Policy & Practice June 2018

he New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) serves three million vulnerable New Yorkers. The agency has a workforce of close to 18,000 and delivers Like many social services agencies, the New York City DSS wanted to improve its citizen engagement process in a way that would reduce the burden on its staff while simultaneously enhancing the customer experience. T a wide range of services from public assistance and employment services to a large homeless shelter system. In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alone, caseworkers process close to 70,000 applications and re-certifications per month.