Public Policy Initiatives

Published: February 12, 2026

Type: Policy Briefs & Position Papers

More Than a Moral Choice: How CityFHEPS Could Save NYC $635 Million

As the nation’s largest provider of shelter and supportive housing to families with children, Win
operates 16 shelters and over 450 units of permanent supportive housing across the five
boroughs, serving nearly 7,000 people, including 3,600 children, every night. Our daily
experience on the front lines gives us a distinct perspective on the crisis: homelessness is rarely a
one-time, episodic event, but rather a traumatic cycle that traps families for years.

The best tool New York City has to fight homelessness is the City Fighting Homelessness and
Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS). This housing voucher works similarly to Section
8 in that households in shelter or at risk of eviction that qualify by making less than 200
percent of the federal poverty line, having an active public assistance case, and working at
least 10 hours per week pay just 30 percent of their income towards rent and the voucher covers
the rest.i The vast majority of families that move out of shelter into permanent housing, do so
with CityFHEPS.