New York City Council members aren’t giving up on the expansion of CityFHEPS.
Some lawmakers are threatening to vote no on any budget deal that doesn’t include expansion of the city’s housing voucher program, City Limits reported.
An expansion of the program, which first launched in 2018 and helps New Yorkers who are or are at risk of homelessness, has not been included in budget plans from both Speaker Julie Menin and — despite the campaign promise — Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In fact, Mamdani’s budget proposal cuts $500 million from the program, focusing specifically on reducing payouts the city makes to brokers.
Under CityFHEPS, which stands for the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement, New York City pays part of eligible tenants’ monthly rent anywhere in New York State for up to five years.
Participants typically pay a third of their income towards rent, with the voucher covering the remainder via direct payments the city makes to landlords. Currently, the program serves 70,000 households.
“I would have a tough time voting on a budget that doesn’t include significant expansion,” said Pierina Sanchez, the Council’s Housing Committee chair, while also noting that the expansion will save money in the long term by reducing what New York City pays to house people in shelters.
Council member Sandy Nurse concurred that she could not approve a budget that “does not have significant expansion to CityFHEPS and a dropped lawsuit.”
The program’s costs have tripled over the past three years and are projected to hit $1.7 billion this fiscal year, according to the Citizens Budget Commission. And the full expansion of CityFHEPS is estimated to come to an additional $6 to $20 billion over the next five years by Comptroller Mark Levine.
Passed by City Council in 2023, the CityFHEPS expansion has been held up in court after Mayor Eric Adams’ administration refused to implement the laws and make the program eligible for more New Yorkers.
The New York City budget is due June 30.
Read more
PolicyPro: Landlord groups, tenant advocates unite to push Mamdani to expand housing vouchers
PolicyPro: Mamdani targets broker fees to curb CityFHEPS costs
