New York City is putting trained outreach staff into neighborhoods to help residents hold on to health coverage and food assistance as federal rules tighten. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and the NYC Health Department announced the Health and Affordability Resource Team (HART) on October 19, 2026.
City officials estimate that up to 900,000 New Yorkers could lose Medicaid once new federal work requirements — rules that tie eligibility to employment or similar activity — take effect on January 1, 2027. HART directs its efforts first at the residents most exposed to that change, including people who have already lost SNAP benefits, the federal food assistance program, under expanded work requirements.
Who staffs the team
Community health workers form the core of HART, backed by community-based organizations and volunteers. Together the workers speak 13 languages, and many have personally navigated the same health care and food assistance systems they now explain to others. Their training covers the federal changes to Medicaid and SNAP, cultural competency, community engagement, insurance eligibility and enrollment, coordination with public health groups, and support for community mental health.
What HART offers residents
- Health coverage — enrollment in Medicaid and other insurance, plus help keeping it
- Food and cash support — assistance applying for food benefits and cash aid
- Housing help — housing assistance and eviction prevention resources
- Financial relief — support with hospital bills and everyday expenses
The city funds the program with a $3 million investment in its Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
Officials frame the effort as a response to federal cuts
Mamdani says health care and nutritious food should not be a privilege, and he faults the federal government for cutting taxes for the ultrawealthy by reducing programs like SNAP and Medicaid. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga describes a whole-of-government approach meant to keep residents from losing support simply because the system is hard to navigate. Health Commissioner Alister F. Martin says the workers will bring services into neighborhoods so residents can reach the resources that keep them healthy.
Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton points to data-driven outreach as the model. She says the method has helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers keep SNAP benefits, and the city now applies it to nearly a million residents at risk of losing health insurance.
