Some New Yorkers in need of housing aid could catch a break later this year under Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to issue thousands of federal rental assistance vouchers and accept new applications for the first time in almost 15 years.
But others who’ve waited years could find themselves on the outside looking in after the city purged their names from a vast Section 8 waiting list because of administrative reasons.
The city’s plan to begin accepting new Section 8 applications for the first time since the Bloomberg administration comes as it contends with soaring rents, shrinking housing supply and a record-high homeless population driven by a rise in newly arrived migrants, as well as longtime New Yorkers who cannot afford the cost of permanent housing.
Adams briefly mentioned the proposal during his State of the City address last Wednesday, saying the city would issue “1,000 vouchers a month” to low-income households at some point this year.
“We will help more people get into homes and stay in their homes once they are there,” he said.