A housing voucher can be a critical pathway out of homelessness—but receiving a voucher doesn't guarantee that someone will successfully find and move into an apartment. Delays in apartment inspections, application processing, and other administrative steps can prevent people from using their vouchers, sometimes even causing them to lose apartments they've found.

3 bills currently being considered in the City Council, Intros. 98, 100, and 101, would make CityFHEPS—NYC’s main housing voucher program—more effective at helping New Yorkers move into permanent housing. We’re writing to our City Council members to urge them to sign onto these bills before the end of the year!

These three bills would help address some of the key barriers that voucher-holders face:

• Intro 98 would streamline the CityFHEPS apartment inspection process to reduce unnecessary delays in helping voucher holders move into housing.

• Intro 100 would require the City to track and report how long it takes voucher holders to move into housing after receiving a voucher.

• Intro 101 would require DSS to respond to CityFHEPS applications within 15 days, letting applicants know whether they've been approved, denied, or need to provide additional information.

Together, these bills would help reduce unnecessary delays, improve transparency, and make it easier for New Yorkers to successfully use the rental assistance they've been awarded.

Click the button below for instructions on how to find your Council Member, how to see if they’ve signed onto these bills yet, and an easy email tool to contact them if they haven’t done so yet!