Int. No.
By Council Member P. Sanchez
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to comprehensive reporting on the CityFHEPS program
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-158 to read as follows:
§ 21-158 CityFHEPS comprehensive reporting. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Case head. The term "case head" means the head of household who is the member of the applicant household designated by the household to represent the household in all matters pertaining to its eligibility for and receipt of public assistance, as defined in Title 18 of New York Codes Rules and Regulations Part 387.1(u)(1), and as indicated in the welfare management system.
CityFHEPS. The term “CityFHEPS” means the city fighting homelessness and eviction prevention supplement program described in chapter 10 of title 68 of the rules of the city of New York, or a successor provision.
Eligibility verification. The term “eligibility verification” means the process administered by the department to assess whether an individual or household is eligible for CityFHEPS based on their income.
Homebase program. The term “homebase program” means a department program, including the program known as “Homebase Homelessness Prevention Program” and any successor program, that provides homelessness prevention services to at-risk clients or assists clients in securing permanent and habitable housing.
Household share letter. The term “household share letter” means a document that tells an individual their potential CityFHEPS rental assistance supplement amount, an estimate of how much rent they will have to pay, and the reasons they may be eligible to receive CityFHEPS.
Inspection. The term “inspection” means the procedure conducted by the city to inspect a unit prior to such unit being approved for usage of a CityFHEPS voucher.
Payment. The term “payment” means recurring payments made by the department to landlords on behalf of tenants pursuant to chapter 10 of title 68 of the rules of the city of New York.
Pre-clearance form. The term “pre-clearance form” means any form required by the department that confirms a unit complies with all relevant local maintenance codes and ordinances.
Provider. The term “provider” means an entity that has entered into a contract with the department to deliver homelessness prevention services to at-risk clients or assists clients in securing permanent and habitable housing.
Recertification. The term “recertification” means the process administered by the department to assess whether an individual or household who was previously deemed eligible for CityFHEPS remains eligible for CityFHEPS.
Shopping letter. The term “shopping letter” means a document that allows an individual or household to begin searching for a unit to be rented with CityFHEPS.
Veteran. The term “veteran” has the same meaning as set forth in section 3101 of the charter.
b. Report. No later than 180 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report for the prior fiscal year containing the following information:
1. The total number of applicants during the reporting period that reached each consecutive stage of the CityFHEPS application process, deduplicated according to their most recent application. These stages include, but are not limited to, applying for CityFHEPS, undergoing eligibility verification, being deemed eligible, receiving a shopping letter or household share letter, undergoing recertification for eligibility, being approved for recertification, identified a unit for move in, being approved by the department to move in to a unit that has passed inspection, and moved into such unit;
2. For all applicants, disaggregated by first-time applicants and repeat applicants:
A. The average number of calendar days elapsed between each consecutive stage of the application process, including but not limited to applying for CityFHEPS, undergoing eligibility verification, being deemed eligible, receiving a shopping letter or household share letter, undergoing recertification for eligibility, being approved for recertification, identified a unit for move in, being approved by the department to move in to a unit that has passed inspection, and moved into such unit; and
B. The 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th, percentile distribution of those individual durations for each consecutive stage in the application process including but not limited to applying for CityFHEPS, undergoing eligibility verification, being deemed eligible, receiving a shopping letter or household share letter, undergoing recertification for eligibility, being approved for recertification, identified a unit for move in, being approved by the department to move in to a unit that has passed inspection, and moved into such unit;
3. The average and median number of calendar days lapsed between first applying for CityFHEPS and moving into a unit disaggregated by:
A. Household size;
B. Household type, which includes families with children, adult families, and single adults;
C. The reported race, ethnicity, gender and age category of the case head;
D. Whether the case head has limited English proficiency;
E. Whether the case head is a veteran; and
F. Whether the household was living in shelter or living in the community at the time of application;
4. The average and median number of pre-clearance forms submitted for a unit and the average and median number of calendar days lapsed between each pre-clearance form submission;
5. The average and median number of inspections conducted for a unit and the average and median number of calendar days lapsed between each inspection;
6. The number of units which needed over five inspections;
7. For each Homebase location, the ratio of individuals and households per each Homebase caseworker processing a CityFHEPS application; and
8. Any other information the department deems relevant.
c. No reporting shall be required for any disaggregated data with cohorts smaller than 10 households.
d. Plan. No later than one year after the effective date of this local law, the department shall issue a plan to monitor and improve its performance on administering the CityFHEPS program. The plan shall identify any administrative burdens and inefficiencies to administering the CityFHEPS program and shall propose possible solutions with a timeline for the implementation of such solutions.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
ACK
LS #15223
9/11/2026