Valerie T. Figueroa, Deputy Commissioner

Employment and Income Support Programs (EISP) develop and oversee New York policies and procedures related to State and social services district administration of:

• Temporary Assistance (TA) programs to meet basic income needs for low income New York residents through the Family Assistance, Safety Net Assistance, and emergency assistance programs. EISP also oversees several rent supplement programs intended to reduce homelessness.
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide monthly nutritional assistance benefits for households. OTDA also contracts for SNAP outreach services as well as related nutrition education.
• Employment services for TA and SNAP recipients and other low-income residents as provided by social services districts and OTDA. OTDA provides grants to districts and community-based organizations to provide employment service, including the Summer Youth Employment Program, SNAP E&T Ventures, and Career Pathways Program.
• The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) State Supplement Program (SSP), which provides cash assistance to needy elderly, blind or disabled persons.
• The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) to provide benefits to low and moderate households to help meet ongoing and emergency heating needs. The program also supports weatherization services to improve household energy efficiency and heating equipment repair and replacement services.
• As part of this program oversight, EISP is responsible for managing the Flexible Fund for Family Services, which is a $964 million block grant the State provides to social services districts to support a range of services to low-income families.