When you apply for shelter at PATH, you will be asked where you lived for the last two years. DHS looks at any place you have stayed in the last two years to see if you can go back there. When you apply for shelter at AFIC, DHS will look at places you have stayed within the past year.

It can be hard to prove where you lived one to two years ago and, if you have trouble proving your housing history, DHS may say you are “ineligible,” which means they do not think you have proven you are homeless. If that happens, you will get a notice that has a box that looks like this:

If you get a notice from PATH or أفيك like the one above that says, “We cannot help you because: Incomplete 2-Yr Housing History,” or “applicants must provide the agency with a complete, accurate, and verifiable one-year housing history,” it means that DHS does not agree that you have enough proof of where you stayed for the past one to two years. It could mean they لا know where you were on certain dates OR that they have not been able to reach anyone by phone who can say when you were there. The notice they give you should show the dates that DHS was unable to confirm – if there are no dates listed, ask a PATH or أفيك worker what dates they still want you to tell them about. 

If you get a notice like the one above, you must reapply for shelter as soon as you receive the notice. The first time you are found ineligible by PATH or AFIC due to your housing history, you can call to reapply by phone. This number can be found on your ineligibility notice under the general contact information.  

PATH: To reapply after your first ineligibility notice, call 718-716-6102 (6140, 6555) 

AFIC: To reapply after your first ineligibility notice, call 212-481-4704 or 917-227-3537 

If you are deemed ineligible again, you must reapply in person. Usually, you will be able to stay in your current shelter placement after you reapply (by phone or in person) and while you wait for a new notice. 

PATH: You can send PATH new documents and information to prove your housing history by sending an email to Programgroup@dhs.nyc.gov. You can also fax your documents to PATH at 917-637-7756. In order to confirm that PATH received your fax, you can call 718-716-6013 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

AFIC: You can send AFIC new documents and information to prove your housing history by sending an email to AFICDOCSUMBISSION@dhs.nyc.gov. You can also fax your documents to AFIC at 212-481-4622. To confirm that AFIC received your fax, you can call 212-481-4704.  

The best way to prove where you lived is to provide mail from every month that you were staying at each address (such as ConEd bills, phone bills, etc.) and something showing the dates you moved in and out from that address (such as leases and eviction notices). Make sure your PATH or AFIC staff have these documents. 

If you don’t have mail or proof of when you moved in and out, the next best way to prove an address is to have someone who knows where you were staying (including a friend, family member, neighbor, coworker, or social service worker) write a letter to say when you were there. The person writing the letter does NOT have to have lived at that address with you, but they must know you were there.  

If the person remembers, it is best to have the exact day you started staying there, the exact day you left, how the person knows when you were staying there, and a phone number where DHS staff can contact the person writing the letter. If you can, you should find someone who is able to talk on the phone during business hours. The person should say in their letter when they can talk. The letter does not have to be in English; it can be in the language that the person writing the letter prefers to speak and write. The letter does NOT need to be notarized. 

إذا كنت قد فعلت كل شيء أعلاه وما زلت غير مؤهل للحصول على سجل سكن غير مكتمل ، فيجب عليك طلب جلسة استماع عادلة طارئة عن طريق الاتصال بالرقم 800-205-0110 أو الذهاب إلى مكتب Fair Hearing الموجود في 14 مكان بوروم في بروكلين. سيتم تحديد موعد جلسة الاستماع في غضون 2-3 أيام عمل (من الاثنين إلى الجمعة).  

Since March 2020, you have the option to have your Fair Hearing by phone or in person. At the Fair Hearing, you will be given a chance to prove your case to a judge. It can be helpful to bring a new piece of evidence of your housing history to the hearing (for example, a new letter, additional mail, or other records). If you can’t provide evidence for a certain time period from your housing history, write down a clear and organized timeline that shows every place you lived for the past two years. It is possible that DHS will accept your timeline and verbal statements during the hearing as proof, especially if the missing time period is only a few days.  

When you get to the Fair Hearing, ask for a copy of your case file (you have a right to the file). If you have access to email, ask the DHS representative to email you a copy of your case file. You can also request the file before your fair hearing by emailing  dhsfhevidencepacket@dss.nyc.gov. Be sure to include your Fair Hearing number in your email request.  

It is important to get a copy of your case file to understand why PATH or AFIC is unable to verify your housing history. You should also ask the judge for a few minutes to review the case file before the hearing starts. 

إذا كانت لديك جلسة استماع عادلة وفقدت أو كنت تنتظر قرارًا ، فيمكنك الاتصال تحالف المشردين من خلال الاتصال بالخط الساخن الخاص بهم على 888-358-2384 ، وقد يكونون قادرين على مساعدتك في اكتشاف الخطأ الذي حدث وكيفية الحصول على ما تحتاجه. يفتح التحالف من أجل المشردين (Coalition for the Homeless) أبوابه من الإثنين إلى الجمعة من الساعة 9 صباحًا حتى الساعة 5 مساءً ، وسوف يرد على مكالمتك في أقرب وقت ممكن. 

تم إعداد المعلومات الواردة في هذا المستند من قبل جمعية المساعدة القانونية لأغراض إعلامية فقط وليست استشارة قانونية. لا يُقصد من هذه المعلومات إنشاء علاقة بين المحامي وموكله ولا يشكل استلامها. يجب ألا تتصرف بناءً على أي معلومات دون الاستعانة بمستشار قانوني متخصص.