How the City's HASA program helps people with HIV or AIDS get emergency housing, supportive housing or rent help.
The HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) is part of the City's Human Resources Administration (HRA). Each client gets a caseworker. HASA helps with housing and with applications for Medicaid, food benefits, Cash Assistance and home care, and gives referrals for mental health and substance use treatment.
HASA is for New York City residents with an HIV or AIDS diagnosis and an eligible immigration status. The Community Service Society chart lists qualified non-citizens (such as green card holders, refugees and people granted asylum) and people with PRUCOL (immigrants allowed to stay without a green card). Ask ServiceLine whether your status qualifies.
Start here
- With an HIV or AIDS diagnosis, go to HASA ServiceLine in person at 400 Eighth Avenue, 2nd floor; documents can also be sent to ServiceLine@hra.nyc.gov.
- If you are homeless and newly accepted by HASA, you can ask ServiceLine for emergency housing the same day.
- Do not leave your apartment before talking to your HASA caseworker: HASA decides with you what type of housing fits.
Check that you qualify
You need a diagnosis, at any time, of HIV illness or AIDS as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HASA says case management is open to every New York City resident with that diagnosis. Since August 29, 2016 you do not need HIV symptoms to be admitted.
Check your immigration status
The Community Service Society chart (May 2026) says HASA accepts qualified non-citizens, people who are PRUCOL for Cash Assistance (Safety Net Assistance) and people who are PRUCOL for State-funded Medicaid. The State counts asylum applicants as PRUCOL for Cash Assistance.
Contact ServiceLine
ServiceLine is the single entry point for applications, information and referrals. Medical and service organizations usually refer people, but you can come on your own: 400 Eighth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10001. Documents are accepted in person, by mail or at ServiceLine@hra.nyc.gov.
Submit one of the forms
Start with any one of these: the General Request for Program Admission, the Medical Request for Homecare, or a Social Security application for an adult or a child.
If you are homeless, ask for housing the same day
Newly accepted HASA clients who are homeless can ask for a same-day placement at ServiceLine, 400 Eighth Avenue. Emergency housing is temporary.
Meet your caseworker
Your caseworker works with you on an ongoing basis, at one of the HASA centers in each borough. Caseworkers are assigned in rotation; you can ask for a different one for good cause.
Bring an advocate if you want
You can bring an advocate to your appointments. The advocate checks in at reception, and you sign a HIPAA release form and give HASA written permission to discuss your case with them.
HASA housing, from the HRA FAQ (June 2026)
| Who it is for | What it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Transitional Supportive Housing (emergency) | Single adults only; short-term stays | Furnished private rooms with private or shared bathrooms, lounges, meals in a dining room and recreation. On-site staff help with substance use and mental health counseling and with finding permanent housing. |
| SRO units (single room occupancy; emergency) | Single adults and couples; short-term stays | Furnished private rooms with private or shared bathrooms. SRO means single room occupancy. |
| Family Emergency Housing (emergency) | Families | Furnished private apartments for a time, depending on family size and what is available. |
| Congregate Supportive Housing (non-emergency) | Individuals and families who need help to live independently; some models also require a history of homelessness | Furnished housing in one building with intensive on-site services. After you apply, a member of the Comprehensive Health Assessment Team (CHAT) interviews you. |
| Scatter-Site Housing (non-emergency) | Single adults and families who need supportive services | Apartments in different buildings leased in the provider's name, with specialized support. Same application and CHAT interview. |
| Private-market apartment with rental assistance | Eligible clients who want to live independently in the community | You find the apartment yourself. Your caseworker can give a list of brokers HASA clients used before, with no promise they have apartments. HASA approves the rent and lease and pays the landlord directly. |
Know the income rule
Total household income must be below 200% of the federal poverty level. Also, after your rent share you must have less left than the State's level of need ($376 a month for one person in June 2026): then you get rental assistance and possibly Cash Assistance.
Know your rent share
If you live in private-market housing and have any income other than Cash Assistance, you pay 30% of gross household income. HASA pays the rest directly to the landlord.
Ask about the Earned Income Disregard
If you get Cash Assistance and start a job, 100% of your earnings are disregarded for the first six months (once in a lifetime), then 65% (the figure can change every June 1). Unearned income such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or veterans' benefits is not disregarded.
Do not count on the rent guidelines
The rent HASA approves depends on who is in your household, and the number of bedrooms on their relationship, age, gender and other factors. The guidelines are not a promise and can change. It is not CityFHEPS or a voucher program.
Expect home visits
At least once a month for families with a child under 5 and for everyone in emergency housing until permanent housing is found; every three months for most others. If you cannot be home, tell your caseworker in advance and reschedule.
Talk to your caseworker before you move out
Do not abandon your apartment before you talk to your caseworker. If you are homeless or in documented danger to your life, health or safety, HASA can place you in temporary housing while you look for a new apartment.
Ask for your Tenant's Notice of Rights
A New York City law (Local Law 15 of 2022, Administrative Code 21-149) requires supportive housing providers with City contracts to give you a Tenant's Notice of Rights at the interview, at move-in, at each renewal and on request. It is available in Russian. If you did not get it, tell your caseworker, or email a complaint to the Health Department at SHTNR@health.nyc.gov; your name stays confidential.
Close your case only in writing
If you no longer want to be in HASA, tell your caseworker, and you will be asked to fill out a Statement of Non-Participation.
HASA ServiceLine (HIV/AIDS Services Administration)
Asylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumGreen cardFree
HASA's single entry point for applications, information and referrals. You need a diagnosis, at any time, of HIV illness or AIDS. Newly accepted clients who are homeless can ask for same-day emergency housing here. The line's menu has Russian, and staff bring in a free interpreter.
HASA Frequently Asked Questions, in Russian
Any statusFree
HRA's FAQ on benefits, case management, home visits and housing, in Russian and other languages (June 2026).
Housing Works
Any statusFree
A nonprofit that builds and operates supportive and affordable housing for homeless New Yorkers, including people living with HIV or AIDS, transgender people living with HIV and migrant families. Supportive housing places mostly come through government referrals; affordable housing goes through NYC Housing Connect and NYS Housing Search.
Complaints about a supportive housing provider
Any statusFree
If a supportive housing provider did not give you the Tenant's Notice of Rights, email a complaint to the Health Department at SHTNR@health.nyc.gov or file it through 311. The City must investigate, and your identity is never made public.
NYC Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
Any statusFree
A landlord or broker cannot refuse you because you pay with CityFHEPS. Housing discrimination because of immigration status, gender identity or sexual orientation is illegal in New York City. Report it to the City's human rights commission online at nyc.gov/reportdiscrimination.
- HASA
- The HIV/AIDS Services Administration, a program of the Human Resources Administration (HRA) for New Yorkers living with HIV or AIDS.
- ServiceLine
- HASA's single entry point for applications, information and referrals.
- PRUCOL
- Permanently Residing in the United States Under Color of Law: New York State's category for immigrants who may stay without a green card, including many asylum applicants.
- Supportive housing
- Housing with on-site or visiting services such as case management and counseling.
- Congregate and scatter-site housing
- Two kinds of HASA supportive housing: congregate means many residents in one building with on-site services; scatter-site means apartments in different buildings leased by a provider.
- CHAT
- The Comprehensive Health Assessment Team, whose member interviews applicants for non-emergency supportive housing.
- HIPAA release form
- A form you sign to allow HASA to discuss your case with another person, such as an advocate. HIPAA is the federal health privacy law.
- 311
- The City's service for information, complaints and referrals: online at portal.311.nyc.gov, in the 311 app, or by dialing 311 in New York City. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
- Earned Income Disregard
- A rule that excludes part of your job income when HASA decides how much Cash Assistance you receive.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.