Page 16 - The Indian EYE 100623

North The Indian Eye

AMERICANNewsline

16 OCTOBER 06, 2023

Mayor Adams gives New Yorkers ability to use City-Funded

Rental Assistance Vouchers across New York State

New Yorkers With CityFHEPS Housing Vouchers Will Now Be Able to Find Permanent,

Affordable Homes Not Only Within New York City but Also Across New York State

OUR BUREAU subsidies — an approximate increase
of 18 percent over the prior fiscal year.
NEW YORK, NY
As a result of the agency’s focused ef-
ew York City Mayor Eric Ad- forts, new initiatives, and process im-
ams has announced further provements, DSS also increased over-
Ninnovations to the City Fight- all placements in supportive housing
ing Homelessness and Eviction Pre- by 32 percent year-over-year.
vention Supplement (CityFHEPS) New York City’s severe housing
rental assistance program that will shortage has been one of the greatest
immediately and significantly expand impediments to the administration’s
access to housing for New Yorkers efforts to connect New Yorkers expe-
with housing vouchers. While New riencing homelessness or housing in-
York City continues to face a serious security to stable, affordable housing,
housing shortage with a record-high as less than 1 percent of apartments
shelter population totaling more than with rents below $1,500 are currently
113,000 individuals in the city’s care, available for new tenants — the low-
CityFHEPS voucher holders will now est in 30 years. As a result, thousands
be able to utilize their voucher to ob- of households with housing vouchers
tain permanent, affordable housing are currently living in shelter, unable
not only within New York City but to find permanent, affordable hous-
also in any county or locality across ing. By allowing CityFHEPS voucher
New York State. holders the opportunity to identify
“As a result of a housing crisis and obtain housing outside of the
and more than 116,000 asylum seek- five boroughs, the city is expanding
ers arriving in New York City asking a critical pathway out of shelter and
for shelter since last spring, we have into permanent, affordable housing,
more people than ever in the city’s “Today’s announcement puts ments to expand access to CityFHEPS while simultaneously reaffirming its
care. Our shelters are far past capac- more choices in the hands of New vouchers and then eliminated the 90- commitment to voucher holders who
ity, but thousands of households still Yorkers who hold CityFHEPS vouch- day length-of-stay requirement for have long requested additional flexi-
remain left stuck without any afford- ers by increasing the housing stock New Yorkers in shelter to be eligible bility to explore housing opportunities
able housing options across the five from which they can choose,” said for CityFHEPS vouchers — allowing beyond the bounds of New York City.
boroughs. Now is the time to create Deputy Mayor for Health and Hu- New Yorkers who would have other- Housing mobility is a key pillar of fair
new options for permanent affordable man Services Anne Williams-Isom. wise been required to wait 90 days be- housing policy, and this step will help
housing for New Yorkers by expand- “They can now settle here in the city fore becoming eligible for a housing better align the CityFHEPS voucher
ing CityFHEPS even further than this or anywhere across the state, thereby voucher to immediately become eligi- program with the federal Section 8
administration did earlier this year,” quickening the rate at which they can ble for CityFHEPS and bringing them voucher program in that regard.
said Mayor Adams. “These reforms secure stable housing for themselves one step closer to finding permanent As the Adams administration
will give longtime New Yorkers the and their families. This important pol- housing. enters the second year of responding,
ability to move out of our city’s shel- icy change helps take one more step in Those changes helped contribute largely alone, to a global humanitari-
ter system to other parts of the state the city’s effort to help every individual to the Adams administration making an crisis, and the federal government
with more affordable housing options, and family secure a permanent home.” historic progress moving New York- declines to implement the national
while simultaneously opening up The commonsense step Mayor ers from shelter into permanent hous- decompression strategy Mayor Ad-
space in our city’s shelter system for Adams is taking will build on the sig- ing by connecting more households to ams has urged for months, such solu-
the approximately 10,000 migrants nificant progress the city has already permanent homes in New York City tions are critical to the city’s efforts
who continue to arrive in the city made to connect vulnerable New with CityFHEPS last year than in any to quickly move more New Yorkers
seeking shelter month after month. Yorkers, including those in the city’s year since the program’s inception. from shelter into permanent housing
We hope our partners across the state shelter system, to permanent, afford- Furthermore, in Fiscal Year 2023, and make additional space available
will greet these longtime New Yorkers able housing. In the last year, the DSS helped 15,000 households move for tens of thousands of asylum seek-
with open arms and good job oppor- Adams administration implemented out of shelters and into permanent ers, as well as the large population of
tunities.” robust reforms and process improve- housing using a variety of tools and longtime unhoused New Yorkers.

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