Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mamdani fights rental assistance expansion, continuing Adams’ clash with NYC Council
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Mar 24, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Mar 24, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is appealing a court decision that orders the city to dramatically expand a rental assistance program, reversing a key campaign promise and setting up a clash with the City Council.
The appeal, filed on Tuesday in the Court of Appeals, prolongs a nearly three-year-long legal battle over the program, which is considered a lifeline for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
The program currently costs $1.2 billion. But laws passed in 2023 broadened eligibility for the housing vouchers, raising the projected cost of the program to $4.7 billion by 2030.
Former Mayor Eric Adams had challenged the program in court, arguing the city did not have the money to cover that price tag – and that the Council lacked the authority to expand housing vouchers.
With Tuesday’s appeal to New York’s high court, Mamdani is echoing Adams’ position that the Council illegally usurped the city’s powers to set social service policy. Mamdani is also, at least for now, looking to scale back a key campaign pledge to expand the social safety net to address the city’s housing crisis.
A $5 billion deficit has forced the new mayor to propose unpopular cuts to parks and libraries, as well as a property tax hike or tax increase on millionaires and corporations.
Last month, Mamdani said the city was seeking to reach a settlement with housing advocates to limit the expansion of CityFHEPS — which stands for Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement — because it is too expensive.
Housing advocates say the expansion is urgently needed to address affordability and Trump administration cuts to federal rental assistance. They also dispute the city’s projected cost of the program, saying it fails to account for savings from people avoiding the shelter system.
Christine Quinn, head of the family shelter operator Win, said she was “shocked” by the mayor’s approach.
“Candidate Mamdani and Mayor-elect Mamdani promised to drop the appeal on day one,” said Quinn, a former City Council speaker. “This is the classic political example of promise made, promise broken.”
Redmond Haskins, a spokesperson for Legal Aid, called the arguments in the city’s appeal “unsound” and previously rejected by the mid-level appellate court.
“It is regrettable that the Mamdani Administration has chosen to continue this litigation rather than focus on ensuring that vulnerable New Yorkers can access the housing support they urgently need,” Haskins said in a statement.
The City Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The appeal comes amid ongoing settlement talks between the Mamdani administration and a coalition of advocates led by Legal Aid.
Five sources familiar with the talks said the city had made some concessions, including expanding eligibility to people facing eviction from rent-stabilized apartments with below-market rents and low incomes. As Gothamist previously reported, some advocates backed the compromise, arguing that the city would pay more in the long run if people evicted from low-cost apartments entered homeless shelters and later used the voucher program to rent a more expensive apartment.
But the city has balked on expanding access to people in shelters who earn more than current income rules allow, said the sources, who asked for anonymity to describe confidential settlement talks.
Fiscal watchdogs have meanwhile urged the Mamdani administration to scrap any expansion, arguing the program costs too much.
“While the CityFHEPS rental housing voucher program is an important component to a comprehensive housing affordability strategy, it is on an unsustainable trajectory,” said Citizens Budget Commission Vice President Ana Champeny at a Council budget hearing on March 17.
Joe Calvello, the mayor’s press secretary, said the administration is still seeking to reach a settlement.
“This is not the end of negotiations,” he said in a statement. “As the budget process advances, we will continue working toward a resolution while advancing a comprehensive, whole-of-government response to the city’s housing and homelessness crisis.”
Tagged
Politics
housing
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .