NEW YORK (WWTI) — Over $64 million in funding was announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on February 8 to help New Yorkers with children, multigenerational households, and survivors of domestic violence with their spending amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding will provide residents with one-time payments to help with the cost of diapers for families in difficulty and cover food expenses for households with both children and seniors. It will also be used to provide crucial housing and relocation assistance for survivors of domestic violence.

The funding was made possible through the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund. It is expected to serve approximately 150,000 children in 128,500 homes statewide, and approximately 26,300 households with seniors or children.

Beginning in February the state OTDA will be issuing the payments to all families enrolled in Public Assistance or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who have a child under the age of three. Families will receive $140 for each eligible child to help with the cost of diapers.

The agency will also issue one-time payments in April of $730 to households that are enrolled in Public Assistance or SNAP and have an adult age 55 or older and a child 17 and younger. Households will receive one-time payments for each eligible senior in the household.

In both cases, OTDA will issue the payments directly to the household’s Electronic Benefit Transfer account.

Additionally, the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund will provide $21.4 million for OPDV to help survivors of domestic violence with children pay for short-term expenses associated with relocation, including rent, utilities, and repairs.

More information about the funding and who is eligible can be found here.