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Mayor Eric Adams seeks to expand NYC rental subsidy program to address housing crisis
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 14, 2022
Modified Nov 14, 2022
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 14, 2022
Modified Nov 14, 2022
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With New York City rents skyrocketing, Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced steps to broaden the pool of people who are eligible for a rental subsidy program that could help them stay in their homes or afford new apartments.
The changes are part of a package of new policies Adams announced at City Hall that he said would seek to fasttrack the transition of homeless New Yorkers into permanent affordable housing. The new proposals come amid criticism that the administration has not done enough to address the affordable housing crisis.
The number of individuals living in the homeless shelter system has soared to over 63,000, in part due to the unexpected arrival of tens of thousands of migrants bused to the city from Texas in recent months.
“It's clear that the housing crisis is this big knot that’s at the center of many of the problems that the city is facing,” Adams said.
He described the rule changes for housing vouchers as an attempt to make the program more “inclusive.”
This is the second time the city is seeking to expand the program. Last year, the City Council approved legislation to increase the value of the vouchers to reflect market rents.
Under Adams’ plan, changes in income and work hour requirements would allow a wider range of low-income New Yorkers to qualify for the vouchers. Single adults who work full time at minimum wage would qualify even if their gross income exceeds the 200% of poverty level — which is roughly $37,000 for a household of two. Meanwhile, families who work as few as 14 hours a week would be eligible under the revised policy — down from the current requirement of 30 hours a week.
In another shift that could help single New Yorkers, those living in single-room-occupancy units would see their rent capped at $50 a month as opposed to 30% of their income.
It is not clear when the changes would take effect. The proposals administered by the Department of Social Services will be subject to a public hearing, according to the mayor’s office.
Asked how much the rule changes could cost, Jessica Katz, the city’s chief housing officer, said the voucher program is typically funded “as it goes” but added that the vouchers have been “underutilized.”
Many housing experts have complained that the city’s voucher process too often gets tied up as a result of red tape — or even minor spelling mistakes.
During the last fiscal year ending in June, about 7,500 households received a housing voucher, according to Kate Smart, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
Smart that the latest rule changes should enlarge the voucher pool by “thousands.”
In another proposal, the city plans to initiate a pilot project that would directly place 80 individuals living on city streets into supportive housing, allowing them to largely bypass the shelter system.
The response to the mayor’s policies by two advocacy groups, the Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society, was tepid.
“While Mayor Adams’ reforms to expand access to affordable housing are a good first step, the City must take far bolder actions,” the joint statement read.
In addition to calling on the city to expand access to housing subsidies regardless of immigration status and remove other barriers, the two groups called on the mayor to build at least 6,000 apartments each year for homeless households and another 6,000 apartments for extremely low-income New Yorkers.
Robert Desir, a Legal Aid attorney, said that the bigger problem for the city was ensuring that those who are either eligible or already have the voucher can use them. He said administrative hurdles and onerous restrictions around utility payments are among several hurdles for voucher holders.
The mayor said he would also seek to amend a rule that requires people living in homeless shelters to wait 90 days before they can apply to the city’s voucher program, a longstanding change sought by shelter providers and homeless advocates.
For the program to reach its “maximum utility, all of these things have to be considered,” Desir said.
Tagged
new york city
Asylum Seekers
housing
eric adams
homeless
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]
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