The legislation mandates that households receiving city rental assistance contribute no more than 30 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 $1.2 billion program.
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 legislation, 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) program contribute no more than 30 percent of their income to rent. The vouchers, which help more than 60,000 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 40 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 Security Income, or with members older than 60)…