Press Release
Rule Change on CityFHEP’s Voucher Program a Victory for CSS and Housing Advocates
Decision to increase voucher income level comes after months of criticism by advocates for homeless
Last week, New York City government took an important step toward addressing the long-term crisis of homelessness and the failures of government to craft workable solutions. For years, the CityFHEPS voucher – one of the main tools New York City used to transition people experiencing homelessness from shelters into housing – had a fatal flaw: it only paid for housing that cost less than 80 percent of Fair Market Rents, as determined at the federal level by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As a result, many homeless New Yorkers remained in shelters for years despite having a voucher on paper. This past June, the City Council passed a law increasing the value of the voucher to 100 percent of Fair Market Value, greatly increasing the universe of apartments now available to people seeking to exit the streets or the shelter system. When they did so, however, the de Blasio administration added a poison pill to the bill: access to the voucher would be terminated when a household reached 250 percent of the federal poverty level ($32,300 for a two-person household). In practice, this “income cliff” meant that homeless households could choose a job or housing, but not both.
After four months of advocacy by groups fighting to end homelessness, including the Community Service Society, the de Blasio administration wisely issued a rule change moving the income cap from 250 percent of poverty to 80 percent of the Area Median Income ($76,400 for a two-person household). Now, the city has a tool at its disposal that can help homeless New Yorkers transition to housing without forcing them to forego work opportunities and live-in permanent poverty.
We commend the administration for listening to the voices of homeless New Yorkers and housing advocates. We will continue advocating for increased resources on the City, State and Federal levels – including expanding Section 8, public housing and Housing Trust Fund financing through the federal “Build Back Better” bill, and, at the state level, encouraging Governor Hochul to sign the legislation expanding the StateFHEPS program (S6573/A8009) and calling on the state legislature to pass the Housing Access Voucher Program (S2804B/A9657A). Homelessness can only be ended with increased and ongoing public support to households facing poverty and precarity.