NYC Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto of Bill Capping Rents for Voucher Holders

The rule mandates that households receiving city rental assistance contribute no more than percent of their income to rent It reverses an earlier move by the Adams administration to increase that amount for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders an effort to manage costs of the billion project The bill s sponsor Councilmember Diana Ayala with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams at Thursday s stated meeting John McCarten NYC Council Media Unit The New York City Council last week overrode Mayor Eric Adams veto of a bill that would cap rent contributions for households receiving city rental assistance reversing an earlier move by the administration to increase that amount for a subset of voucher holders in an effort to rein in spending The measure passed by the Council in early October and vetoed by Adams a month later mandates that New Yorkers receiving subsidies under the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement CityFHEPS venture contribute no more than percent of their income to rent The vouchers which help more than low-income and formerly homeless households afford housing cover the remainder The bill sought to overturn a rule the city implemented in September that increased the monthly rent contribution to percent for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders those with earned income who are receiving the subsidy for their sixth year with exemptions for households on Supplemental Guard Income or with members older than function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' Advocates and progressive lawmakers denounced the shift saying it would put those impacted about households representatives announced at increased danger for eviction New Yorkers are already facing key economic strains and struggling to pay their rent Councilmember Diana Ayala who sponsored the bill stated during a Council hearing in September The percent contribution she added is a huge financial burden on families that are already stressed out It is a backward step when it comes to providing New Yorkers with what they need to survive in this city Ayala stated Adams administration representatives say the rent increase impacts only a small portion about percent of the households participating in CityFHEPS and cited the shift as one lever to help manage costs for the scheme which have increased five-fold since The city spent billion on CityFHEPS in the most of fresh fiscal year that ended in June and with more than participants it is now the second largest rental subsidy effort in the country according to the city s Department of Social Services DSS By comparison the New York State legislature allocated just million this fiscal year for the launch of a statewide rental voucher initiative an effort Gov Kathy Hochul long resisted citing concerns about the longterm costs It is central we continue to think about responsible financial management so that CityFHEPS can continue to serve as a lifeline going forward DSS disclosed in written testimony to councilmembers in September More than people used CityFHEPS to move from the shelter system to permanent housing in the greater part latest fiscal year a record high according to the agency But homelessness advocates argue the savings the city would yield by increasing rents for a portion of participants an estimated million a year will be outweighed by the hardship it could cause We have New Yorkers struggling right now commented Diana Ramos a member of the Safety Net Activists and a CityFHEPS voucher holder though she wasn t impacted by the rule change Housing people is cheaper than leaving someone to rot in the shelter Ayala s bill is expected to take effect in days This is the second major dustup between Adams and the City Council over CityFHEPS In the mayor vetoed a package of bills to expand eligibility for the scheme raising the income threshold and allowing people facing eviction to apply The Council also overrode that mayoral veto but City Hall refused to carry out the measure as City Limits was first to description at the time The two sides have been battling it out in court ever since Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani who takes office Jan pledged to implement the Council s expansion bills and previously criticized Mayor Adams for fighting them What a ridiculous waste of time during a housing emergency he wrote in a social media post in July To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint strategy here The post NYC Council Overrides Mayor s Veto of Bill Capping Rents for Voucher Holders appeared first on City Limits