NYC Expands Housing Vouchers Beyond Five Boroughs

New Yorkers who qualify for city housing subsidies won’t be stuck in the five boroughs much longer.

Low-income New York City residents will be able to rent apartments in other parts of the state, where rents are more affordable and housing likely more abundant, Gothamist first reported. They can start as early as next week.

“Housing mobility is a fundamental right that most of us take for granted,” Molly Park, Department of Social Services commissioner, told Gothamist. “The more options we can give people for housing, the more likely we’re going to be able to help households move out of shelter.”

The new plan extends to individuals and families with vouchers under CityFHEPS — a program that covers rent for New Yorkers moving out of shelters and for some low-income tenants on the verge of eviction.

Under the program, voucher recipients put 30 percent of their income toward rent, while the city’s social services agency pays the rest. The voucher is valid for five years with the option to renew if recipients meet the household income eligibility requirements.

Park said the city will modify its maximum rent standards to comply with the federal government’s local fair market rates in other regions.

News of the plan follows months of record-breaking median rent prices in the city, where the number of affordable housing units is shrinking.

Homeless shelters are also contending with a growing number of new residents, as new migrants continue to arrive in New York. The city’s shelters are now housing about 100,000 people.

Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration is also attempting to exempt incoming migrants from the right-to-shelter rule, which requires the city to provide a bed to anyone in need.

Incoming migrants do not qualify for the CityFHEPS vouchers. The city’s social services agency has issued 30,000 housing vouchers since it launched the current CityFHEPS program in 2019.

— Sheridan Wall