NYC Expands Housing Vouchers Over Mayor's Objections
Homeless advocates applauded a housing voucher expansion passed by the City Council that mayor's officials contended will cost $17 billion. The City Council passed a sweeping set of bills Thursday, which will allow more homeless and vulnerable New Yorkers access to housing vouchers. The bills, which have been hailed as a way to help New Yorkers avoid the shelter system and move more quickly into permanent housing, were opposed by Mayor Eric Adams' objections. Advocates argued that the bills will actually make it harder for New Yorkers in shelters find permanent housing and add $17 billion in costs over the next five years. The four bills end a long-criticized "90-day rule" that New Yorkers must be in shelters for three months before they can qualify for a rental assistance and make it easier for applicants to get rental assistance. The president and CEO of Win, the city's largest provider of shelter for homeless families, said the package of legislation is a win for new Yorkers and an important step in our efforts to end the crisis of homelessness.
Published : 11 months ago by Matt Troutman in Politics
NEW YORK CITY — More homeless and vulnerable New Yorkers soon will have access to housing vouchers after the City Council passed a sweeping set of bills Thursday over Mayor Eric Adams' objections.
Advocates hailed the bills' passage as a way to help New Yorkers avoid the shelter system and move more quickly into permanent housing. "This is what legislating housing as a human right looks like," tweeted Council Member Tiffany Cabán.
But Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor, argued the bills — which passed with a veto-proof majority — will actually make it harder for New Yorkers in shelters find permanent housing. The bills will add $17 billion in costs over the next five years, he argued. "Nearly 20,000 existing voucher holders who cannot currently find housing because of the extremely low vacancy rate in our city would be lumped in with thousands more, including anyone who stops paying rent, for any reason, if they are below 50 percent of area median income," he said in a statement. "Put simply, these bills will keep New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, the ones who need permanent housing right now, in shelter for longer."
The four bills end a long-criticized "90-day rule" that New Yorkers must be in shelters for three months before they can qualify for a rental assistance and make it easier City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement — or CityFHEPS — applicants get rental assistance. Doing away with the 90-day rule eliminates a cruel relic of an era when the city wanted to punish New Yorkers for being homeless, said Christine Quinn, the president and CEO of Win, the city's largest provider of shelter for homeless families.
“Forcing families to stay in shelter longer than they have to while wasting tens of millions of dollars is bad policy, bad politics, and bad budgeting," she said in a statement.
"This package of legislation is a win for New Yorkers and an important step in our efforts to end the crisis of homelessness."
Topics: NYC