An elderly person and a woman in a beige jacket shaking hands across a table with documents, a calculator, and cash on it.

Benefits Access & Tax Assistance

A man and a woman are sitting on a cream-colored couch, engaged in a conversation. The man is wearing glasses, a black and white jacket, and has his hands clasped. The woman is also wearing glasses, dressed in a black blazer with a pink shirt underneath, and has a laptop on her lap. They are in a modern office setting with a monitor displaying colorful charts in the background.

Helping Staten Islanders Access the Resources They Deserve

Navigating public benefits, healthcare, and financial assistance programs can be difficult, especially for families facing financial hardship.

Through its Benefit Access & Tax Assistance Services, we help Staten Island residents access essential resources that strengthen household stability and prevent crises. Our Help Centers in Port Richmond and Stapleton provide guidance regardless of immigration status.

  • Aerial view of a city with a harbor, featuring multiple boats, docks, and high-rise buildings, surrounded by a mix of urban and green areas.

    10,000 services

    delivered to Staten Island residents

  • A row of multi-story brick buildings with arched windows, some with decorative moldings, on a city street during dusk or early evening.

    5,251 households

    enrolled in public benefits

  • Multiple pages of IRS tax forms (1040) with sections for filing status and exemptions, partially overlapping, printed in black ink on white paper.

    3,759 completed

    free tax returns

  • A pile of U.S. currency and receipts on a brown surface. The money includes a twenty-dollar bill, a ten-dollar bill, and several coins.

    $207,452 distributed

    in direct financial assistance to families in need

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How We Support Staten Island

Our Benefit Access & Tax Assistance Services helps navigate complex systems and provide resources that support financial stability.

Services include:

    • SNAP

    • Cash Assistance

    • HEAP

    • WIC

    • Fair Fares

    • SSI/SSD assistance

    • Medicaid and Emergency Medicaid

    • Essential Plan

    • Child Health Plus

    • Marketplace health plans

    • NYC Care enrollment

    • Housing Connect profile creation

    • Affordable housing lottery assistance

    • Landlord advocacy letters

Click Here to Schedule Your Tax Appointment

Real Impact in the Community

Behind every appointment, application, or consultation is a person working toward stability. Learn how access to resources can change the lives of Staten Islanders.

 A Path Toward Stability

When a mother of two arrived at Project Hospitality’s Help Center after immigrating from Ecuador, staff quickly saw how her family was struggling. The children were hungry and lacked basic clothing and shoes.

Our team immediately provided food, baby supplies, and essential items while helping the family begin enrolling in programs such as SNAP, WIC, and health insurance.

The family has continued to receive support through the Help Center, including benefits enrollment, health services, and advocacy on issues affecting their housing and their children’s education. The mother often shares how grateful she is for the guidance she received and encourages others facing hardship to seek support.

A group of four people, including two women and two children, are outdoors in a park with trees in the background. They are smiling and interacting closely, with one woman holding a young girl and the other woman touching the child's chin.
Close-up of a tax form, pens, coins, and a calculator on a desk, indicating financial or tax preparation work.

A Tax Return That Changed a Family’s Future

During tax season at the Port Richmond Help Center, a mother filed her taxes as a head of household, listing her daughter as a dependent. She learned that her refund would be nearly $15,000 and began to cry. For her family, that return meant more than numbers on a form. It enabled them to purchase a used car, so her daughter would no longer have to walk to school in the cold or rain.

“Her gratitude reminded me of something bigger: a tax return is hope, relief, and a new beginning for a family of 2. Moments like this inspire me even more in our everyday work. The Help Center offers true hope!”
– Zhoena Kalivioti, Tax Site Supervisor

Community Partners

Project Hospitality collaborates with city agencies and nonprofit partners to expand public benefits access for Staten Islanders.

Our partners include:

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Text reading 'RUBIN HOOD' with a silhouette of Robin Hood aiming a bow and arrow in the middle.
Logo for United Neighborhood Houses featuring a teal circle with white interconnected lines and the organization's name in black text
Logo of NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs with blue text and icon.
NYC Human Resources Administration logo with black text for the Department of Social Services.
NIH logo with the text 'Consumer and Worker Protection' next to it.
NYC Emergency Management logo with bold blue text and a graphic of a stylized cityscape above.
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Map of Staten Island with overlay of the logo for Staten Island LTR, a long-term recovery organization, including the organization's name and a life preserver graphic

Have any questions about our benefits access services?

Email HelpCenter@ProjectHospitality.org.

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Our Mission Needs You

Access to essential benefits and financial resources can change the course of a family’s life. Your support helps Project Hospitality ensure Staten Islanders can access the guidance and resources they need to build stability.

Get Involved

Interested in building a career that makes a direct impact in Staten Island communities? Explore opportunities with Project Hospitality.

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