Support Brokerage
Brokers help you arrange services via Self-Direction
Make the most of your budget
If you choose to manage your services via Self-Direction, you don’t need to do it all by yourself. A broker will act as your liaison with the Fiscal Intermediary department.
Who is eligible?
Participants must meet these criteria to apply for this service via Hamaspik of Kings County.
Live in NYC or Nassau County
Opted to receive services via Self-Direction
Age 3+ (NYC)
Age 8+ (Nassau County)
Our Hamaspik brokers will:
- Guide you in allocating your budget so you get the support you need.
- Alleviate some of the paperwork burden, submitting invoices and documentation.
- Help you find resources and local community classes that are a good fit for your needs.
Agency broker:
My job is very much about supporting the client, and I often work with the individuals themselves. I really enjoy that! People sign up and they jump right in — we need to help them learn to swim. There’s a lot of hand-holding until the budget is up and running smoothly.
We try to help our clients utilize the funding well. It’s such a waste if they’re directing funding to services that they don’t end up using. I’m always discussing with them, “How could we change things around, and utilize it differently so that you get more of the programs you most enjoy?”
Our goal is to allow our clients to make their own choices, develop skills and independence, and help them integrate into the community. Community classes are a great way to achieve these goals, and the options are endless! We’ve had clients sign up for music lessons, baking, art, dancing and more!
The hearts behind the service
Chaya Ringel
Director of Fiscal Intermediary Services
“People call us to request the broker who services their friend, and say, 'I heard she’s amazing!'
The nicest part — I hear this all the time.”
Joel Lefkovits
Director of OPWDD-HCBS Services
"No two individuals on self-direction have the same plan, because no two lives look the same.
The beauty of brokerage is that we get to build something that actually fits — not a cookie-cutter package, but a real plan for a real person."
Interested in
Support Brokerage?
When approved for OPWDD, you can choose to receive services via Self-Direction, where you manage the budget. Once you qualify for the Self-Direction program, you’ll be able to choose a broker to create your budget and get it approved.
Ask our intake team about Hamspik’s dedicated brokers.
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You're doing all you can — and yet you always feel like you're failing someone.
Watching your other children navigate their sibling’s challenges can leave you feeling sad or helpless. This guide by Dr. Sora Yaroslowitz — a parenting expert, and herself the mother of a child with special needs — gives you tested tools to ease resentment and strengthen siblings' connection.
You’ll discover:
• How to respond when a child asks, “Can’t we just be normal?” (and the exact words to help ease their frustration)
• The common mistake parents make when trying to “make it up” to siblings (and what actually works instead)
• Ways to help siblings move from frustration to empathy (illustrated by a powerful real sibling story)
