Win partnered with former New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz, Council Member Brewer, and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) to shine a light on the inefficient and deeply flawed housing voucher process and highlight solutions.
Win presented a newly developed board game as a visual representation of the setbacks that families often face while navigating the lengthy, overly-complicated housing process, including redundant paperwork and constantly being forced by the city to prove they are poor and homeless.
Housing vouchers are among the most effective tools New York City has to address its homelessness crisis, yet the systems that connect New Yorkers to subsidized housing remain deeply challenging. Voucher holders routinely face long administrative delays, inconsistent inspection processes, and barriers that limit their housing options. In a renewed call to action, Win created a “Housing Journey” visual display, using a step-by-step, game-board-style path to convey the many obstacles and setbacks people encounter while trying to secure stable housing. The proposed bills would significantly increase the efficiency and scope of the CityFHEPS program, clearing the path for more New Yorkers to obtain vouchers.
The proposed bills impact the housing search by:
-
Speeding Up Inspection Times: This bill Intro 1458 (CM Brewer) would establish a hierarchy of issues in inspections to establish a process for resolving minor issues without requiring reinspection including the provision for fixing minor issues on the spot such as missing window guards, light bulbs, outlet plates, and other low-cost fixes.
-
Require CityFHEPS Applications to be Processed Within 15 Days: This bill Intro 1477 (CM Brewer) requiring that upon submission of a complete tenant-based rental assistance application, the department shall inform the applicant of the determination of approval no more than fifteen (15) days after submission.
-
Increasing Transparency Around CityFHEPS Processing: This bill Intro 1459 (CM Brewer) would require the Department of Social Services (DSS) to submit to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council, and to include in the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) the average time it takes for an individual to secure housing after receiving a housing voucher.
-
Requiring CityFHEPS Payments be Made Within 7 Days: This bill Intro 1472 (CM Restler) would require the Department of Social Services to provide landlords with rental assistance payments within five (7) days of the scheduled payment date.
Leading up to the New York City mayoral election, Win called on the future mayor to implement 40 recommendations to permanently end family homelessness in New York City. Win recommends that the city take the following actions specifically to cut red tape and streamline the process for families to secure permanent housing:
-
Consolidate Housing and Homelessness Under One Deputy Mayor: Treating housing and homelessness as separate issues has hindered progress, and aligning these agencies is essential to a coordinated, housing-focused strategy. This will ensure housing and social services work together toward the shared goal of reducing homelessness.
-
Eliminate Redundancies: Unfortunately, there are a myriad of instances where multiple agencies require the same documentation and inspections. For instance, once the Department of Buildings (DOB) completes inspections for new construction with homeless set-aside units, DSS should not require a second, duplicative inspection.
-
Stop Making Poor People Prove They Are Poor: Duplicative documentation requirements create significant administrative burdens for the very people that housing programs seek to help. Documentation requirements are onerous, and then the paperwork goes stale after 90 days or 6 months, and then the whole cycle begins again, collecting all the same paperwork again while affordable units remain vacant and families languish in shelter.
-
Identify Tenants While Buildings Are Under Construction: The City should run housing lotteries and complete eligibility screenings during construction so tenants can move in immediately once a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. This would reduce delays and speed up the occupancy of new units.
-
Allow Shelters to Directly Refer Clients to Vacant Units: Shelters should be allowed to refer clients directly to vacant affordable and supportive housing units instead of relying solely on slow and inconsistent intermediaries like Housing Connect and CAPS. Eliminating these bottlenecks would reduce vacancies and help move families out of shelter more quickly.