Res. No.
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.10992/S.9430-A, in relation to priority applicants and inspection of units under the housing access voucher pilot program
By Council Member Banks
Whereas, According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), the Emergency Housing Voucher (“EHV”) program was created in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act; and
Whereas, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided approximately $5 billion to fund about 70,000 EHVs nationwide for individuals and families who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, or fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; and
Whereas, The EHV funding was originally intended to last until 2030; and
Whereas, HUD’s EHV Dashboard indicates that the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) currently administers approximately 5,061 vouchers, while the New York City (“NYC” or “City”) Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) administers approximately 1,746 vouchers; and
Whereas, On March 6, 2025, HUD notified public housing authorities that EHV funds would be depleted by the end of federal fiscal year 2026, nearly 4 years earlier than originally projected; and
Whereas, According to a February 13, 2026 Gothamist article titled “NYC Still Struggling To Replace Emergency Housing Vouchers Set To Expire Under Trump” (“Gothamist article”), NYCHA initially planned to transition EHV households to traditional Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and had closed its Section 8 waitlist in August 2025, which had been intaking new applicants, to reserve for the transition; and
Whereas, The Gothamist Article then stated that HUD denied NYCHA’s request to issue new vouchers in January 2026, leaving NYCHA without a funded path to convert EHV households to Section 8; and
Whereas, At an April 2026 NYC Council Public Housing Committee Hearing, NYCHA informed the Council that it was working to identify alternative subsidized housing options for EHV participants, and to receive such alternatives, participants would be required to complete a NYCHA public housing application on NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal; and
Whereas, HPD is asking its EHV recipients to apply for the HOME Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program (“HOME TBRA”) to receive ongoing support, which is a federally funded rental assistance program to provide up to 2 years of rental assistance to families at risk of homelessness, families who are homeless, and families who are financially distressed, and may be renewed if additional federal funding becomes available; and
Whereas, According to the Legal Aid Society, nearly half of the NYCHA EHV households were concentrated in the Bronx, with additional concentration in central Brooklyn, eastern Queens, and the north shore of Staten Island; and
Whereas, According to the Coalition for the Homeless, 98,671 people, including 32,050 children, slept each night in NYC shelters in March 2026; and
Whereas, The loss of EHV assistance without an effective replacement would force thousands of New Yorkers into the shelter system or onto the street; and
Whereas, The New York State Housing Access Voucher Program (“HAVP”) officially launched in March 2026 to provide rental assistance to households who are homeless or who face imminent loss of housing, with participating households paying no more than 30 percent of income toward rent; and
Whereas, A.10992, introduced by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and pending in the New York State Assembly, and companion bill S.9430-A, introduced by State Senator Brian Kavanagh and pending in the New York State Senate, would amend the Public Housing Law to expand HAVP priority and modernize HAVP unit inspection standards; and
Whereas, A.10992/S.9430-A would amend the law that currently gives HAVP priority to applicants who are homeless and extend that same priority to applicants at risk of losing a federal housing subsidy due to imminent termination, funding reductions, or changes in federal eligibility requirements; and
Whereas, A.10992/S.9430-A would also remove the requirements that HAVP units be inspected under the federal housing choice standards and instead require local administrators to inspect the units when a housing assistance payment contract is established; and
Whereas, Allowing thousands of New Yorkers to lose their housing assistance and return to homelessness when a State-level solution is at hand would be preventable harm; and
Whereas, Expanding the eligibility criteria for HAVP would allow HPD and NYCHA to direct eligible EHV households to apply for HAVP to maintain stable housing and avoid displacement, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.10992/S.9430-A, in relation to priority applicants and inspection of units under the housing access voucher pilot program.
JLC
LS # 24085
6/03/2026