What's next after ONYC?

Your family has accomplished and earned a lot through Opportunity NYC. During these last three years, you’ve invested in your family’s education, health and employment while earning additional cash.

Now it’s time to start planning how to continue your success and accomplish even more after the program ends on August 31, 2010.

Living without the extra income from Opportunity NYC Family Rewards might mean making some changes in how you manage your money, but with the help of Opportunity NYC, you and your family can take the next step to achieve even greater goals by making the most out of the education, health, work and financial programs and services available in the city.

Important Deadlines

Activity	Deadline
Submitting Year 3 Coupons	September 15, 2010
Submitting coupons for full-time work requiring tax information	May 15, 2011
Resubmitting Year 3 Coupons	May 15, 2011
Submitting bank account information or Stored Value Card applications for the first time ever	September 15, 2010
Last time to change bank account information	May 15, 2011

Got Questions?

Do you have questions about getting payments after the program ends, maintaining your Opportunity NYC savings account, getting customer support or anything else related to the end of Opportunity NYC Family Rewards? We have answers to all of them. Check out these Life After ONYC Questions, speak to your community organization (http://opportunitynyc.org/contact) or call the Helpline at 212-994-4528. We’re here to help!

Need Direct Services?

The city offers many free or low-cost programs and services that can help you continue the success you have achieved during your participation in Opportunity NYC. These programs can provide you with financial counseling, education and employment services and guidance, helping your children succeed in school and making sure you and your children stay healthy.

See the Life After ONYC Resource Guide

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Tips on Getting by Without ONYC Reward Payments

Earn more money through employment.CLICK HERE >>

The best way to make-up for the extra money you received from ONYC Family Rewards is finding a job if you’re unemployed, increasing your hours at your current job, or getting a better job.There are many free and low-cost services in the city that can help you with all these options. For more information, click here
Save your remaining ONYC Reward payments.CLICK HERE >>

Saving some of your Reward payments for future emergencies or big purchases—like college tuition—will help your family in the long run.
Prioritize your needs. CLICK HERE >>

Take some time to really examine where you spend money and figure out what’s truly important and what isn’t. Thinking about which bills need to be paid first and why, and which purchases can be eliminated or postponed, will help you create a plan to budget and manage your money after ONYC. By taking a closer look at your expenses now, you may be in better shape down the road than you expected!
Cut out some of the extras: CLICK HERE >>

Eliminating some of the activities or purchases that you don’t really need can help save lots of money. For example, you could start by canceling unneeded subscriptions for cable or movie channels, getting a cheaper phone plan, saving leftovers instead of throwing them out, and cutting down on electricity and gambling (spending $5 a week on lottery tickets adds up to $260 a year - that’s more than the $200 you can earn from ONYC rewards for taking your kids to the doctor!). Drinking water instead of buying sodas could also save money and improve your health at the same time. Small positive changes add up to more money in your pocket.
Have fun without spending money.CLICK HERE >>

Some of the most fun and rewarding activities you and your family can do together are free or cost very little and can save you money, too. You could cook with your children and eat at home, play ball in the park, go swimming at a neighborhood pool, go to community festivals and check- out books from the public library. You can visit free events in NYC to find out all the free events around NYC's five boroughs.
Get financial help when you need it.CLICK HERE >>

Your family may be eligible to apply for food stamps, WIC, free school lunch programs, energy assistance and many more programs that can help reduce your expenses. There are also many free and low-cost financial education organizations that can help you create a plan to achieve financial stability, improve your credit score and reduce your debt. (For more information, please see the financial education section on the Resource Guide)

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Tips for High School Students on How to Move Forward after ONYC

Attention ONYC high school students! Your Opportunity NYC Rewards payments are coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that your hard work, and the progress you’ve made during Opportunity NYC should stop. Below are some tips to keep you on track towards reaching your goals:

Think big bucks when you think of college.CLICK HERE >>
If you liked the extra income and feeling of independence your ONYC Rewards gave you, then you should set your mind on graduating from high school and going to college. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people with a college degree could almost double the annual salary of people without a college degree.

Don’t think you have money for college? No problem. The U.S. Department of Education provides more than $67 billion in loans, grants, scholarships and campus-based aid every year to millions of students and their families. Check out the links below for more info:
- Information on how to plan for college: click here
- Information on how to apply for Federal Student Aid:click here
- A free online application for Federal Student Aid click here
Use the summer to your advantage.CLICK HERE >>

Getting a job in the summer can be a great way to earn extra money and start exploring your career options. A summer job helps build work skills that you can use in future jobs and a career, too. Below are some of the organizations and websites that can help you find the right job.

The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides New York City youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with summer employment and educational opportunities.http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/jobs/summer_youth_employment.shtml

If learning about a certain career or industry is more important to you than earning money, unpaid internships for high school students are also an option. Search online or stop in at local companies and ask if they need additional summer help. Also, the website, www.idealist.org is an excellent place to find these summer volunteer internships.

Top job search websites for teenagers:
http://www.gotajob.com/teen-jobs-by-state/
http://www.groovejob.com/jobs/teen-jobs/
http://www.usajobs.gov/studentjobs/
http://www.snagajob.com/job-resources/summer-jobs.aspx
Get smart after school and over the summer. CLICK HERE >>

New York City offers tons of free,high-quality afterschool and summer programs where you can learn about and participate in lots of activities like photography, basketball, tutoring, martial arts, college prep and more. Plus, research shows that teens who regularly participate in afterschool programs usually have higher test scores in school and are less likely to get involved in drugs and alcohol. For more information visit the education resources page (http://www.opportunitynyc.org/education) and look under the links for free after school programs
Manage your money CLICK HERE >>

Going to college, launching your career, starting a business or beginning a family—no matter what you decide to do in the next few years, you’ll need a bank account and money smarts to make it happen. Managing your money well (this means not spending more than you earn, saving part of your income and thinking carefully about how and where you spend your money) will set your life in a positive direction. Smart money management will keep you out of debt and feeling less worried when you need to make big purchases in the future. By continuing to use the bank account you opened during ONYC after the program ends, you’ll prove that you’re responsible enough to manage money and you’ll have a much better chance of getting approved for a credit card or a loan from a bank in the future. You can visit http://www.themint.org/teens/index.html to find useful tips on how to manage and save money.
Stay healthyCLICK HERE >>

In order to have an active mind and continue your success in all you do, you need a healthy body. Be sure to visit your primary doctor and dentist regularly. You can also visit http://kidshealth.org/teen/ to find useful tips on how to take care of your health.

Learn more»

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