The Coalition and Legal Aid have repeatedly called for the City and State to address the root of the problem the lack of affordable housing in New York City through investments in new housing development, rental assistance, supportive housing, and public housing. We strongly urge DSS/HRA to ensure continued eligibility for a CityFHEPS voucher renewal until a household has sufficient income to be able to afford their housing by paying no more than 30% of income towards rent, the Federal standard for housing affordability. As of September 1, 2021, the payment standards, or the maximum rent that the subsidy will pay, for CityFHEPS are now linked to the Fair Market Rent, which is significantly higher than the previous payment standards. NYC has increased the rental assistance provided under the CityFHEPS and FHEPS programs. 33rd District of the City of New York. Please note that the English language version is the official version of the code. They come they drown the ac but they dont fill the gap where the water is coming from . Fair Market Rents (40th PERCENTILE RENTS) | HUD USER For those who are in a place to contribute more of their earnings to housing costs, the proposed changes will allow for more flexibility to choose spaces with rents above the CityFHEPS maximum. They always found and find her a place, say she has to leave within two years and when push comes to shove finds her another place. Studies have long shown that the great majority of Americans have used public assistance appropriately and have worked hard to get off it if they can these studies were ignored when so called welfare reform was passed. be provided by the state and by such of its subdivisions, and in such manner NYC.gov Eliminate the 10-04 (a) (8) (A) and 10-04 (b) and 10-04 (c) requirement of a 90-day qualifying shelter stay for a household to become eligible for CityFHEPS. This would be my first apartment and it feels nearly impossible to get do to the price of the voucher! We were given,at the time they told us was the only available apartment we found out after being here for awhile that there were in fact 150 available units but the landlord only wanted Section 8. Its sad the system is meant to keep us at that low poverty mark instead of giving all of us a fair shot. The rent is too high, most of these apartments are not even updated. Unfortunately I have slum landlords that doesnt like to do anything at all but collect rent. In a world grappling with the COVID pandemic and its aftermath, we must insist on policies, investments and innovation that treat people who find themselves homeless as people worthy of dignity, autonomy, respect and care. Unfortunately, to date our joint efforts have been rebuffed by the NYC Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). The noise from the tenant upstairs & next door is incredible. Households should be eligible for a CityFHEPS rental assistance voucher as soon as they are approved for residency in a qualifying shelter. With all of that said, here is my experience: **** 99% of private landlords do not take vouchers. Your city feps voucher of 1580. isnt enough for two Bedroom and theres too many people for a one Bedroom. Its hard for me to find the courage to comment on a program that has already provided so much for so many (the capitalist American idea of beggars cant be choosers comes to mind) but I personally know that for all of us pushed to the point of needing rental assistance, the cards were stacked against us from the gate. I am currently looking to transfer to another apartment with my safety transfer and have not been able to find anything at all in Staten Island due to my voucher amount. Please extend it for longer than 5years if thats true. Also, how do I go about requesting for extra assistance in paying my rent for the next few months? 2) Will shopping letters in existence at the time the new Rule goes into effect be revised to reflect the higher maximum rents that Intro 146 avails? In addition, we support recommendations regarding implementation and administration of the program advanced by allied organizations with extensive experience in navigating CityFHEPS and related programs. Im ANGRY EVERYDAY. In the last year, our staff of trained case managers, housing specialists, social workers, and income building specialists worked to move just over 840 families out of shelter and into permanent homes. The City should adopt the federal Section 8 programs renewal criteria, in which the voucher holder only becomes ineligible when 30% of their income equals the cost of their rent, better allowing voucher households to build economic stability and opportunity and helping to ensure they are not rent-burdened when the voucher ends. (d)Upon approval of a household for CityFHEPS rental assistance under this subchapter to be applied to an apartment or SRO, HRA will make the following payments to the landlord: (1)Where the household is remaining in their residence, HRA will pay in the usual course the first month's rent minus any PA shelter allowance. We are concerned that pegging these new payment standards to revised bedroom count and occupancy standards could undermine the purpose of the rule which, as originally conceived would promote housing choice and expand the universe of apartments available to people who would otherwise be forced to languish in shelters. It will also lead to long-term stability and encourage professional advancement that contributes to ending generational poverty. New Yorkers experiencing homelessness should be eligible for a CityFHEPS voucher as soon as theyre approved for a shelter stay. Win is New York Citys largest provider of shelter and services to families with children experiencing homelessness. The constant anger & stress have debilitated me to the point of being hospitalized twice. Please make it so that everyone who has the voucher currently as well can get the increase. Or they hear voucher and no answer after that. For DHS facilities this should be when a households conditional status ends and they become eligible for shelter services. A person making minimum wage in New York City would be ineligible for CityFHEPS if they work 35 hours a week, yet the cost of housing is still unaffordable for most. in SI. 10-02 Administration of the CityFHEPS Programs. ***Its because that will cost too much money*** Rental amounts now match NYCHA's Section 8 Voucher payment standards levels. When Intro. ***So what should the city do? I spent 5 days in the hospital in June & another 5 days in July. The amendments to the Citys Administrative Code take effect in December 2021. Although these errors and omissions are being corrected, any user discovering any such error is invited to please contact the publisher at NYC.editor@amlegal.com or at 800-445-5588 and/or the New York City Law Department at NYCCodeRulesCharter@law.nyc.gov. We recommend all individuals with a current CityFHEPS shopping letter contact the provider that gave them the shopping letter to request a new one that shows the updated payment standards. I know my family is not the only one going through a hardship like this and we certainly wont be the last. Im a reasonable adult, 63 yrs. Then came 2020, with New Yorkers experiencing homelessness at particular risk of COVID-19 disease and poor COVID outcomes. CityPHEPS can liberate individuals through the independence it provides. Office of Legal Affairs Housing Works is deeply concerned, however, that the proposed rules will undermine independence and housing stability by setting income eligibility at levels so low that working people will be excluded from the program. Below is a summary of these changes, which include increasing the maximum rental amount, establishing a new method to determine the subsidy amount, and enacting a rent reasonableness test. If eligibility were set at rent equal to 30% of a households income, the size of the rent cliff would be $0 for both households at that level. PDF 4 Fast FHEPS Facts - Citizens Budget Commission The Mayor's Office of Operations. Ive heard oh we dont take that. Rental assistance subsidies are an essential tool in the fight to end homelessness in New York City. Single issuance cases are a fragile delivery mechanism to award CityFHEPS as these cases are prone to automatically closing without notice, causing the CityFHEPS application to be denied. FHEPS, formerly known as Family Eviction Prevention (FEPS), is a City and State-funded housing supplement to help families that are moving from homeless shelters to permanent housing or are in danger of losing their current housing by providing rental support for up to five years. Moving single issuances to the backend and uncoupling a households CityFHEPS eligibility from this administrative process, would avoid CityFHEPS denials due to snags in the process where both tenants and landlords are faultless. As soon as the proposed regulations are implemented (which should be on September 1, 2021 as discussed above), there are a number of a problems that need to be corrected. Establish and disseminate clear policies and procedures pursuant to 10-01 and 10-03 to ensure equal and meaningful access to referrals from CityFHEPS qualifying programs to prevent or abbreviate a stay in a DHS or HRA shelter, including routine referrals for all homeless youth; and How long does DHS takes to inspect a room or a apartment? The income cliff is discouraging because while we now have the freedom away from the abuse to better ourselves through getting jobs or degrees, were forced to choose between a home and career advancement. It is not at all uncommon in NYC apartments to have flex spaces generally for office or dining use be converted into a bedroom; we ought not rob families of options that would work well and be safe for their families based on some arbitrary standard absent actual evidence of overcrowding or other hazardous conditions. To implement recent amendments to the Citys Administrative Code, HRA is increasing the maximum rents for apartments and single room occupancies by providing that HRA will set the maximum rents in accordance with section 982.503 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, at the standard adopted by the New York City Housing Authority pursuant to federal law to administer the Section 8 program in New York City. CityFHEPS is a rent subsidy program for households with income up to 200% FPL that are in shelter or at risk of entering shelter and ineligible for FHEPS. Now excited to hear about the increase yet unsure about the catch 22 of income. 10-08 (a) (1) Renewal eligibility income criteria should mirror Section 8 instead of 250% FPL. Initial eligibility requirements for CityFHEPS requires that all households: For more information on further eligibility requirements please contact a case manager at a DHS, HRA shelter or your nearest Homebase provider. He came into my bedroom, knocked on the wall & said theres nothing in there. We discussed him correcting the situation with insulation/soundproofing but he went missing in action. How do those 4 fit into two rooms? Menu > Zoom > +, In the View menu, select Zoom. Do the math if you dont want to take my word for it. As of September 1, 2021, the payment standards, or the maximum rent that the subsidy will pay, for CityFHEPS are now linked to the Fair Market Rent, which is significantly higher than the previous payment standards. This voucher increase cannot come soon enough. Also the income limits are too low for people that have children its not reasonable. HRA should do that on September 1, 2021. This improves health outcomes and increases the chances of recovery from severe drug addiction. (2)Where the household includes one or more members receiving PA, the base program participant contribution is the sum of the following: (A)30 percent of the PA household's total monthly gross income at the time of approval or renewal, or the maximum monthly PA shelter allowance for the total number of PA household members, whichever is greater; and. We implore HRA not to force the same unfair choice on CityFHEPS households working towards greater independence through advancement in the workplace. Tenants, landlords, and property managers need more robust notifications for renewal and budget issues/changes in rent levels, similar to Section 8. Council Member Under the current proposed rule, for a 2-family household in a 1 bedroom, their rent share of a $1,945 apartment would be $1,089, or 53.6% of their income. Streamline the opening of Single Issuance Cases to deliver CityFHEPS for eligible households without active Public Assistance cases. The current plan for city FHEPs implementation traps New Yorkers in poverty by essentially threatening them with benefit loss and housing instability if they improve their circumstances. Or a mother and adult son in a one-bedroom? Housing Works applauds DSS/HRA for fast-tracking implementation of the Local Law well ahead of the December statutory deadline, increasing the maximum allowable amount of CityFHEPS vouchers effective as of September 2021. 10-03 (a) (1) and 10-04 (a) (1) Initial eligibility income criteria should mirror Section 8 instead of 200% FPL. Its not fair that we have no help were in a shelter address the main issues and not who will sit in the seat to mess things up further. I am being awakened by raccoons tearing through the garbage bags. This has been affecting my family and i safety where we live now. Additionally, we highly recommend that you clarify the Street homeless definition to include anyone receiving case management services at a DHS Drop-In Center or residing in a safe haven. families benefitting from SCRIE/DRIE may use CityFHEPS toward their rent. Unless the city returns to giving the greedy landlords the extra $4,300 incentive they once received for three years straight, nothing will change. Removing the income cliff is both humane and makes longterm financial sense for the City. Ensuring equitable access to housing assistance across voucher programs is a key step towards this goal, and Housing Works commends the City Council and HRA for taking action to increase the value of the CityFHEPS voucher to a more meaningful level that is in line with other tenant-based housing assistance programs. I applaud the clarification of street homelessness to include unsheltered residents in voucher access and urge the Administration to also remove the 90-day shelter stay requirement. The income cliff that this proposed Rule implements comprises a dysfunctional poverty trap because it abruptly removes eligibility for renewals from program recipients who attain income over 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) (See 10-08: Renewals and Restorations (a)(1) on page 29). Changes are necessary for the voucher to work as effectively as families living in shelters need it to, and we appreciate the Administrations proposed changes. We need to move toward a Housing First approach to housing and end unnecessary delays in access to immediate housing. But some of these landlords doesnt take it. Brokers will stop taking your calls and responding to your emails once you tell them you have a voucher. Please allow CBOs to assist Homebases, provide training and a way to streamline the process. On The Human Resources Administrations Proposed Rule Changes Related to CityFHEPS. Please note that CityFHEPS is not a program offered by New Destiny. Hello my name is ariel Im 23 years old currently living in my moms 2 bedroom where I stay with my 4 month old and her boyfriend and his grandson. I have contacted over 200 various landlords, management companies, and realtors.