NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Eric Adams on Friday vetoed four bills designed to expand access to housing vouchers for homeless New Yorkers and those facing eviction.
The City Council passed all four bills by a vote of 41 to seven on May 25. The Council needs 34 votes, two thirds of the 51-member body, to override a veto, and the bill’s sponsors have pledged to do just that.
Together, the bills end a rule that requires homeless people spend 90 days in a shelter before they qualify for a voucher, expand eligibility to New Yorkers facing eviction, lower the threshold required to be considered poor enough to receive a voucher and expand coverage of vouchers to some utility costs.
Adams argued that expanding eligibility would make it harder for homeless New Yorkers to access the vouchers and would be too expensive.
“Today, we helped New Yorkers once again by vetoing a package of bills that would take us backwards, by leading to longer shelter stays for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, while simultaneously creating a structure that could saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars in costs each year,” said Adams. “Though the Department of Social Services has steadily increased the total number of CityFHEPS vouchers distributed, the option to provide vouchers to every person who would be eligible under the Council’s bills is far beyond what the city can provide.”
Supporters for the bill on the Council cited the mayor’s own “housing blueprint” — his plan for addressing the housing crisis in New York City — in estimating the cost of housing a two-person family in a shelter at $8,773 per month.
In contrast, the Council estimated a CityFHEPS voucher for a family of two would cost a maximum of $2,387, a significantly cheaper, safer and more dignified alternative to the shelter system.
“The policies and systems we have in place right now to address homelessness within our city do not work,” said Deputy Council Speaker Diana Ayala, a sponsor for one of the bills in the package. “Rather than reforming the system to prevent families from becoming homeless, our current policy is to force New Yorkers into the shelter system before we agree to help them… If the Mayor won’t join the City Council in addressing homelessness in our city, then we’ll do it without him.”
Adams signed an executive order to end the 90-day rule after the Council passed the package.
Advocates for the legislation speculated the executive order was issued ahead of the veto in an attempt to pick off Council members whose main priority is the elimination of the 90-day rule and would be willing to ditch voucher expansion.
Adams first pledged to end the rule in June 2022, but he only signed the executive order to do so last week.
City Council members who supported the bill denounced Adams’ veto as “useless political theater” that “fuels a worsening eviction crisis.”
In a joint press release, the coalition advancing the bill also slammed the mayor for failing to place homeless New Yorkers into more than 2,000 vacant supportive housing apartments and slashing the budget for agencies responsible for supporting homeless people.
“The mayor is only hurting the city by delaying solutions and contributing to the eviction crisis that leads more New Yorkers to lose their homes, become homeless, and join the already-high shelter population,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is prepared to override the mayor’s veto to truly confront the rapidly deteriorating eviction and homelessness crises made worse by this Administration’s budget cuts and failure to enact solutions.”
Housing advocacy groups, homeless services non-profits and activists were also quick to denounce the mayor’s veto.
Homeless Services United, the New York Immigration Coalition, VOCAL-NY, Make the Road New York, the Legal Aid Society, Urban Pathways, the Community Service Society and Neighbors Together all criticized the veto in a joint press release.
“The Mayor’s decision to veto legislation that will reduce homelessness at a time when the numbers of people living in shelters is at a record high defies logic,” said Homeless Services United Executive Director Catherine Trapani. “The City is facing an enormous crisis and we need the response of our government to match the magnitude of the need… These reforms will greatly reduce pressure on our overburdened shelter system and while providing critical support to New Yorkers in need. We urge the Council to override the mayor’s veto and do everything in its power to ensure the legislation is implemented.”
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