We mourn the loss of civil rights leader and Member of Congress, John Robert Lewis.  The son of sharecroppers, John Lewis became one of the leading figures in the civil rights movement in the 1960’s.  He was one of the original Freedom Riders, the youngest keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington, and helped lead a march in 1965 for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he and other marchers were brutally beaten by police.  Lewis later served 33 years in the House of Representatives where he was an ardent supporter of Community Action Agencies such as the EOC of Suffolk, Inc.  In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Lewis the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Nicknamed the “conscience of Congress,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Lewis was the “only former major civil rights leader who extended his fight for human rights and racial reconciliation to the halls of Congress.” We extend our deepest condolences to his son, John-Miles, and the rest of the Lewis family.

Through funding from the federal Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) program, the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. is offering financial assistance to eligible Suffolk County residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding originates from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Financial hardships/need include food, funeral costs, rental expenses, broker fees, utility expenses, medical expenses, retraining expenses, clothing, bedding, toiletries, etc. Applicants’ household income must not exceed 200 percent of poverty guidelines.

Please fill out the application documents below and fax the completed application to Halim Kaygisiz at 631-415-4794. Applications can be emailed to hkaygisiz@eoc-suffolk.com or mailed to 31 West Main Street, Suite 300, Patchogue, NY 11772, Attn: Halim Kaygisiz.

See links below for required documentation:

1. Intake Form: Please complete this form so we can learn about who you are and your living situation.
2. Emergency Assistance Application: Please complete this form so we can learn about your specific hardship/need.
3. Emergency Assistance Application - Spanish: Eoc Of Suffolk Programa De Asistencia De Emergencia.
4. Zero Income Attestation: Please complete this form if you have no income.
5. Income Attestation: Please complete this form if you have income.
6. 2020 Poverty Guidelines: Find out if you meet the 200 percent poverty guideline.

Town of Brookhaven residents may be able to get help with their rental arrears – monies owed to their landlord for missed rent payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic – under a new program at the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. (EOC of Suffolk).

An $80,000 grant from the Town of Brookhaven is funding this EOC of Suffolk initiative to provide support to low-income Brookhaven households facing homelessness because of the effects of COVID-19.

The funds originate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grants program, which assists those at risk of becoming homeless because of job loss, wage reduction, illness, or other hardships associated with COVID-19. Applicants’ household income must not exceed 50 percent of the HUD area median income, which is $63,300 for a family of four.

To find out if you are eligible, contact Halim Kaygisiz, Director of Health Outreach Services, at 631-241-2119 or hkaygisiz@eoc-suffolk.com.

The Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. is truly saddened by recent events and the continued racial violence in our country. We are appalled by what happened to George Floyd and to so many others in the past, and we feel outrage at the injustice of these deaths. As a minority community-based organization, we stand with the entire community in support of the individuals, families, and colleagues who are hurt and angry. And, as part of the national Community Action Network, we also recognize that our country has been challenged in recent times to fully realize the ideals of equality and justice for all within our community.

Our mission is to promote a goal of self-sufficiency by broadening the minds of children, revitalizing communities, and assisting families and children in need… no matter their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, military status, marital status, etc. As service providers, we strive to embody and instill the values of kindness, fairness, and respect for the humanity of all people. Our struggle to foster a society free of racism, sexism, and prejudice of all kinds is a continuous one. We have to first examine our own feelings with honesty and humility, and then bring our urgency, creativity, and persistence to the very difficult task of teaching acceptance.

As community leaders, we are committed to acting on behalf of the wellbeing of our community. EOC of Suffolk is committed to providing services for all members of our community that prioritizes civil rights and civic responsibilities, and that promotes equality and respect for all. We pledge to do everything we can to ensure all of our clients live without fear and with the respect and dignity to which all human beings are entitled.

With solidarity and love for our community,

The Executive Team at EOC of Suffolk, Inc.

Please see this important message from The New York Mortgage Coalition.