Joined by Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala at today\u2019s New York City Council Stated Meeting, Council Member Tiffany Cab\u00e1n introduced a bill designed to remove bureaucratic impediments to homeless New Yorkers finding housing, and save the city money in the process.<\/p>\n
At issue is the \u201cshopping letter\u201d that New Yorkers receive once the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) deems them eligible for a housing voucher to rent an apartment or single-room occupancy (SRO). Based on household size and income level, this letter identifies the \u201cmaximum rent\u201d a recipient can rent an apartment with the voucher.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this maximum rent often includes utility fees over and above the rent, meaning that, for many housing voucher holders, adequate housing remains out of reach, leaving them to return to a DHS shelter after making the long effort to find an apartment. This bill would eliminate the utility allowance from the equation, so that the maximum rent is just that: the rent <\/s>of the apartment or SRO.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are more vacant units in New York City than there are homeless New Yorkers,\u201d said Council Member Tiffany Cab\u00e1n<\/strong>. \u201cWe absolutely have all the real resources necessary to ensure that every last one of our neighbors is housed in comfortable, dignified living conditions. We should be guaranteeing housing as a basic human right, not establishing rules that put up barriers between our neighbors and the housing they need and deserve. I\u2019m proud to introduce this bill and strongly urge my colleagues to support it, so we can change this rule, house our neighbors, and make our city safer and healthier for all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCityFheps was created with the goal of finding permanent housing for homeless individuals,\u201d said Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala<\/strong>. \u201cThe technicality of reducing utility cost from monthly rent only creates a roadblock to attaining permanent housing, making this a more burdensome process and forces longer stays at homeless shelters. This is common sense legislation that will reduce the obstacles for homeless families trying to attain permanent housing.\u201d<\/p>\n “HRA’s utility allowance rule unnecessarily limits shelter residents’ choice of apartments, prolonging their shelter stays at great cost to the City,\u201d said Ed Josephson, Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid Society Law Reform Unit<\/strong>. \u201cThe proposed legislation will make clear that CityFHEPS can be used to rent apartments up to the full Section 8 payment standard, as originally envisioned by the Council.”<\/p>\n \u201cCityFHEPS vouchers are a life-changing tool that help homeless families find permanent housing and exit shelter, but we have to make sure they work. The historic increase in voucher amounts that we secured last year was a major win for homeless families \u2014 but DHS\u2019 decision to add in a backwards \u2018utility allowance\u2019 threatens to undermine their effectiveness,\u201d said Christine C. Quinn, President & CEO of Win, the city\u2019s largest provider of shelter and support services for homeless families.<\/strong> \u201cThere\u2019s no need to make vouchers more complicated, and Win is grateful to Councilwoman Tiffany Cab\u00e1n for stepping up to find fixes to this self-inflicted problem. Especially as we see eviction cases increase, we must get bureaucracy out of the way and let proven tools like CityFHEPS vouchers work as intended. Homeless families deserve nothing less.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHomeless Services United supports the removal of utility deductions from rental assistance vouchers like CityFHEPS and State FHEPS,\u201d said Eric Lee, Director of Policy and Planning, Homeless Services United<\/strong>. \u201cThis unnecessary deduction limits voucher holders\u2019 ability to secure Fair Market Rent housing, as it nickels and dimes landlords whenever the cost of utilities are not covered by the rent. Through passage of this legislation, the Council can protect higher CityFHEPS rent levels created by the historic passage of Int. 146, ensuring voucher holders have more purchasing power to attain permanent housing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe City must ensure that CityFHEPS rental assistance vouchers are as effective as possible,\u201d said Nicole McVinua, Director of Policy, Urban Pathways<\/strong>. \u201cEven following the historic increase to CityFHEPS to match Fair Market Rents implemented last year, limiting factors have continued to prevent this program from maximizing access to permanent housing. This is why we applaud Council Member Cab\u00e1n for introducing this piece of legislation to eliminate the utility allowance from city vouchers. This would expand the number of apartments on the rental market available to households using rental assistance to exit or prevent their homelessness and prevent unnecessary confusion for landlords accepting these vouchers. We look forward to working with the Council to ensure vouchers work to lift many more New Yorkers out of homelessness!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Joined by Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala at today\u2019s New York City Council Stated Meeting, Council Member Tiffany Cab\u00e1n introduced a bill designed to remove bureaucratic impediments to homeless New Yorkers finding housing, and save the city money in the process.<\/p>\n At issue is the \u201cshopping letter\u201d that New Yorkers receive once the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) deems them eligible for a housing voucher to rent an apartment or single-room occupancy (SRO).<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n