Curran Submits Plan To Send Direct Payments To Households

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has filed a measure with the county Legislature that, if adopted, would provide cash payments of $375 to hundreds of thousands of households in the county.

The plan, which Curran first proposed in May, would utilize $100 million from the money the county received as part of the federal government's American Rescue Plan to give payments to up to 400,000 households. The plan, dubbed the Nassau County Household Assistance Program, or HAP, would be open to homeowners and renters, including people living in co-ops. The plan has to be approved by the Legislature before it can be enacted.

“As we continue to recover from the pandemic, Nassau County is committed to delivering relief for our residents and businesses," Curran said. "Having achieved a hard-earned budget surplus, the county will utilize funding from the American Rescue Plan to provide cash relief to up to 400,000 households. I believe this assistance will not only help those who continue to struggle, but also provide a boost to our local economy.”

There are two categories of eligible households for HAP: those with incomes less than $168,900, and those with incomes between $168,900 and $500,000. The ranges were determined using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New York State Long Island Workforce Housing Act to determine low to moderate income for the area. Households in the first category include those receiving Enhanced STAR, Limited Incomes and Disabilities and/or Senior Citizens property tax exemptions.

Households in the first category are presumed to have experienced a negative economic impact from the pandemic, and will not have to demonstrate individual harm in their applications. Those in the second category will have to submit documentation showing they had a negative economic impact from the pandemic, such as proof of unemployment, food or housing insecurity, unreimbursed medical bills, increased child-care expenses, coronavirus-related death expanses or unreimbursed remote learning/work expenses including increased internet costs.

To ensure compliance with federal guidance, the county will identify eligible households and verify incomes using income tax statements and available databases where possible, and will set up an application process with outreach for others not listed in such records.