In the coming days, the city will start notifying asylum seekers staying in its Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers of the new time limit, starting with single adults who’ve been in the city’s care “for a significant amount of time,” Adams said.
Steve Banks, who served as social services commissioner under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, is returning to a familiar posture—opposing City Hall in litigation over the city’s unique shelter rights for the homeless, which Mayor Eric Adams has sought to weaken in recent months.
“When I told them I was assigned to room 503, the staff told me it’s an office,” said Carlos, who asked that his full name not be used for fear of retaliation. “I went in and saw that there was no window. How are they going to have children in the summer in these conditions?”
The mayor has argued that the bills will be too costly, and that an expanded pool will make it harder for existing voucher holders in a city with too few low-cost apartments. But the Council has pushed back consistently, disputing the mayor’s cost estimate and accusing him of shortsightedness.
Amid a record-breaking homelessness crisis, there are some bright spots. Mayor Adams has dedicated roughly $4 billion in capital funding to construct affordable housing—a campaign promise that he fell short on last year. Yet staffing cuts and shortages still plague the city agencies tasked with assisting homeless New Yorkers.
Housing and land use-related events taking place in the week ahead, as well as affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
More than 500 new households can access city-funded rental vouchers after the elimination last month of the so-called “90-day rule” for applicants, Mayor Adams said Tuesday. The update came weeks after he vetoed a package of legislation, passed by the City Council in May, which would have expanded CityFHEPS eligibility to even more households.
Of the 2,308 homeless New Yorkers present during the city’s encampment sweeps over more than eight months in 2022, only three people—about 0.1 percent—had landed in permanent housing placements as of January, according to an audit from Comptroller Brad Lander.
As the city faces dual affordable housing and homelessness crises, City Limits asked the candidates’ running in Tuesday’s primary for their stance on a number of key related issues. Are they a renter or a landlord? Do they support the idea of “member deference” on local land use votes? What’s the best route for funding repairs at NYCHA?
Of the $19,000 in donations to 14 sitting council members or candidates, $13,900 comes from Taxpayers for an Affordable New York, run by the Real Estate Board of NY. Another $4,600 comes from Rent Stabilization Association’s PAC, and $500 from the Neighborhood Preservation Political Action Fund, which appears to be linked to an RSA staffer.
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