Mayor Eric Adams’ refusal to implement a set of laws meant to expand access to key rental assistance subsidies is putting some New Yorkers at risk of homelessness and threatening to strain the city’s jam-packed shelter system, tenants and their advocates say.
Four tenants on the brink of homelessness are attempting to join an ongoing class-action lawsuit filed against the mayor over the administration’s decision to block a measure that would allow people facing eviction to qualify for municipal housing vouchers. The housing voucher program's expansion was approved by the City Council overruling Adams’ veto last year.
The mayor and the city’s Department of Social Services say it would cost the city billions of dollars to implement the law, which was part of a package of legislation that the Council passed last year. They also argue that the City Council doesn’t have the power to expand program eligibility.
DSS is already providing housing subsidies for roughly 70,000 households and spending $1.2 billion on homelessness prevention, including free attorneys in housing court, according to agency statistics. The data shows about 12,000 people with vouchers through the CityFHEPS program found permanent housing in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, while another 10,000 households in shelters also have the vouchers and are looking for apartments.
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