
skills and strengths, to help make the right career decision,
and we also assist with job placements.
Pusoach Small Business Loans
Starting a small business, expanding a small or home business
and in need of assistance to survive the starting or growing
pains? We are proud to work as partners with the
Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS)
to assist qualifying businesses with up to $50,000 of
interest-free loans to be paid back within five years. Thanks to
this partnership, small businesses in the community already
received millions of dollars in loans during the past years.
We also provide other forms of assistance to get your business
off the ground and help it grow even more.
