Mayor Eric Adams’ bizarre approach to homelessness is ensuring more people in stable housing end up back in shelters. That’s the cold, hard truth behind the mayor’s short-sighted and cruel proposal to drastically jack up the rent for many already cost-burdened families on CityFHEPS housing vouchers.
Oh, and it will cost you more, too.
As the leader of New York’s largest provider of family shelter and supportive services, I know just how devastating Mayor Adams’ proposed rent hike will be for our city. If Mayor Adams gets his way, New Yorkers who rely on city housing vouchers to afford permanent housing will be required to pay 40% of their income toward rent in their sixth year of eligibility, up from the current rate of 30%. Let’s be clear, this drastic rent increase will impact thousands of New Yorkers causing real and lasting damage to our city and the families who call New York home.
To put things in perspective, a family of three that qualifies for vouchers earns approximately $51,000 per year. Once taxes and the cost of this rent increase is deducted, they would be left with less than $2,000 in take home pay per month to cover the astronomical costs of healthcare, child care, groceries, utilities, MetroCards, and more. The increase from 30% to 40% is $430 per month for families – the U.S. Government Accountability Office foundthat even a $100 increase in median rental price resulted in a roughly 9% increase in the estimated homelessness rate. Imagine what a $400 dollar rent increase will do to families already struggling to make ends meet.
Mayor Adams’ plan will force more families right back to the shelter system, or worse. That means more children will be left without a safe place to sleep. And taxpayers will pay more in the process. That’s because, although the city claims this rent hike will save $11 million, or 0.01% of the annual budget, the reality is that the city – and therefore the taxpayers – will end up paying more as families are forced back into shelters, which are far more expensive.
Rather than ratcheting up the rent on families who have moved out of shelters, who are becoming more and more stable each day, the city should focus on building supportive, permanent housing with services onsite, creating more affordable housing, and increasing services for children. When the most significant predictor of homelessness as an adult is experiencing homelessness as a child, the city should be investing in long-term solutions instead of slashing support and making the problem worse.
As a result of Mayor Adams’ disastrous proposed rent hike on homeless families, Win recently announced that together with housing advocates, local leaders, and nonprofits, we are forming a coalition to Stop Mayor Adams’ Rent Hike. This unprecedented, city-wide coalition will bring the fight right to Mayor Adams’ doorstep – uniting advocacy groups from different stakeholder communities to halt this cruel, callous, and dangerous rent hike from taking effect.
But we can’t defeat Mayor Adams’ rent hike alone – we need your support. Call your local city councilmember and urge that they publicly condemn this unconscionable rent hike proposal. Or better yet, submit your own feelings on this plan directly. With your help, we will win; and instead of playing Mayor Adams’ partisan games, we will work together to advance proven, long-term solutions to finally break the cycle of homelessness in our city.
At a time when the Trump administration is just as committed to making life more difficult for families with a 40% proposed cut to federal housing assistance programs, and over 175,000 New Yorkers are facing imminent eviction – it is imperative that we come together to soundly reject Mayor Adams’ rent hike on the most vulnerable New Yorkers. The mayor’s rent hike is not just cruel, it will worsen the homelessness crisis, increase costs for the city, and put people’s lives on the line. We can’t allow that to happen here.
Christine C. Quinn is the former New York City Council Speaker and current President & CEO of Win, the nation’s largest provider of shelter and supportive services for families.
