Brewer asks about the Public Engagement Unit's special projects team
Brewer asks what the special projects unit does; Deputy Commissioner De La Cruz explains it is a field team focused on benefits access, conducting door-to-door, phone, and peer-to-peer text outreach to connect New Yorkers to SNAP, fair fares, and child care, and spearheaded SNAP work requirement outreach.
The special projects unit is part of the public engagement unit.
What does the special projects unit?
Thank you.
I'm going to pass it over to Deputy Commissioner De La Cruz.
Thank you for that question.
I appreciate the opportunity to be able to speak about the work we do at PEU.
Our special projects team is one of the two main core programs of the public engagement unit.
This team primarily focuses on benefits access.
This is a field team dedicated to conduct outreach to connect New Yorkers to the benefits and services that they may be eligible for and that are available to them through the city.
We conduct outreach door-to-door, via phones, via peer-to-peer text messages.
And focus on hand-holding New Yorkers in navigating the complexities of services like SNAP, fair fares, child care, and more.
More recently, this team spearheaded our outreach around the SNAP work eligibility requirements.
door-knocked more than 10,000 doors, made more than 40,000 phone calls, and spoke with over 11,000 New Yorkers
to inform them about the work eligibility requirements and make sure that the people understood the actions they needed to take in order to keep their benefits.