N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 18, § 352.33
(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c) of this section, all the income and resources of a sponsor of an alien who has signed an affidavit of support pursuant to section 213a of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and all the income and resources of such sponsor's spouse is deemed available to such alien for purposes of determining the eligibility of such alien for family assistance and federally funded safety net assistance. A sponsor's income and resources will no longer be deemed available to the alien when the alien:
(b) If the social services district determines that a sponsored alien would, in the absence of assistance provided by the agency, be unable to obtain food and shelter, taking into account the alien's own income plus any cash, food or housing or other assistance provided by other individuals, including the actual amount of income and resources provided by the sponsor or sponsor's spouse, the agency must: