Statement from Legal Services NYC on Court’s Ruling on CityFHEPS Housing Voucher Expansion

New York, NY – This week, the Manhattan Supreme Court struck down a class-action lawsuit brought by the Legal Aid Society and New York City Council aimed at forcing Mayor Adams to implement the expansion of the CityFHEPS housing voucher program, which would allow thousands of New Yorkers to avoid homelessness.

Last year, the Council voted to expand CityFHEPS by making it available to people at risk of eviction, raising the income ceiling, and eliminating work requirements. Mayor Adams vetoed the expansion, but the City Council voted 48-2 to override the veto, meaning that the expansion became law. 

Despite this, the Adams administration has continually refused to implement the changes, denying potentially thousands of New Yorkers at immediate risk of homelessness access to CityFHEPS housing vouchers.  In response, the Legal Aid Society filed suit on behalf of all people who are eligible for expanded voucher access under the new law, and the City Council intervened. The Council said they will appeal this week’s ruling.

Below is a statement from Jeremiah Schlotman, the Director of Housing Litigation at Legal Services NYC:

“This decision is a devastating blow to low-income New Yorkers facing eviction or at risk for homelessness. As legal services providers on the front lines, we see day after day how hard it is for struggling New Yorkers to find safe and stable housing. CityFHEPS vouchers are critical lifelines for our clients and their families—and, under the current system, are just out of reach for so many who truly need the help. At a time of soaring rents and dwindling housing stock, Mayor Adams should be finding ways to expand housing assistance programs that keep families in their homes instead of fighting them. Legal Services NYC stands with the NYC Council and tenants across the city and will never stop fighting to make sure that vulnerable New Yorkers have safe and affordable places to live.”

Read the decision here.