List of resources available on Long Island for those who need financial, legal help

Jobs

AARP, 888-687-2277, provides employment resources for members aged 50 and older with the association’s resume adviser tool (nwsdy.li/resume) and jobs board (nwsdy.li/aarp). AARP has also compiled a list of "work from home" jobs (nwsdy.li/jobssearch) with companies that are currently hiring.

Nassau County Department of Labor (nwsdy.li/nassaujobs), Mineola, 516-571-3981

New York State Department of Labor: Seasonal jobs board (nwsdy.li/seasonaljobs). Local jobs board (nwsdy.li/localjobs).

Nassau Community College Workforce Development Training: Email cwd@ncc.edu, noncredit training courses (nwsdy.li/ncc) for those interested in starting or changing careers, or improving skills or credentials.

Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Nassau County (Nassau BOCES): Provides educational and support services toward academic and professional advancement, nassauboces.org (nwsdy.li/boces), Garden City, 516-396-2500.

Suffolk County Dept. of Labor Employment Center (nwsdy.li/suffolkdol), Hauppauge and Riverhead, 631-853-6600

The Workforce Partnership at thewp.org, has centers in Hicksville (516-934-8532) and Massapequa (516-797-4560). The partnership is a network of organizations funded by the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that assists employers in hiring and helping job seekers develop the skills to secure employment.

Occupational Mobility Explorer (nwsdy.li/fedjobtool) is an online tool put together by the Federal Reserve that can help low-paid workers figure out how their skills could be applied to higher-paid jobs.

Legal Assistance

Nassau County Bar Association Email: covidhelp@nassaubar.org; Residents and small businesses of Nassau County can email legal questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a volunteer NCBA attorney will assist with a consultation. Find details here (nwsdy.li/nassaubar).

Suffolk County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service (nwsdy.li/suffolkbar), 631-234-5577. Half-hour consultation with an attorney for $25.

Long Island Housing Services (nwsdy.li/lihs), Suffolk: 631-567-5111, Nassau: 516-292-0400. A private fair housing advocacy and enforcement agency serving Nassau and Suffolk counties. With programs on rental counseling and referrals; education and outreach; legal services and counseling for mortgage default/foreclosure prevention and loan modification, mortgage rescue scam counseling and reporting.

Nassau Suffolk Law Services (nwsdy.li/nslaw), Hempstead: 516-292-8100, Islandia: 631-232-2400, Riverhead: 631-369-1112. Provides free legal services and legal support for low income, disabled and disadvantaged individuals.

Unemployment Insurance

File a new unemployment insurance claim, if you qualify at dol.ny.gov. File online for unemployment 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. More info here (nwsdy.li/claims).

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): This program (nwsdy.li/PUA) provides support for Americans who are unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic, but do not qualify for traditional Unemployment Insurance (UI). Learn eligibility and how to file (nwsdy.li/file).

Money and Finances

Nassau Suffolk Law Services, Hempstead: 516-292-8100, Islandia: 631-232-2400, Riverhead: 631-369-1112, has created guides in both English and Spanish (nwsdy.li/guides) on how to pay bills and deal with debt collectors. The guides offer information and links on how to deal with issues involving utilities, credit cards, rent and mortgage payments and student loans.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal watchdog group, has created a list (nwsdy.li/CFPB) of resources to help consumers make financial decisions and help find aid from government agencies during the pandemic.

Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI), Centereach: 631-471-1215. This regional nonprofit organization works to address the demand for affordable housing on Long Island. CDCLI offers an online financial fitness and wealth program (nwsdy.li/CDCLI) for a $25 fee. During the pandemic, CDCLI also offers a variety of assistance (nwsdy.li/aid) in the areas of homeownership and improvement, rental assistance and residential lending.

Family & Children’s Association, Mineola: Offers financial assistance and counseling, 516-485-3425 (nwsdy.li/FCA) for seniors in the areas of bill management, home heating assistance, health insurance assistance, reverse mortgages and more. FCA also provides career and professional workshops for at-risk youth, ages 14-24, with topics including resume and interview preparation, financial literacy and college application preparation.

Family Service League, Huntington: 631-427-3700, fsl-li.org, Suffolk-based social service agency with over 60 programs in 19 locations across Long Island, including one in Nassau County. Provides mental health, trauma and addiction services, employment, housing, and training services, senior and caregiver support and childcare and family assistance.

Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, Huntington Station, 516-483-1110, hwcli.com. Umbrella organization for health and human service providers. Direct services include help with enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), volunteer income tax assistance, and assistance with New York State Health insurance enrollment.

Hebrew Free Loan Society, New York City: 212-687-0188. This nonsectarian institution (nwsdy.li/hfls) offers interest-free loans to moderate and lower income people in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, regardless of religious identity or affiliation. The society’s Coronavirus Financial Impact Loan Program (nwsdy.li/loan) lends money to those impacted by the pandemic due to job losses, child care or medical costs, and small business losses.

IRS The IRS has set up a "Get My Payment" website (nwsdy.li/irs) that allows you to check on the status of your stimulus payment. Find an FAQ here (nwsdy.li/irsfaq).

Mortgage forbearance Homeowners with federally backed mortgages may get relief if they are suffering financial hardships because of the coronavirus pandemic. More info on that here (nwsdy.li/fha). Find out if your lender is regulated by New York State here (nwsdy.li/statereg). Find a federally approved housing counselor here (nwsdy.li/counselor).

Student loans Automatic forbearance on federal student loans has been extended to Dec. 31. Relief is neither automatic nor as comprehensive for private loans but New York State has an agreement with many commercial and private lenders to offer help to people facing financial hardship (nwsdy.li/studentloans) because of the coronavirus.

Renter assistance There can be no residential evictions in New York State until at least Aug. 1. You are obligated to pay rent. More info can be found here (nwsdy.li/rent); financial and legal resources for tenants can be found here (nwsdy.li/tenants).

Education

If your college savings have lost some money due to COVID-19, consider transferring to a local community college.

Nassau Community College, 1 Education Dr., Garden City, 516-572-7501, ncc.edu, nwsdy.li/transfer.

Suffolk County Community College, Ammerman Campus: 533 College Rd., Selden, 631-451-4110; Eastern Campus: 121 Speonk-Riverhead Rd., Riverhead, 631-548-2500; Michael J. Grant Campus: Crooked Hill Road, Brentwood, 631-851-6700, sunysuffolk.edu, nwsdy.li/SUNY

Compiled by Laura Mann, Dorothy Levin, Judy Weinberg, Nyasia Draper, Caroline Curtin