Life Without Emergency Housing Vouchers: Present Options and Future Plans
Committee on Public Housing · June 17, 2026 · 3hrs 3m
Source: https://hearinghearings.nyc/hearings/committee-on-public-housing-life-without-emergency-housing-vouchers-present-options-and-future-plans-2026-06-17/
Video: https://councilnyc.viebit.com/vod/?s=true&v=NYCC-250-8-1_260617-101406.mp4

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(00:00:10)

Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing on the Committee on Public Housing. At this time, during today's hearing, no one should approach the dais. Please silence any alerts that you might have. Chair, you may begin.

(00:00:25)

Thank you. I call this meeting to order. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the hearing of the Committee on Public Housing of the New York City Council. I am CM Chris Banks, the Committee Chair, and I would like to thank my colleagues who have joined today.

The Committee is holding an oversight hearing on the premature end of the federal Emergency Housing Vouchers program, which we call the EHV program. The efforts by NYCHA to transition nearly 5,200 New York City households that currently rely on these vouchers to remain stably housed. We will also hear a resolution, which I sponsored, calling on the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation that would strengthen the State's housing access voucher pilot program by improving inspection requirements and prioritizing applicants with the greatest housing needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress created the Emergency Housing Vouchers program to provide rental assistance to some of the nation's most vulnerable households, including individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, and families with children. The program was funded through September 2030 and resulted in approximately 70,000 vouchers being issued nationwide. New York City received nearly 8,000 of those vouchers and continues to administer more Emergency Housing Vouchers than any other city in the nation.

However, in the fall of last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it would end the program four years ahead of schedule, cutting off funding at the end of 2026. Now let me be clear: this decision has created an urgent and unacceptable situation. More than 5,000 households in New York City now face the very real possibility of losing rental assistance that keeps a roof over their heads. In case anyone forgot, behind every voucher is a person, a family, a senior, a veteran — someone whose survival depends on this assistance to remain housed. Their housing stability cannot be collateral damage because of federal funding decisions.

Today the Committee will ask many questions, but the most important one is simple: what is the plan? With less than five months remaining before funding expires, we need more than general assurances. We need concrete answers. Those are the questions we will act on. How many households have already been transitioned to alternative housing assistance programs? How many remain at risk? What barriers still exist? What resources are needed? And what specific actions are NYCHA, HPD, the State and our federal partners taking right now to ensure that these families do not fall through the cracks?

Last year this Committee held an oversight hearing on the administration of Section 8 and the Emergency Housing Vouchers program. At that time, NYCHA testified that it anticipated transitioning affected households to alternative forms of assistance, including Section 8, Section 9 and a Home Tenant-Based Assistance program. Now, nine months later, the Committee expects a detailed update on the progress that has been made. The luxury of time is not on our side and every delay increases the risk that thousands of New Yorkers could face housing instability or homelessness.

The people relying on these vouchers did everything we asked of them. They followed the rules, secured housing and built stability for themselves and their families. It is now the administration's responsibility to ensure that stability is not taken away. We need a clear path forward, meaningful coordination across all levels of government and a commitment — a commitment — that no household currently receiving Emergency Housing Voucher assistance will be left behind.

That is why this resolution is so important. This legislation would expand eligibility for New York State's housing access voucher pilot program to prioritize households currently receiving Emergency Housing Vouchers and help create a safety net for those at risk of losing federal assistance. Housing stability should not depend on whether the federal program is extended or allowed to expire. Our neighbors deserve dignity and they deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they will not lose their homes.

I look forward to hearing from our agency partners, advocates and members of the public about the immediate steps that must be taken to protect these households and ensure that every available tool is being used to keep New Yorkers housed. I would like to thank my Chief of Staff Michael Lambert, along with the Committee staff — Mia Jose, Charles Spencer, Reese James and Chowdhury — for their hard work in preparing today's hearing.

We will now go to a pre-panel where we will have impacted residents give testimony. I remind members of the public that this is a government proceeding and decorum shall be observed at all times. As such, members of the public shall remain silent at

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all times. The witness table is reserved for people who wish to testify. No video recording or photography is allowed from the witness table. Members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the Sergeant at Arms for inclusion in the record. If you wish to speak at today's hearing, please fill out an appearance card with the Sergeant at Arms and you will be recognized when it is your turn. When recognized, you will have three minutes. Just a reminder for the pre-panel: today's hearing is open to testimony on today's hearing topic. We will now have the pre-panel come on up. Stephanie Mansfield, Gina Capucci... I will say the first name and you can help with the last name, and Danielle Bieber. Yes, and the mother — you can come on up too. Yes, thank you. You may begin your testimony starting to my right. Good morning. Sorry. Can you tell I am nervous? Take your time. You want to pull the mic right down? We want to make you as comfortable as possible. Do you want a little water? You can have some water.

(00:09:22)

Thank you. Good morning. I am a little nervous. My name is Stephanie M. I am from Brooklyn. I am a single mom of three neurodivergent children — beautiful, neurodivergent children — an advocate, a domestic violence and sexual assault survivor, a strangulation survivor, and I navigate this world every day with a traumatic brain injury. I am here to advocate for the Emergency Housing Voucher. It took 10 years for me to be rehoused, and it was a global pandemic, and I think that in order for me as a mother of three to flee my abuser and to have safe and adequate housing — that is just not acceptable. I think that there are other homes and households that also endure that kind of safety, or lack of safety. The EHV voucher was amazing. It provided a home that allowed me and my children to be safe from stalking and harassment and abuse and danger, and it was a wonderful two and a half years of freedom. In the book "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk, your body stores trauma

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until it no longer can carry it. And it releases it in such a way that it manifests itself in different ways. My body could no longer store the trauma of that 10-year abuse. So in our new home, four months rehoused, safe and secure, I fell ill and was put in the hospital for a week. And it is still a blessing because I was safe to do so. The EHV voucher allowed me to do so. So after two and a half years, to be told that this voucher that provided that safety and security is no longer available for me and my children — this is why I am here. I am here to advocate for my children. My child is currently taking the Algebra Regents. I have a neurodivergent child who is currently in school, navigating himself, and he is so brilliant and bright. And I have another one that just loves to run. I am here as a mom, as a single mom, just trying my best for my kids.

I am a proud New Yorker. I love this City. I am a proud Brooklynite. I love this City. I think it is amazing that the Knicks are in the Finals — the Knicks in five, right? I must say that — the Knicks in five. You see the pain turning into joy, the seat that we are about to celebrate. This is a wonderful miracle and accomplishment of this basketball team that we have been rooting for. But we should also look at our most vulnerable New Yorkers and we should include them in the things that matter the most. The hierarchy of needs — our safety and security, our food, our shelter, our home being met — those are the basic needs being met. And at this current time, they are not being met. It took more than just housing a certain set of individuals. It took a pandemic for that to happen, to be housed and safe.

I am hoping and I am pleading and I am asking that not only do we look into the housing access voucher pilot program and extend it, but also that we look into how us New Yorkers can come together and expand and invest in City-funded programs properly. Because this is something that can also target New Yorkers and is meant for us. Because we are New Yorkers. We are strong. We spread love the Brooklyn way. And I am so passionate about this City and I know that we can do great things when we come together, as we have come together in the past. Yeah, let us not forget our neighbors and the little guys. So thank you for your time.

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Thank you for your testimony.

(00:14:37)

You may begin. All right. Good morning, Chair Banks and members of the Committee on Public Housing. Thank you for holding this important hearing and thank you, Stephanie, for kicking us off and for the opportunity to testify on behalf of New Destiny Housing. I also want to thank the domestic violence survivors who gave testimony, including the women who are on the panel with me.

My name is Gina Capucci and I am the Senior Director of Housing Access and Stability Services at New Destiny. New Destiny is the only organization in our City dedicated exclusively to permanent housing for survivors of domestic violence. We do this work because domestic violence is the number one cause of family homelessness in our City and for survivors, housing is a matter of life and death.

For survivors of domestic violence and the community of advocates supporting them, the launch of the EHV program meant so much more than just another housing program, and I think that is really underlined by Stephanie's testimony. Unlike local subsidies, it was the first large-scale effort responding to people fleeing abuse and being able to access the voucher without being forced into shelter. We were able to secure a voucher for the parent — a professional who could not bring herself to take her disabled 19-year-old daughter into shelter and preferred to face abuse at home for the wellbeing of her daughter. There are many elderly survivors who were finally able to leave decades of abuse so that they could access housing and heal.

When the program launched, New Destiny was selected by the City to provide housing navigation to the survivors referred for these vouchers. In less than two years we housed over 700 survivors. There is an aftercare program as well and we remain in close contact with hundreds of them. So when NYCHA announced that households would have to apply to transfer within its portfolio among the housing options available, survivors contacted us in a panic, afraid of losing the safe homes they had finally found.

Today over 5,000 households are at risk, including over 1,100 domestic violence survivors and 600 runaway and homeless youth living in every Council district. We have been working closely with the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence to ensure survivors are informed and their partnership has been crucial. In addition, the partnership with NYCHA has been incredibly crucial as we have been working to troubleshoot issues case by case and we see that there is a clear commitment from their staff to make this work in any way possible. But there are ways in which their hands are tied. We simply do not have enough units in the area — not enough units alone, but also in areas where people feel comfortable living. And when a transfer is possible, it will uproot survivors from the schools, jobs and support networks that make safety possible for them.

There is a clear solution: the City should extend City FHEPS eligibility to NYCHA EHV participants and fund it in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. A dedicated eligibility category would let these families transition seamlessly, staying in their homes, out of shelter. The City has a responsibility to ensure housing stability for survivors of violence facing the loss of their assistance, preventing the retraumatization of eviction proceedings, the cost of shelter and the immeasurable cost of further abuse if they feel forced to return to abusers. City FHEPS would also keep rental income flowing to thousands of landlords housing these families.

New Destiny is not alone in this call. About 350 organizations and New Yorkers, most of them directly impacted, have signed our letter to the Mayor to act, which we will deliver at City Hall this afternoon. Thank you.

(00:18:41)

Thank you for your testimony.

(00:18:49)

Good morning. My name is... I am a survivor of domestic violence. Every day I fought for my independence. I know it is not easy to go about this, but I will not give up. I was exposed... I am here because of my children. All right, you are here for... they came and released... I do not even want to miss this opportunity. What I can do is be here and speak up. Thank you.

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Thank you for your testimony.

(00:19:48)

Hi. My name is Danielle. This is my mother-in-law. I am advocating on her behalf. She is a victim of domestic violence.

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Thank you, sir.

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She is a victim of domestic violence. She was with my partner's father since she was 16. She came to the U.S. and has lived in New York. She has been a New York resident since the 90s. She has worked. She has done everything right. When she finally left my boyfriend's father, she was with us while we tried to find housing. This voucher gave her, for the first time in her entire life, independence. She had never lived on her own. She had my boyfriend at 17. She did not get far in school and she is not able to make the income that most New Yorkers need here, because my boyfriend's father is still in the system and that was her abuser. This voucher has given her the first home that is truly her own — not one that she shared with family, not one that she shared with her husband. She has been able to get a job. She has been able to make friends. She has been able to create stability for herself. And even when she had her accident in 2024 and she could not work, having this voucher kept her from being homeless as well. She has worked so hard and she has done so much to make sure she is

(00:21:07)

able to stay in her home and do what she needs to do to be a contributing member.

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One of the things that really upset us the most is that NYCHA just sent a letter randomly earlier this year with no indication that there was an issue with funding. When they got the notice last year, there was no notice to the tenants.

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So we are wondering: is she going to be able to afford her rent? How is she going to stay? What is she going to do? There is no action plan. We called NYCHA. I was on the phone with her for two hours on hold, only to be told there is no information. There has been no sort of real direction or guidance on how we can help her navigate staying in housing and staying within what she needs to do. No direction first, and also the funding — how is it that New York State is not taking care of its people? I know this is a federal program, but she lives here. She pays taxes. She has worked and she has been a contributor for over 30 years in this City and she needs help and now there is no help for her. I know this, as I said, is a federal program that you did not create, but it is a shame that the lawmakers here and also in the capital are not creating funding categories to help expand the regular Section 8. No one told us initially that this was just a temporary program, that it was only good for 10 years. We thought it was a permanent program and we were like, great, she is going to be stable. She is 62 in 10 days. How is she supposed to afford New York rents — and not even a nice place, just a small studio — when rent is like $2,000 to $3,000 and she does not make that in a month? I am sorry. I am just upset.

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I want my mother-in-law and everyone else who is in her situation to be able to have stable housing for them and their families. It is not right that they work hard and cannot get the help that they need, that they deserve, that they worked for.

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Sorry. Yeah. Thank you for your testimony. Now we will hear from Kenny...

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Thank you, Chris Banks, for that. Good morning, everyone. My name is Kenny Bird. I am with the New York Apartment Association and our members own and operate the majority of New York City's rent stabilized housing — hundreds of thousands of homes concentrated in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and upper Manhattan in the very neighborhoods this Committee cares most about.

I am here today to do something that will surprise some people. I am here to ask this Council, through a resolution, that the State Legislature and the Governor expand and strengthen a rental assistance program, because I want to put a myth to rest once and for all. The myth is that property owners do not accept vouchers, that we do not want them, that we do not want subsidized tenants and see them as a burden. The opposite is true. Our members have housed tens of thousands of New Yorkers with City STEPS, Section 8 and other assistance every single day.

A voucher means a stable tenancy, reliable payment and a family that can stay in their home through job loss, illness or crisis. No rational owner turns that away. When owners hesitate, it is not the voucher — it is the bureaucracy around it: months-long inspection delays, payments that arrive late or not at all and caseworkers no one can reach. We need to fix this process.

So let me be crystal clear. Our organization thinks vouchers are great. We want them expanded. We want the government to administer them better so people can get out of shelters more quickly. We are completely in line with the City Council on this issue. The only person opposed to improving and expanding vouchers right now is the Mayor.

On this specific resolution, we support it because it does two practical things. First, it allows the housing access voucher pilot program to prioritize not only New Yorkers who are already homeless, but families on the verge of losing their federal rent subsidy because of cuts or eligibility changes in Washington. That is not a hypothetical. Federal housing assistance in this City is under real and immediate pressure. It is far cheaper in dollars and in human terms to keep a family housed than to rehouse them out of the shelter system.

Second, the Bill lets local administrators inspect units under consistent state standards, streamlining one of the choke points that has slowed down every voucher program this City has ever run.

I also want to be honest with this Committee about why our support matters and what it is contingent on. Our members wholly support housing New Yorkers who need help. What we cannot support is being asked to do it for free. Vouchers or rent freezes for tenants in need without bankrupting buildings that are facing rising costs, including government-backed property tax hikes and water rate increases. Many buildings are also struggling with high rent arrears because of a broken housing court system. The idea that we should not expand vouchers because we can just freeze the rent is a recipe for failure.

We are already seeing buildings fail due to systemic defunding. There are now dozens of independent housing experts who have waved the red flag about the growing physical and financial distress in New York City. If we keep on this path, the City will lose housing supply and there will be fewer homes for future voucher holders. Helping its citizens pay for their housing is the best investment a government can make. Thank you.

(00:26:09)

Thank you for your testimony. Thank you to the panel. Thank you, appreciate it. Next, we will now go to the administration testimony. I will turn it over to the Committee counsel to give the affirmation. Before you begin your testimony, would you please be sworn in by a Council member? Yes. All right, you may begin.

(00:28:04)

Thank you. Chair Banks, first, thanks to the Committee on Public Housing, other distinguished members of the City Council, NYCHA residents and voucher holders, community advocates and members of the public. Good morning.

I am Lakisha Milanes, Vice President of Leased Housing. I am pleased to be joined today by Melissa Wick, Senior Adviser in the Office of Leased Housing, and our colleagues at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development: Adam Phillips, First Deputy Commissioner, and Marrow Black Weisman, Deputy Commissioner of Housing Access and Stability.

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss how the Authority and this City are handling the federal government's early ending of the Emergency Housing Vouchers program and working to support at-risk voucher holders. We know that members of the Council are as concerned as we are about the fate of this program. We share this concern and we thank you for your partnership.

For half a century, NYCHA has helped low-income New Yorkers rent housing in the private market thanks to the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8. The Section 8 rental subsidy allows families to pay no more than 30% of their adjusted monthly income toward rent. NYCHA pays the remaining amount to the owner of the home on the family's behalf — what we have usually referred to as the subsidy share of the rent. NYCHA administers the largest Section 8 program in the country. We currently serve more than 110,000 households, about 222,000 residents, who rent homes from over 26,000 participating landlords. More than half of our participants are children and seniors.

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The average household income is about $24,000 and families pay an average of $477 in monthly rent as their share of rent based on their income.

Like the HCV program, the Emergency Housing Vouchers program is also administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was established as a separate tenant-based voucher program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help the most vulnerable families and individuals gain stable and affordable housing, including people who were experiencing homelessness, were at risk of homelessness or were victims of domestic violence.

The approximately 70,000 vouchers administered by 626 public housing authorities across the nation are supposed to be funded to September 2030. However, HUD announced in March 2025 that the federal funding will run out by the end of this year, four years early. Addressing this early and unexpected expiration of funds is a nationwide issue for all public housing authorities that manage these vouchers.

Within New York City, the administration of Emergency Housing Vouchers was split between NYCHA and HPD. NYCHA received over 5,700 vouchers and HPD received about 2,000. Both of our agencies have been working diligently to identify alternative housing options for our EHV households.

Once HUD made this announcement, NYCHA began developing a plan to assist the 5,000-plus participants. Originally, NYCHA planned to offer program participants a regular Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. But since federal funding has not kept pace with recent cost increases to the program, doing so would require a waiver from HUD. We requested the waiver in December 2025 and it was denied the following month.

We now plan to provide participants with alternative subsidized housing options across NYCHA's portfolio, including the PACT portfolio and other project-based vacancies. To that end, beginning in March 2026 we reached out to our households through multiple rounds of communication to encourage them to complete a public housing application, which we are continuing to accept so that we can pursue alternative subsidized housing options and capture the information we need to match them to housing support outside of the program.

Today we have sent over 13,000 emails and 9,000 letters to participants informing them of the need to apply. We have also sent correspondence to landlords of participants and continue to hold regular office hours with referring providers to provide updates on the transition process. Completion of the public housing application is the first step towards providing households with an alternative subsidized housing option.

We will continue to reach out to the remaining participants to encourage them to do so. As of June 9, we have received approximately 3,350 responses from the households. We have begun matching these households with vacant apartments across our housing portfolio, contacting them via email, regular mail and phone to inform them once the match has been made.

In addition to placements within NYCHA's portfolio, the City has identified $80 million in HOME-ARP funding to reallocate to the HOME-TBRA program to assist a portion of NYCHA's current participants. The proposed use of funding is contingent on HUD approval. Although we are pleased to share this progress with the Council, we understand that time is of the essence to ensure our participants receive the support they need.

NYCHA is working with referral partners, participating in cross-agency working groups with City Hall and identifying every approach to assist households. NYCHA is also partnering with the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement to support our outreach efforts. Thank you for your time and attention this morning. First Deputy Commissioner Adam Phillips will now provide information on HPD's response to the issue.

(00:35:10)

Thank you, Lakisha. Good morning, Chair Banks, members of the Public Housing Committee and members of the public. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I also want to thank the folks who shared their personal stories and how the program has had an impact on their daily lives.

HPD is here to discuss two related but distinct issues. First, we will address the cohort of EHV holders. There are roughly 2,000 households whose vouchers are administered by HPD — a group completely separate from the NYCHA clients discussed earlier. We will provide an update on the current status of these households, the stop-gap solution we are implementing to prevent homelessness and the need for long-term federal solutions.

Second, we will discuss what HPD is doing to support the transition of a portion of those voucher holders from NYCHA's tenant-based rental assistance, also known as HOME-TBRA, to be administered by HPD.

Before we discuss the transition of NYCHA's clients to HOME-TBRA, let me provide updates on the approximately 2,000 HPD clients who received a notice from HUD in March 2025 that EHV funding would be terminated nearly four years earlier than anticipated. HPD, NYCHA and housing agencies across the country face the same unprecedented dilemma: local governments were being asked to fill a resource gap that has historically been filled by the federal government.

This abrupt change in policy immediately put the roughly 2,000 HPD households at risk. As soon as we were notified that the EHV program would be ending early, we took swift action by engaging congressional leaders, national organizations and other public housing authorities affected by this massive federal policy change. Many households face significant barriers to housing stability and rely on vouchers to avoid falling into homelessness. We educated congressional leaders on the significant risks and vulnerabilities that our EHV clients face in light of the program's early termination, along with the urgent need to secure additional federal funding that would allow us to provide ongoing assistance to these households.

Amid our efforts to educate our federal partners on this issue, we simultaneously began exploring possible funding alternatives through the summer and fall of 2025 to ensure we were prepared for a range of outcomes. At that time, Congress was weighing measures that would help to at least partially address the EHV funding cliff, but it remained very unclear how much additional assistance, if any, the federal government would provide us and other public housing authorities.

While the federal government wavered, we developed a stop-gap solution to prevent these households from being evicted or made homeless by leveraging HOME-TBRA funds. We could transition them from the HPD EHV program. We would have to do so by the end of September 2026, when the funding is estimated to run out. Once transitioned to HOME-TBRA, we estimate that funding will last for around two years. This is not a permanent solution. This is a stop-gap until more permanent assistance can be secured.

To facilitate a smooth transition from HPD EHV to HOME-TBRA, we proactively conducted outreach to EHV households and property owners. We sent letters and notices to households and their landlords informing them of an upcoming programmatic change and in February 2026 hosted a number of information sessions to explain the federal changes, answer questions and provide guidance on the transition to HOME-TBRA. Hundreds of households and owners participated in those sessions and based on their engagement, we published frequently asked questions and other relevant guidance online. HPD is making every effort to seamlessly transition our 2,000 households from EHV to HOME-TBRA. We began sending out applications and as of June 1 issued invitations to all of the roughly 2,000 households to apply for HOME-TBRA.

(00:39:48)

To reduce the burden on households, we sent out pre-filled applications with recent household information. Our response rate has been strong — almost 80% of the applications that were sent out have been returned.

This federal change has caused a crisis that is hitting cities around the country. Some are being forced to take the most painful path, where voucher holders face a coverage gap and lose their housing. New York City has been fortunate to have the resources to continue housing thousands of families whose vouchers are being taken away prematurely. We are unique in being able to create a new program, albeit a temporary one, to keep these families housed. But this is not a sustainable solution. HOME-TBRA will not be able to cover our voucher holders indefinitely. There is no replacement for the federal government. They must meet their obligations to follow through on their programs, including Section 8.

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We have made that clear in our meetings with federal officials and we will continue to say in no uncertain terms: the federal government must not abandon voucher holders. They must uphold their responsibilities.

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Those are the steps we are taking to keep HPD's roughly 2,000 households safely housed through HOME-TBRA. We will now move on to our role in supporting NYCHA and a subset of their 5,700 EHV households. We will be supporting a similar transition of NYCHA's HOME-TBRA, which will be administered by HPD.

Given the time-sensitive nature of this crisis, with funding set to run out by the end of the year, we are pursuing an emergency contract via a request for proposal to enable the transition of families from NYCHA's EHV to HOME-TBRA. HPD is currently reviewing responses and we are in the process of selecting the vendor. To ensure a seamless transition for as many households as we can, we will continue to work across government to ensure that EHV households can access dignified, safe and stable housing. Thank you and we welcome your questions.

(00:42:00)

Thank you for your testimony. We will now move to open statements. We will actually recognize... we are also joined by a Council member and the Public Advocate. Public Advocate, you may proceed.

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Before I am able to ask questions, you can give your statement — just a brief statement. Okay, open statement. Okay. Thank you. And most importantly, keep it to five minutes.

(00:42:36)

Good morning. I am Nantasha M. Williams, Public Advocate in New York. Thank you, Chair Banks and members of the Committee, for holding this hearing. This spring, the City and state have had to come to grips with the Trump administration's proposal to end federal rental assistance for thousands of New York households, the cancellation of the Emergency Housing Voucher program, and proposed cuts of 43 to 45% of federal rental assistance and strict two-year timelines for able-bodied adults. Such measures could lead to the displacement of tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

The number of unhoused New Yorkers in the Department of Homeless Services system, managed by the Department of Social Services, is continually increasing. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, the number of longer-term New Yorkers utilizing shelters saw 12% growth between 2023 and 2024, an increase of over 7,500 people. According to the Office of Research and Policy Innovation, 7,888 vouchers were allocated to NYCHA and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. By early 2024, the City had successfully used all allocated vouchers, with clients serviced by the Department of Homeless Services accounting for nearly one third of the placements.

NYCHA says that there are approximately 5,200 participants as of March 2026, so about 67% of the total has been used by NYCHA alone.

And since 2019, my office has labeled NYCHA as the City's worst landlord for most of the reasons thousands of New Yorkers face homelessness. Since it is due to mismanagement, assistance for those impacted by federal emergency policy, NYCHA's ability to maintain tenant trust will be severely compromised. The Emergency Housing Voucher program successfully housed New Yorkers who are now at risk of becoming unhoused again for no reason other than the cruelty of those who have chosen to work with this administration. The City needs to get creative in order to prevent NYCHA residents with these vouchers from falling back into being unhoused and further exacerbating our housing crisis. Placements from shelters into NYCHA housing have plummeted by over 80% since fiscal year 2015, with such exits now accounting for less than 5% of the total despite monthly... I know. Not just you, usually in that perilous situation. Some of it is because of lack of funding for NYCHA and some of it is mismanagement of NYCHA. So when I get an opportunity, I will have to ask some questions based on the statement I gave. Thank you.

(00:45:06)

I am going to begin my line of questioning and then I will pass it over to the Public Advocate and then to my colleagues again. Thank you to the administration for coming. Let me just go straight into questions. As of today, how many Emergency Housing Vouchers does HPD administer and how many does NYCHA

(00:45:30)

administer? Thank you for the question. HPD currently administers almost 2,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers. NYCHA administers 1,900.

(00:45:39)

Thank you for your question. NYCHA currently administers roughly 5,100 households, and we do target similar populations based on the criteria for the vouchers.

(00:45:57)

So we are trying to ensure through the Emergency Housing Voucher program that we are targeting the households that are in the most need of stable housing. And how many of these households are headed by a survivor of domestic violence?

(00:46:13)

Sure. At the time when the program started, about 15 to 16% of the households were headed by

(00:46:20)

domestic violence survivors. Can you repeat that? Around 16%. And how many include children under 18?

(00:46:31)

Children under 18 for us... let me locate that information, Council Member. I can answer for the NYCHA program. Yes.

(00:46:44)

Approximately 55% of the participants we serve are under the age of 18. And how many of the children are housed in the City's Emergency Housing Voucher portfolio? Thank

(00:46:58)

you for your question. That is for the Emergency Housing Voucher program alone.

(00:47:02)

55%... okay. And for HPD, about 30% of the households... sorry, about 30% of the people supported are children. Okay. And how many include seniors over the age of 62 and how many include persons with

(00:47:22)

disabilities? We have about 15% of our households that are headed by seniors and about 20% are households with a disability. And

(00:47:32)

how many are headed by a young person who has aged out of the foster system?

(00:47:37)

So that is not something that we track. A version of it that we could look at is households that were referred to us due to risk of homelessness, and that was about 7% of our households.

(00:47:48)

How many include persons that are in a hospital undergoing any type of medical treatment?

(00:47:54)

That is not something that is tracked. Okay.

(00:47:57)

Typically, how many of the Emergency Housing Voucher holders receive a voucher... I am sorry, say that again. Typically, how many of the... all of the participants received a voucher, is that right? Okay. Well, let me rephrase that question. I apologize. What was the average length... you can strike that question. What is the average length of homelessness before each household received a voucher?

(00:48:34)

That is not something that we track, but about 70% of the households that are on the program were previously homeless or at risk of homelessness.

(00:48:42)

Those households include NYCHA. And what is the borough distribution? I can give it for HPD, and then NYCHA can give

(00:48:56)

it. Broadly, about 40% are from the Bronx, 22% Brooklyn, 20% Queens, 14% Manhattan, 3% Staten Island, and then we have a few that are outside of New York City, which was something that was allowed through the Emergency Housing Voucher program. Thank you. For NYCHA, our Emergency Housing Vouchers and our overall Section 8 program are highly concentrated in the Bronx, so that is about 47% in the Bronx, another 23% are located in Brooklyn, 9% in Manhattan, 3 to 4% in Staten Island and 16 and a half percent in Queens. We also, as a condition of the Emergency Housing Voucher program, have a small population that reside outside of New York City.

(00:49:50)

Okay. And what neighborhoods and boroughs have the highest concentration of households in NYCHA's programs? The highest concentrations are the Bronx and Brooklyn, similar to our general Section 8 program.

(00:50:13)

Okay. Back in May 2025, HUD announced that the Emergency Housing Voucher funding will be depleted by the end of the federal fiscal year 2026, approximately four years earlier than the original American Rescue Plan Act timeline of 2030. What is the precise date on which NYCHA and HPD project the Emergency Housing Voucher subsidy payments will stop?

(00:50:45)

So thank you for the question. Yes, in March 2025 we received notice that the Emergency Housing Voucher program would be ending about four years earlier than anticipated. Based on the information that we have and based on our analysis, we assume that the HPD Emergency Housing Voucher program would run out of money by the end of September 2026. Okay. Thank you.

(00:51:09)

And for NYCHA, similar to HPD, we were also notified, like other housing authorities across the nation, in March 2025 that the program would be ending early. Based on our analysis, NYCHA's funding should be expiring in mid-November 2026. The tenants have all received a final notice from NYCHA. So from our perspective, in February 2026, when we knew that there would be no federal solution to this problem, we started to do targeted outreach to tenants and to households. Since March 2026, every single household has received an application to transition from the Emergency Housing Voucher program to HOME. I think something really great to highlight here is that we have had an uptake rate of approximately 80%, so of all the households that we have reached out to, as of June 1, nearly 80% of households have returned a completed application to transition to HOME. Okay. How many of

(00:52:21)

the Emergency Housing Voucher households does each agency project will not receive housing assistance when the Emergency Housing Voucher program expires? So all of HPD's nearly 2,000 Emergency Housing Voucher holders will transition to HOME as long as they continue to be

(00:52:50)

eligible. Thank you for your question, Council Member. The expiration of the federal funding for the program is an issue that NYCHA takes very seriously. Our goal is to offer every Emergency Housing Voucher household an alternative option. We are working very closely with the City and with HPD on an effective solution. We are utilizing every resource within our housing portfolio, starting with the project-based voucher units within our private impact portfolio. We have engaged those partners as that is a source of long-term affordable housing available to the households. We have also made use of additional vouchers that we had at our disposal under what is called the Mainstream Voucher, and we have partnered with the agency to transition some families back over to their services. So again, we are taking this very seriously. We are turning over every rock that we can to access affordable housing and we are also part of the partnership with HUD's approval. We will be transitioning a portion of our Emergency Housing Voucher households over to the HOME program.

(00:54:09)

Okay. Thank you. And alternatively, how many households do NYCHA and HPD each expect will not have undergone a transition to alternative assistance based on the current pace of progress?

(00:54:27)

Thank you for your question, Council Member. I think it is expected that at some point in this process, because the crucial first step for me is that the Emergency Housing Voucher households complete the public housing application and that they make sure that their existing program requirements regarding recertification and inspections are up to date. We will land at the end of this process with some people who are not out of compliance, but again it is our goal to offer every household an opportunity, and we will continue all of the outreach efforts to get households into compliance and completing a public housing application. I will say this is where we can use the Council's support to reinforce that requirement. We are also getting additional support from the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement. The Public Engagement Unit is also going to be doing outreach to households using things like peer-to-peer texting and really expanding our outreach efforts. Okay.

(00:55:29)

NYCHA reopened its Section 9 waitlist back in June 2024 for the first time since 2009 and selected close to 200,000 households by lottery for vouchers to the waitlist. To free up capacity for the Emergency Housing Voucher to Section 8 transition, on September 29, 2025, NYCHA testified before the Committee that NYCHA would begin transferring all its Emergency Housing Voucher participants to the Section 8 program and they would continue to receive the same benefits and their rental subsidy would not be impacted. At the September 29 hearing, NYCHA testified that it had received a waiver from HUD for the Emergency Housing Voucher to Section 8 transition. However, it was reported in Gothamist on February 13, 2026 that HUD denied NYCHA's request for a waiver to issue new vouchers. In January 2026, on what date did NYCHA

(00:56:45)

submit the waiver request to HUD? Thank you for your question, Council Member. So the transition of households to the Section 8 program required multiple waivers. Upon announcement of the early end of the Emergency Housing Voucher program, HUD issued a waiver to transition the households over into Section 8. To do so, you need a waiver to do that. NYCHA complied with that process and received approval to do so. Shortly after that, HUD issued a notification projecting a funding shortfall in the Section 8 program at the end of 2025. So in that projection, we were not able to issue any new vouchers or transfer in the Emergency Housing Voucher households. But also in that status, NYCHA had waiver permission. Okay, so we exercised that second waiver permission in December 2025 because we wanted to continue with the plan to transition households over to Section 8, because we understand the stress of destabilizing the households. NYCHA has the largest program in the country, not only for Section 8, but for Emergency Housing Vouchers. Even though we submitted that waiver request, HUD denied it. So we are responding in real time, turning over every rock, using every option available to continue rental assistance for these households, including partnering with City Hall and accessing the HOME program.

(00:58:31)

And when you submitted the waiver request, what information did you provide to

(00:58:35)

HUD? We made a compelling argument about the destabilizing effects of ending the federal funding, how we are the largest program, and how it could create or exacerbate the homelessness issues in New York City. But HUD did not find the argument compelling and they denied our request.

(00:58:57)

And what specifically did NYCHA request in the waiver? The second waiver, but

(00:59:04)

I just want to make sure that I clarified. Yeah, it would be the second. Yes. So in the second waiver, we requested permission to continue the plans to transition in manageable batches so as not to overwhelm the Section 8 budget and continue to make use of the existing funding that was available.

(00:59:30)

And when did HUD deny the

(00:59:34)

waiver? It was in early January 2026. And it was reported that they

(00:59:40)

walked back from the initial approval given back in 2025. Thank you for your question and the opportunity to clarify.

(00:59:50)

The first waiver granted us permission to transition the households over by adding them to the Section 8 waitlist and giving them priority for the next available voucher.

(01:00:02)

Okay. And who from HUD was responsible for the denial decision? Thank you for your question. The waiver was handled by HUD.

(01:00:15)

Okay. And obviously NYCHA received a formal denial. And what was the basis of the denial? The basis of the denial was that the Section 8 program was still in a shortfall status and we could not transfer the

(01:00:34)

households. Okay. And what funding shortfall was the waiver intended to address, and what is the per-household subsidy gap that prevented the transition? Thank you

(01:00:48)

for your question. The cost of the Emergency Housing Voucher program is $125 million a year. So in the original plan, we would transition them, let us say 200 to 300 families a month, and then allow the existing funding to just stretch out a little longer so that we have time to work it into the budget. Okay.

(01:01:15)

And if NYCHA had not received approval from HUD for the waiver, why did it not stop issuing new Section 8 vouchers at all? First of all, thank you

(01:01:28)

for your question. We needed to stop issuing the vouchers because of the plan to transition over into Section 8. We did not have the budget to do both, so we needed to do that and we obtained HUD approval to do that.

(01:01:45)

Does NYCHA have a plan on when it will issue new Section 8 vouchers for the general waitlist? Thank

(01:01:52)

you for your question. We are continuing to monitor news out of HUD and what the funding looks like for the program. So when we make a determination of when we will revisit the waitlist, we will stay in communication and advise. Thank you. And I

(01:02:10)

just sent the Emergency Housing Voucher households a letter directing them to complete a public housing application through the self-service portal by May 1. The letter stated that NYCHA was not able to offer a regular Section 8 housing choice voucher as it originally planned to do because the program did not have enough funding. The letter also stated that NYCHA would begin offering NYCHA's Emergency Housing Voucher participants who have successfully completed the online NYCHA public housing application an alternative subsidized option. Of the NYCHA Emergency Housing Voucher households, how many submitted a public housing application by the May 1 deadline? Thank you for your question, Council Member. I am just bringing it more current.

(01:03:05)

As of today, roughly 67% of the households have completed a public housing application. I just want to reemphasize again that that is a crucial first step and we really could use the Council's support in reiterating that.

(01:03:24)

Households need to complete that application before we move forward. Brian is going to be assisted by the Council.

(01:03:51)

how many NYCHA Emergency Housing Voucher households have submitted an application?

(01:03:58)

Thank you for your question, Council Member. We do all of the outreach and partner with the service providers who receive regular updates and are also reaching out to the households. The response rate is 67%.

(01:04:10)

And what is the raw number? It is about 3,400. How many Emergency Housing

(01:04:19)

Voucher households have been determined to be ineligible for public housing because they are not in good standing?

(01:04:29)

Thank you for your question,

(01:04:30)

Council Member. To clarify, the requirement to be up to date with the recertification and inspection requirements is not solely applicable to public housing. It is just the overall eligibility for an alternative option. So of the 3,400 households that have responded, roughly 1,000 are out of compliance with their program requirements and we will continue to perform outreach to those households so that

(01:04:58)

they can become up to date. So on what basis are these households being found ineligible or lacking in good standing? Thank you for that

(01:05:09)

clarifying question. So as part of the program participation, all households must recertify annually, letting us know what their current household composition and income is so that we can make sure that their tenant shares are calculated properly and reported to HUD with that update. Additionally, they must allow their apartment to be inspected so that we can assure that they are living in decent, safe conditions. Okay. Does

(01:05:43)

NYCHA have to amend the tenant selection and assignment plan for Section 9 to allow for the Emergency Housing Voucher holders to transition into public housing?

(01:06:00)

Thank you, Council Member. So right now we are focusing our efforts on project based Section 8. The reason being is number one we have available units, but number two it is a seamless transition. They are going from one program that they are already part of to another that will also be Section 8. It will be permanent housing for these folks, which is really great.

(01:06:32)

Once they are in a project based Section 8 unit, we will not have to revisit this issue in one to two years' time, so that is really great for these folks. Once we exhaust those, then we will have to revisit Section 9. Questions? Yeah, I know, and a previous committee recently mentioned that NYCHA is considering relocating some of the households to the PACT sites. You would have to amend a tenant selection or assignment plan for Section 8 to allow

(01:07:06)

for that to happen. No, no.

(01:07:09)

It is okay. We know that there was a report back on a pool of applications from April 24, 2026 that night, applications on a rolling basis through the summer. Can you confirm if the May 1 deadline is firm or rolling, or clarify what this means for households' priority status? Sure.

(01:07:39)

First I would like to apologize for any confusion that I may have caused. People who are participants currently can still apply and we really encourage them to do so. There are a few things that we really need people to do. You have to be in it to win it. You need to apply. You need to work with us to make sure that you are up to date on the requirements of the program. We will work with you to get your recertification up to date, to make sure that your inspections are up to date, and then after that we can work with you to find you an apartment that

(01:08:19)

... Well, I want to be clear. This is not a lottery. I am sorry, I do not want to be unclear, it is not. Yeah, I know, but I am just using that. Oh, go ahead. The only way to be in it

(01:08:27)

... right? Just one of the households that have been

(01:08:32)

approved into the housing choice voucher program. How many have been matched to units? Thank you for your

(01:08:40)

question, Council Member, to clarify. For the households who have completed the public housing application and who are up to date with their program requirements, we are matching them to available moving ready units within our PACT portfolio. Okay, so they

(01:09:01)

... the first batch of applications were received for May 1. We have been able to match 568 households to an available moving ready unit. And what is the

(01:09:14)

breakdown of these units across NYCHA's portfolio, including the bedroom

(01:09:22)

sizes? Thank you for your question, Council Member. We can provide that

(01:09:24)

after the hearing. I do not have that specific level of detail at the

(01:09:28)

moment. And of the households that have been approved into the program, how many remain to be matched? Thank you

(01:09:39)

for your question, Council Member. Looking at roughly 4,500 households who need to be matched to

(01:09:48)

housing. Okay, and of the participants who have been matched to alternative housing, how many have actually moved in? Thank you

(01:10:01)

for your question. I am happy to report that the rental packages are starting to come in. We have received roughly 90 rental packages and to date we have been able to process approximately 14 transitions over into project based Section 8.

(01:10:21)

So "process" means placed into the unit. Can you clarify that, Brian?

(01:10:27)

Question. Yes. So the first thing that I want to clarify is that we are not placing people. We are matching them to available

(01:10:38)

moving ready units that meet their household size. So then how many residents are in units they have been moved into? There are approximately 14. They have moved so

(01:10:48)

far. 14. Yes. Okay. Would NYCHA commit to sharing — you shared the moving figures, which is 14. Would you commit to doing it on a monthly basis leading up to the deadline? Thank the

(01:11:13)

question. The progress that is being made? Yes, so NYCHA is very committed because we are taking this early termination very seriously and we are doing matches to available

(01:11:26)

moving... Will you commit to

(01:11:28)

reporting to the Committee? Yes, yes. Yes, we will

(01:11:45)

require that. So we are going to allow some of our other colleagues to ask some questions and then I will come back to my line of questions. I am going to allow the Public Advocate to go and then I will allow CM Won to go. So Public Advocate,

(01:12:00)

you have the floor. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. 14 is an astounding number, so it just really caught me off guard. I just want to understand, is there a reason why it is so low? And also I want to know what the total number is. Maybe I missed it.

(01:12:21)

Thank you for your clarification questions, Council Member. The number is starting off low because we just started to look at the applications that were coming in as of May 1.

(01:12:33)

So we are really focused on matching households to available moving ready units within the PACT and PBV portfolio. That number will grow as we do additional matches.

(01:12:48)

And also as we partner to move over a portion of households to the HOME program. So just so I understand

(01:12:59)

that... the issue is an operational one, not availability of the program. All right. It is a process, right? We matched the households to the units.

(01:13:10)

So we started doing that early on.

(01:13:14)

There is a process to the meeting and going and viewing a unit, completing the rental package, submitting it for processing. Okay, so there is a process flow associated with transitioning the households. Okay. And for the voucher

(01:13:30)

holders, the transition from HOME ERA is not a move. It is just a different voucher program. Folks are not moving into other units. They are staying in their current units. Okay.

(01:13:43)

And for both, how long do you think those programs would last? That is a great question.

(01:13:49)

So we are projecting, with the HOME team, about two years of funding before we run out.

(01:13:57)

As we mentioned in our testimony, this is a stopgap measure. It is a temporary measure and we are advocating for more Section 8 funding on the federal level. That is truly the long term solution here — additional Section 8 funding — and NYCHA

(01:14:14)

... yes. Thank you for your question. So NYCHA's project based vacancies — that is a longer term solution. It is similar to the general Section 8 program where funding is renewed year over year, so once we take care of

(01:14:32)

transitioning households to project based Section 8, as Brian mentioned earlier,

(01:14:36)

we will not have to revisit the stability of those households. And yes, so also thank you, Brian. The 1,700 households that we are

(01:14:48)

that we will be able to transition to the HOME program — yes, we will have to revisit

(01:14:54)

and as Adam mentioned, it requires continued engagement with the federal government for

(01:15:01)

funding. Chair, can I get

(01:15:03)

a little more time? You have additional time. Thank

(01:15:06)

you. Just so I understand clearly, how many people from NYCHA that are missing matches will not be able to get a voucher? Thank

(01:15:19)

you for your question. It is our goal to provide an alternative option to every single household. We are working closely with City Hall to implement an effective solution that addresses all households.

(01:15:33)

So very, very... excuse me. Your clients — you think you will have two years and that is 100% of the folks that you are dealing with now for the transition and NYCHA. You think everybody will get a different program and they will not have to worry about it at all after that?

(01:15:54)

So for HPD, approximately 2,000 voucher holders — once they move on to HOME ERA, we are estimating about two years of funding. When that runs out, we will be working with NYCHA to transition some of those households over to HOME. Two years is how long they will have until funding runs out, for the folks that NYCHA is transitioning over to our HOME program.

(01:16:21)

So everybody will have about two years?

(01:16:25)

Everybody on the HOME program — everybody who is receiving HOME — it will be about two years. Okay, if

(01:16:33)

I may clarify, Council Member. NYCHA is using multiple sources to assist households due to the federal government's withdrawal of funding. We are making use of services of those who initially referred families, to refer them back. We are making use of the Section 8 units. So those sources of funding

(01:17:05)

have a more long term solution where you do not have to revisit it in two years. But the portion of NYCHA's households that will transition over to the HOME ERA program — their program will be time limited.

(01:17:19)

And how many is that? We are estimating 1,700

(01:17:25)

households. So 1,700 may be in it for two years, so that leaves — if I did that math — is that 4,000 or 3,000 that will not have to worry? There will be roughly 3,500.

(01:17:40)

Hundred. Okay. Thank you. My last question — just for me with NYCHA, I know some of it is always funding.

(01:17:46)

I am always concerned about the mismanagement, so I just want to understand. I noticed that the rate of placements from NYCHA has really plummeted. The vacancy rate in NYCHA is higher than the vacancy rate in the City, so I just want to understand what is happening. Can we raise the percentage of placements for folks in our children in NYCHA housing, and what is the issue? Why is the vacancy rate higher than the rest of the City and what can be done? Thank you,

(01:18:17)

Chair, for the extra time. So I think this is an issue that we have gone over with the Council. Thanks so much.

(01:18:27)

I cannot remember... I mean, Public Advocate. Excuse me.

(01:18:30)

I have been called worse. Yes, I know. I actually have you as Council Member for you. So a lot of folks focused on the 6,200 number, which is the number of units in the public housing portfolio. The number I like to talk about more, though, is 40,700. Those 2,700 families moved into public housing because we were able to get those apartments moving ready, lead free, mold free, and especially we are doing more work on apartments than we ever did before in order to get them moving ready. So it is not a 6,200 number that is just apartments that are stagnant. Every month we have hundreds of families who are moving in, but we also have a lot of transfers and we have a lot of people who are leaving the

(01:19:22)

program. So it is a universe that is fluid. And the part that has plummeted

(01:19:32)

... I am sorry, I do not have the numbers in front of me, but we will be happy to set up a briefing for your office on just that particular issue and the vacancy issue as well. Thank you.

(01:19:43)

Thank you, Public Advocate. And now we move on to CM Marte. This question is for NYCHA. How many vacant moving ready apartments do you have currently?

(01:19:56)

Thank you for your question. Within the PACT portfolio there are roughly 700 moving ready units. We do anticipate that additional units will come online throughout the rest of the year.

(01:20:12)

Do you think that by the time this program — when the federal program ends — there will be enough moving ready units to absorb the people that are losing the voucher and are under NYCHA's jurisdiction? Thank you for your question. NYCHA's funding, just to clarify, our funding runs out

(01:20:33)

mid... okay. Okay, so they give us a little bit of extra time and then.

(01:20:37)

Right, but to

(01:20:39)

... will we have enough project based, or to place the... no. We are working very closely with the City to implement additional resources toward that end, and

(01:20:55)

this is what is frustrating. I know the Council — mostly the Progressive Caucus and Chair Banks — have been advocating to give you more money to fix vacant apartments, but we are constantly given obstacles and told there is no reason why you need extra money. So I feel like there is a huge disconnect, especially when we know there is a cliff coming and we have to make sure that we get these units ready for the thousands of people to move in, and NYCHA continues in this budget process to say we do not want more money from the Council.

(01:21:32)

Can you give a comment on that? Talk about that a little bit. Thanks so much for the question, Council Member. I think there have been issues. So the portfolio that Lucky is talking about is the project based Section 8 portfolio. The portfolio that we have been having conversations with the Progressive Caucus about is the Section 9 portfolio. I think we have had many productive conversations with you all. We are grateful for every dollar that the Council and the City gives us for the vacant unit readiness program. Without it, we would not be able to turn over as many apartments as we are, and we are turning over hundreds of apartments every month. In order to do more, we would have to hire more staff. Hiring more staff is a 25-year commitment, and so it is something to keep in mind. It is something that we will continue — and we said this in our last meeting with the Progressive Caucus — we will continue to work with you and continue to find ways to make this issue better, but

(01:22:48)

yeah, that is... what else? Okay. As you know I am not a fan of PACT, but right now there are 1,700 vacant units within that portfolio. What is the timeline for those units to be moving ready? Thank you for

(01:23:03)

your question. We anticipate that those units will become moving ready over the coming months throughout the end of the year. I also want to clarify that it will vary from property to property. These PACT properties go into a three-year construction period and so the moving ready state of those units varies from property to property. We also have to consider that there are conditions at the properties, such as reasonable accommodations and domestic violence transfers, that have to take place. So we will continue working very closely with our PACT partners and our PBV partners to make sure that we are identifying moving ready units that are

(01:23:46)

available. I just have two more quick questions. Actually, let me ask this question before the break. Sorry, I just lost my train of thought. Can you break down how many vacant move-ready apartments there are at developments that have already gone through the PACT transition compared to those that are still in the process?

(01:24:21)

Thank you for your question. We can provide that information following the hearing. And my last question for

(01:24:27)

you: you said 80% of the tenants have responded initially to your request and your application to transfer. What is the strategy for the remaining 20%? Has there been additional follow up? Do you have a plan, whether it is working with the Mayor's Office of Community Engagement and other stakeholders, to get to those folks?

(01:24:49)

Yeah, that is a great question. So the 80% update that we have seen in response rate is related to how we sent out the applications. So as not to overwhelm our existing staff and to ensure that we could administer the transition smoothly, we sent them out in batches of 500 beginning in... so the last batch of 500 went out at the end of April, and so there is a chunk of applications that are outstanding that we continue to see come in at the same rate as those that we started to do in the first batches. We are going to continue to do outreach to tenants and landlords. It is in all of our best interests that tenants understand as easily as possible how the transition to HOME ERA works. It is in all of our best interests. So we do ask if the City Council can provide some assistance to ensure that tenants who are transitioning to HOME ERA fully understand that they have to send back an application, and that the landlords where these tenants live are also required to fill out paperwork to send back to us. But we are very positive that we have had this many respondents come back to us in this short amount of time. Thank you and thank you,

(01:26:18)

Chair Banks. Thank you, CM Marte. I will now move to CM Sanchez. Thank you.

(01:26:27)

You can also say Sanchez One. That is... oh, Sanchez One. And before you proceed with your questions, we have been joined also by CM Won, who is joining virtually.

(01:26:43)

Thank you. Thank you to Chair Banks, and a special shout out to you, Chair Banks. This was supposed to be a shared joint hearing between NYCHA committees, but you tackled it, so thank you so much. Really appreciate this important topic. So my first question — I just want to clarify, if you could repeat the status of the 5,700 households at NYCHA. The 2,000 households that are in the program — so 100% of those recipients will be moving toward HOME. Correct? That is

(01:27:16)

correct. Okay.

(01:27:17)

And then NYCHA anticipates 1,700 moving over to... do these households have to —

(01:27:24)

will they have to physically move or will they remain in place? No, these households can remain in place. It is a transition from one voucher program to another.

(01:27:35)

And so for NYCHA, 568 households have been

(01:27:44)

identified — have you identified units for them within project based Section 8 properties? Correct. And then 14 of those 568 have moved already?

(01:27:52)

Yes. Okay. And then within the public housing portfolio itself — Section 9 — no households have been identified or matched to public housing

(01:28:01)

units. Thank you for your question. To clarify, our priority focus is on the project based Section 8 right now. Once we have exhausted the availability of units there, then we will revisit the availability of utilizing Section 9 units.

(01:28:22)

Okay, so not yet. I just want to make sure: zero right now today? Okay. And then within the PACT portfolio, have any matches been identified at this time?

(01:28:32)

Thank you for your question. The 568 matches are primarily within the PACT portfolio. Thank you. Okay, so that is as...

(01:28:43)

...of today. And you said this 4,500 households still...

(01:28:46)

...unmatched. And maybe if everything goes well, which is a temporary measure, what will be around 3,500 households done. Thank you for your question. Yes, that is the rough math there. Yes. Okay, thank you. So moving onto sort of the broader impact...

(01:29:05)

Actually, this is also a clarifying question. You said all percent of Emergency Housing Voucher households were homeless.

(01:29:13)

Prior to receiving the voucher, or was that...

(01:29:16)

That was a clarifying question on the flow of questions. We actually did not get to answer. So about 84% of the households referred to the program were either experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Thank you. And...

(01:29:36)

So with 84% of households with...

(01:29:41)

Continue. I am going to pretend like I am co-chairing for two more...

(01:29:45)

...minutes. Go right ahead.

(01:29:46)

Thank you, Chair. So 84% of families, or of households, with an Emergency Housing Voucher were formerly homeless. 70% of households within Emergency Housing Voucher holders were homeless. Correct?

(01:30:07)

But I also believe I heard you testify that these households would not be qualifying for assistance within the City vouchers. Is that correct? They would not qualify or not be considered for the City vouchers. So we are taking a look at all the available options for all of our households. From our perspective, we already have funding within our disposal that is federal funding. We are preferring to use those existing resources before tapping another City resource. We also want to make sure that the transition process for the tenants goes as smoothly as possible. So we are already holding up and supporting the program by transitioning them to HOME services and vouchers. That makes sense. But on the Emergency Housing Voucher side, we have between 3,500 and 4,500 families unaccounted for. So why are we not considering working with the City and identifying vouchers for these households?

(01:31:15)

Thank you for your question. NYCHA is actively engaged in conversations with City Hall about available resources, so that is a "not yet." You know, I do not want to leave it and say something. We are actively engaged in conversations. As I said before, we are leaving no stone unturned. So anything that comes available to us that we can utilize to stabilize these households, we will take advantage of.

(01:31:47)

Okay. And then can you just repeat for me the average household income that we are talking about with these households? Did you say $24,000 across the 7,700 families or households that we are talking about?

(01:32:00)

Thank you for your question. For the Emergency Housing Voucher households, the average household income is $22,500. So the averages are for our distinct populations. For the other population, the average household income is $19,500.

(01:32:24)

So these are the most vulnerable of our New Yorkers that we are talking about here. And I just want to thank you for attempting to think creatively and critically and speaking across the agencies to try to solve this problem. But we are effectively losing $125 million from the federal government overnight to house some of our most vulnerable households. And I know that this Council is throwing a lot at the administration in terms of ideas for how to do more. We want to help. You are saying you do not need us or you do not want what we are bringing to the party. But we want more resources for NYCHA to speed up the amount of turnover in the units that are vacant at NYCHA. We want more vouchers for households across the City through the City vouchers program. We really are — this Council has a critical mass of members who are specifically focused on the lowest income New Yorkers. So I just want to recognize that it is the federal government that is doing this to us and we have to continue to fight them. But at the same time, this is $125 million that we had to house the most vulnerable New Yorkers that we no longer have today and we have to figure that out.

I have one more clarifying question. Brian, you said with respect to our Rentals Within Reach campaign and turning over units faster, that hiring staff is a 25-year commitment. What did you mean...

(01:33:55)

...by that? So when you hire somebody, you figure they are going to — you know, you have to think that they are going to stay at least until they retire. So you have to plan to pay that person for 25 years. So a one-year commitment of additional funding — if we are going to hire people, because we do most of the work for turnover with in-house staff, you have to make sure that you have enough money to pay that person. Otherwise you end up in two, three, four years — if that money does not exist, then you can no longer sustain the same level of staffing.

(01:34:31)

So that is a concern.

(01:34:32)

And I just want to clarify: we will never say we do not want your money. We do not need your money — if you guys are offering money, we are always open to it. So I just do not want it to be...

(01:34:44)

...characterized that way. Did you hear that, everybody? We are in no position to say we do not want your money.

(01:34:51)

So thank you, Brian. And understood. You know, my mom still lives in NYCHA and there are so many folks who are waiting six months, nine months, ten months to get painting in their apartment, to have plumbing fixed. You need the labor, whether it is about the turnover or it is about the maintenance of the existing units. NYCHA needs the labor. So please work with us on this. We are fighting for you. You have so many members — probably a majority of the City Council — who are behind this as a priority in this budget. Let us help you. Keep having these conversations. Thank you. Thank you, Chair, for the time. I really appreciate it.

(01:35:26)

Thank you. Now we will move to CM Julie Won, who is joining us virtually. CM Won, she has...

(01:35:48)

...some questions. Okay. Always saying that. Now I will move forward with my line of questioning. Thank you to my colleagues. Going back to the earlier questions, particularly for NYCHA: how much time does an Emergency Housing Voucher participant have to accept the alternative housing offer once the offer is made? How much time do they have to accept the offer? CM, thank you for the question. Once they receive the unit match letter notification from either the PACT partner or the project property management team, they have 15 days to schedule a viewing to see that unit in person. 15 days. Once they have viewed the unit, they have 24 hours to accept or reject that unit. And thus far, with the 14 or so placements, how many applicants have not passed the inspection?

(01:36:50)

The units that we are offering in the project-based units are move-ready. The PACT partners and property management teams are letting us know that those are units that are ready to pass inspection. Those...

(01:37:04)

...NYCHA, do you have enough units readily available to transfer the 5,288 households to its portfolio? NYCHA, thank...

(01:37:12)

...you for your question. We are working very hard and taking this issue very seriously. We do not have 5,200 units available...

(01:37:26)

...okay. And if so, how many units will NYCHA need to turn over before a complete transfer of all Emergency Housing Voucher households is possible? Thank...

(01:37:39)

...you for your question. To transition all the households, we would require — rough math — an additional 3,500 units. We have to do the math on what is happening. 1,700 are anticipated to go to HOME...

(01:38:04)

...already. So the balance of that — yeah, so the balance of that would require a project-based Section 8 unit or another resource. At the September 29, 2025 hearing, NYCHA testified that it estimated it would take a year and a half to facilitate the Emergency Housing Voucher to Section 8 transition. How long does NYCHA now estimate it will take for its current transition strategy to be...

(01:38:40)

...completed? Thank you for your question. With the early termination of this valuable federal resource, we are acting with a sense of urgency.

(01:38:52)

So as rental packages are coming in...

(01:38:54)

...we are processing those rentals.

(01:38:56)

As we have move-ready units, we are matching households to those units.

(01:39:01)

So we are acting quickly and with a sense of urgency. And you said before it was 14 that would have been placed in units already and you are acting with a sense of...

(01:39:11)

...urgency. Those are the packages that are coming in...

(01:39:21)

...so that — just to clarify — we are doing the matches. Melissa, can you describe what that process is like, what the interview and the decisions that are made? We have to receive the rental package, complete that process, and once it is received, we are processing them.

(01:39:37)

Question: what is the time frame thus far? Thus far it is...

(01:39:46)

...roughly a week, but we can follow up with more firm information from the hearing.

(01:39:53)

A week. That is okay. For the current Emergency Housing Voucher households, is it possible to convert a lease and subsidy in place? I am sorry, can you repeat...

(01:40:07)

...that? For current Emergency Housing Voucher households, is it possible to convert a lease and subsidy in place? Thank you for your...

(01:40:17)

...question. So to convert a lease for a household in place, you require funding to do so.

(01:40:27)

NYCHA has matched households to mainstream vouchers that would allow them to convert in place. We have done that for the 45 mainstream vouchers that we had in place. The partnership with the roughly 700 households will allow them to lease in place as well. And the small batch that we were able to transition back will also allow them to lease in place. So how many of these in-place transitions have occurred and to what...

(01:41:01)

...program? Thank you for your question. To date we have been able to transition roughly 75 households to a mainstream voucher and assistance, and that will allow them to remain in place.

(01:41:19)

Approximately 1,290 Emergency Housing Vouchers were allocated to domestic violence survivors. Can you describe the resources available to the Emergency Housing Voucher holders who are fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking to seek alternative housing options? Thank...

(01:41:49)

...you for your question. NYCHA is making use of all available housing options within its portfolio. As the Emergency Housing Voucher households complete the public housing application, we are matching them to the available units that suit their needs. We are also working with the service providers such as New Destiny and others who are also working with the families on what their needs are. So as we match them to units, if we...

(01:42:21)

...need to re-match them due to safety concerns, NYCHA is working with its partners to address those cases. Okay, and how will you...

(01:42:28)

...ensure that safety considerations are built into the placement process so that a survivor is not offered a unit in a development where their abuser's location could compromise their safety?

(01:42:49)

I appreciate your question, CM. When we are doing the matching, a household that meets that criteria contacts us and lets us know that the unit they are matched to poses a safety concern. We will re-match them and we will get additional detail to make sure that we match them to a suitable place. Okay. And what steps...

(01:43:11)

...would an applicant need to take who is not up to date on the annual certification or annual inspection so that they can receive the alternative housing options? Thank you...

(01:43:23)

...for your question. Any Emergency Housing Voucher household notified that they are not up to date with their program requirements will need to complete their annual recertification either via paper and return it to our office, or they can go online to the self-service portal to complete their annual recertification. If their inspection is out of date, we will work with them to schedule the inspection and get it completed. All of our outreach efforts include reminders, whether related to the early termination of the program or to normal program administration. We do outreach to those households. Okay. And at the September 29...

(01:44:07)

...2025 hearing, NYCHA testified that there should be no rental assistance evictions. Will NYCHA again commit that no eligible Emergency Housing Voucher household will be evicted due to the wind-down of the program? You can answer that question first.

(01:44:33)

So I think we were in a very different world when we testified at that time. At that time, we were looking to transition everyone into our regular Section 8 program because we had the ability to do so. But when HUD put NYCHA into shortfall, that shifted. So those households would have had the protections. Can you commit...

(01:45:10)

...that there will be no evictions?

(01:45:14)

So for families who will be able to be placed in one of the programs that we are offering...

(01:45:25)

...you commit that you will not evict any of them?

(01:45:29)

It will not be — it will not be on us to evict the tenants. So the way this program works, they are not — we are not their landlord.

(01:45:39)

Right. So these are vouchers and they go into the private market...

(01:45:45)

...they go into the private market and they have a landlord. They have separate relationships with their landlord. So then, can...

(01:45:51)

...you give us an estimate? Since there is no commitment, can you give...

(01:45:56)

...us an estimate of how many households will be displaced? No, because we really do not know. Our commitment is to offer housing options to the families to prevent someone from being homeless. Correct?

(01:46:21)

So now I am going to move to questions directly to HPD pertaining to their particular vouchers. What should Emergency Housing Voucher participants expect? The HOME application package — by 2026, or as of today, how many of your households have been issued pre-filled HOME applications?

(01:46:51)

So approximately — sorry, 100% of the Emergency Housing Voucher holders have received pre-filled applications to transition to HOME. So 100% have gone out and about 80% have come back to us already. And...

(01:47:11)

...how many of the Emergency Housing Voucher households have returned the applications and how many have been approved? Sorry, can you repeat that? How many applicants and applications have been returned and how many have been approved?

(01:47:37)

At this point, around 80% of the applications have come in. We frontloaded the process to make sure that we have the workload ready for us. So about 60% of the applications are in process right now. Okay...

(01:47:51)

...and how many of the households were not issued applications due to any eligibility or lack of good standing?

(01:48:02)

Sure. Thanks for that question. There are a small number of households that moved outside of New York City — about 20...

(01:48:09)

...households that moved outside of New York City, and they are not going to be eligible for the HOME program that we are administering.

(01:48:15)

And on what basis would they...? Because we need — because...

(01:48:17)

...they are using their voucher in another jurisdiction outside of New York City. We...

(01:48:22)

...cannot offer them the HOME program within New York City. And how many of the Emergency Housing Voucher households were not yet assessed for eligibility? At this point, we are just starting the process, so we have about 60% that we are starting to work through, so they are in various different stages of review. I know NYCHA gave a number as far as how many have been placed in units. Can you give a number of how many have been placed in...

(01:48:50)

...units? Right now, people just have an option to either stay in their unit or they can choose to use their voucher and look in the market. At this point we have had one household placed, but it is just because we are working through the process. Again, we started by getting the applications out in front and are now at quite a pace moving through all of our applications.

(01:49:13)

And households will not be required to move — they will be able to stay in place if they choose. So this could be — one minute, please. Sure. CM Won, thank you. Just while they sort that out, I just wanted to ask an unrelated question regarding the agencies' landlord outreach. NYCHA, have you all sent notices to landlords in the program? Because we are hearing that folks are not aware.

(01:50:10)

Yes. So we have done extensive outreach starting in February 2026 to tenants and landlords and property owners. We have a webinar that is up on our website that landlords and tenants can view, and we also have frequently asked questions.

(01:50:26)

We also encourage landlords and tenants to reach out to us directly, either by phone, by email, or by coming to 200 Gold Street. We are more than happy to continue to help folks transition through the process to HOME.

(01:50:41)

So sorry, just to clarify: on the HPD side, you have sent letters and emails? That is correct. And on the NYCHA side? Yes, thank you for your question. NYCHA has also sent letters and emails...

(01:50:53)

...to landlords who are impacted by the early termination of this program.

(01:50:57)

Okay. And starting on a similar timeline? Yes, we actually sent it in — okay. And does each agency have confirmation that folks have received this?

(01:51:10)

Information? Willing to... the people who put in hard effort could follow up after the hearing. Yeah, we can follow up, but by virtue of receiving 80% of our voucher holder applications back, we think just about everybody's...

(01:51:28)

We are. Yes, and there is another part of the application that is for the Senate side. On the owners, we are also getting some of their side of the paperwork starting to come in at a good clip.

(01:51:37)

Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

(01:51:39)

Chair? No, thank you. We are going to move on with the questioning and we are going to go to the home relocation. At the committee's hearing held back in March, you testified that it had been coordinating with... on effectuating the transition, noting different budget constraints. Can you describe how your agency and other agencies have been coordinating and collaborating in the months since the hearing to continue transitioning participants with the different respective agencies? Yeah. So we have been meeting regularly with NYCHA and other City agencies that will be impacted by the early termination of the EHV program. We are working with City Hall to ensure that every household can stay... stay stably housed. Does the... sorry, can you repeat the beginning of the...

(01:52:40)

Question. I said at the last hearing you had testified that you had been coordinating with... well, oh yeah. NYCHA has been coordinating with and effectuating the transition, noting that both agencies had some budget constraints.

(01:52:55)

Yes, the budget part is probably the most important part, right? There is existing HOME money that had been reallocated in order to support the transition of some of the NYCHA households over to HOME. This was a creative solution that we worked together with our partner agencies and with City Hall to ensure we can keep additional households in place.

(01:53:26)

Okay. HPD's fiscal year 2026 substantial amendment relocates close to 35 million in HOME funds from NYCHA to a new HOME program after NYCHA said it could not use the funds to provide direct assistance. HPD plans to use these funds to provide housing for voucher holders in their portfolio. When did NYCHA notify HPD that NYCHA could not use the 35 million in HOME funds? Thank you for your question. Our finance team is not here to provide that level of clarity, so we can follow up after the hearing. Okay, so we will get you those... we have a list of those finance questions. Hopefully you can answer those and submit them to us in writing.

(01:54:27)

I am almost coming to the end of my questions. When it comes to the budget and the City, perhaps, what is the administration's position on making EHV households eligible for City FHEPS?

(01:54:44)

Our position is to use all of the available resources that we have already, and use those to transition... NYCHA is already holding up an EHV program and by administering a new HOME program within the same agency, it is less of an administrative burden and it is a more efficient use of resources to transition folks from an HPD program into an NYCHA-administered HOME program. And for...

(01:55:15)

The record, what are the avenues that NYCHA is considering?

(01:55:22)

So we are continuing to work together to identify all of the available resources that we have at our disposal. I do want to point out that this is truly a federal problem that was created. We continue to advocate for additional Section 8 funding that would solve a lot of the problems here. We have to continue to advocate for additional funding from the federal government. We are continuing to come up with creative solutions, but there is no panacea for a larger federal solution, for a longer term solution to this problem.