Mayor Adams Signs Laws Preserving Critical Affordable Housing Protections

MAYOR ADAMS SIGNS LEGISLATION PRESERVING CRITICAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROTECTIONS, STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY IN EVICTION PREVENTION

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed two pieces of affordable housing legislation, extending the city’s critical rent stabilization protections and strengthening data collection and reporting on a critical eviction prevention program. The laws extend the expiration of the rent stabilization laws from July 1, 2022 to April 1, 2024 and increase transparency around the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) rental assistance voucher.

“I want to say to New Yorkers who are struggling: The city has your back,” said Mayor Adams. “Too many New Yorkers are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. I know that worry and that fear, and we are relieving some of it today by extending rent stabilization protections and strengthening a critical rental assistance and eviction prevention program.”

“Today’s bill signing reaffirms the city’s commitment to protecting tenants at every turn,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “So many New York City residents and families rely on rent stabilization protection and support through CityFHEPS. New Yorkers can now have certainty in the coming years that rent stabilization protection will remain in place and know that added data collection and transparency will strengthen the city’s strategy to combat homelessness.”

“As the data from the Housing and Vacancy Survey shows, our city is facing a critical housing shortage for New Yorkers at all income levels, but especially for low-income families. We must build new housing, expand resources for tenants, and ensure we are maintaining our existing housing stock to keep our neighbors safe and stably housed,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Today’s bill signing reaffirms the state of our housing emergency, which we are committed to tackling as a top priority of this administration.”

“The 2021 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey findings confirm that the city is still facing a dire affordability crisis. Half of the city’s renters are rent burdened, and there is simply not enough low-cost housing to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “Today’s bill signing extends rent stabilization laws that are vital to protecting low-cost housing, and this administration will continue to make critical investments in housing to make this city more livable for all.”

“Today’s actions further highlight this administration’s commitment to transparency and strengthening tenant protections,” said New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Gary P. Jenkins. “This reinforces our robust eviction-prevention efforts and strategic push to address long-overlooked barriers to accessing rental assistance and affordable housing for New Yorkers in need. More than 48,000 New Yorkers, including former shelter residents, have been able to access permanent housing using CityFHEPS vouchers since the creation of this city-funded rental assistance program. We look forward to building on this progress and remain squarely focused on connecting vulnerable New Yorkers to the kind of housing and supports that will help them achieve long-term stability.”

The mayor signed the following bills into law today:

Intro. 558 extends the city’s rent stabilization laws until April 1, 2024, in recognition of the ongoing housing emergency. Rent stabilization was previously set to expire on July 1, 2022.

Intro. 303 expands the data that DSS and the New York City Human Resources Administration track and report annually regarding the CityFHEPS rental assistance voucher for individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of facing, homelessness due to non-payment of rent. The data includes the number of households currently enrolled in the program, the number that exit New York City Department of Homeless Services shelters through a CityFHEPS voucher, and types of client households broken down by whether a family has children and primary language spoken.

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City Hall Blue Room

Lower Manhattan

June 27, 2022