Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 10:30 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on Housing and Buildings
The Committee on Housing and Buildings, chaired by Pierina Ana Sanchez, voted on a preconsidered introduction (T2026-2097), sponsored by the chair, establishing a new rental assistance program for New Yorkers facing imminent eviction and shelter residents previously excluded from the existing CityFHEPS program. The chair explained the bill advances a settlement between the Mamdani administration and the Legal Aid Society ending over two years of litigation over the 2023 CityFHEPS expansion law that the prior mayoral administration refused to implement. She described the funding commitment ($175 million in FY27 and $125 million baseline starting next year), eligibility details (expanded access for families and adults in shelter above 250% of AMI, runaway homeless youth, and community members facing eviction in rent-stabilized apartments, with no work requirement), and codified reforms such as ending the 90-day rule. The bill was adopted by a committee vote of 11 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative, with no abstentions.
0:13 Hr two good morning welcome t
0:13 onew York City vote for the
0:15 committee on housing and
0:17 building please silence all
0:19 self electronic electronic
0:20 devices no one no one is t
0:21 oapproach the dais chair
0:22 Sanchez we are ready to begin.
0:25 Thank you sergeant and good
0:27 morning I am councilmember
0:29 pierre ena Sanchez a very
0:32 sleep deprived and with
0:33 remarks that aren't totally
0:35 edited so good luck and chair
0:37 of the committee on housing
0:39 and buildings I'm joined today
0:41 today by my colleagues and
0:42 before I begin any remarks I
0:44 want to start with gratitude
0:47 to speaker Julie Menin for
0:48 really holding the line on a
0:50 settlement on the legislation
0:53 and negotiation to the
0:54 leadership of the City Council
0:57 to the progressive caucus
0:58 especially we are in a
1:00 monumental moment today we
1:02 will vote on a pre considered
1:04 introduction t 20 26- 20 97
1:08 sponsored by me that will
1:10 establish a New rental
1:11 assistance program for New
1:13 yorkers facing imminent
1:14 eviction and those living in
1:15 shelter who were previously
1:17 excluded from the existing
1:19 City perhaps program this
1:21 legislation is advancing a
1:23 component of a settlement
1:25 between the the mamdani
1:26 administration and the legal
1:28 aid society ending more than
1:30 two years of litigation City
1:32 fabs was established in 20 18
1:35 to secure stable housing for
1:36 the most vulnerable New York
1:37 er's and in 20 23 the council
1:39 voted to expand the City
1:41 thefts program to provide
1:42 housing to hundreds of
1:43 thousands of our most
1:44 vulnerable New York er's.
1:44 But the previous mayoral
1:46 administration refused t
1:48 oimplement the law even after
1:49 mayoral veto was overturned
1:52 would not implement the law so
1:54 legal aid society and the
1:55 council joined together t
1:57 obring the act to court.
1:59 And after a multi year legal
2:01 battle and countless hours of
2:04 negotiation beginning with the
2:06 mamdani administration today's
2:08 settlement the 27 budget and
2:10 this piece of legislation
2:12 together represent a historic
2:14 agreement that ensures New
2:15 yorkers facing homelessness
2:17 will finally benefit from a
2:19 significant expansion in New
2:20 York City housing vouchers.
2:21 The legislation brought
2:22 forward today preserves the
2:23 key goals of the 20 23 City
2:26 perhaps reform laws to kee
2:27 pnew York er's facing evictions
2:29 in their homes and to remove
2:32 arbitrary arbitrary
2:33 eligibility barriers for New
2:34 yorkers living in shelters
2:37 with concrete funding
2:37 commitment as well of a
2:40 hundred $75 in fiscal year 2
2:43 7and $125 million baseline
2:44 starting next year this
2:46 legislation will provide tens
2:47 of thousands of New yorkers
2:50 approximately 9600 families
2:52 the stability and relief that
2:53 they have been waiting on for
2:55 years there has been some
2:57 misunderstandings in the press t
2:59 some of what is in this
3:01 legislation in terms of
3:03 eligibility eligibility is
3:04 largely kept intact so we are
3:06 expanding access to ah t
3:09 othese two this New voucher
3:11 program for families and
3:13 adults and shelter who earn
3:15 above 250% of am I so what
3:19 that means is that we're
3:21 keeping the increased income
3:22 threshold from the 20 20 2
3:24 3laws were also expanding
3:26 access to runaway homeless
3:28 youth at those those people
3:30 folks living our young people
3:32 living in the with shelters
3:33 shelters those are who are
3:34 living in h shelters and those
3:35 who are living in m o c mock j
3:38 shelters so there has been no
3:41 cutting of eligibility for
3:43 folks in shelter in community
3:45 we are similarly keeping the
3:47 income threshold at 50% amii
3:49 which is an increase and also
3:51 just a New category of
3:53 eligibility altogether because
3:53 folks in community were
3:55 previously
3:55 . Not eligible for these
3:58 vouchers and so folks in
3:59 community who are facing
4:00 eviction actively in housing
4:02 court will be and who are
4:03 living in a rent stabilized
4:04 apartment will be eligible for
4:06 the voucher there's no work
4:08 requirement across the board
4:10 and importantly the
4:11 legislation including includes
4:13 a provision that allows the
4:14 administration and the City
4:16 council to expand access as
4:18 and if who knows
4:19 . Life is funny things change
4:21 there is extra money in a
4:24 future future time so t
4:25 oensure that fair distribution
4:27 of available vouchers vouchers y
4:29 allocated between the in
4:32 shelter eligible population
4:32 and the community eligible
4:35 population we are codifying
4:37 that the reform laws some of
4:39 the reform laws that were
4:41 passed including the 90 day
4:42 rule that was passed by then
4:46 or ending the 90 day rule
4:47 rather that was passed by then
4:49 Council Member and deputy
4:51 speaker diana ayala and
4:52 reforming the utility
4:54 allowance that was passed by a
4:57 council.
4:58 And this I told you it was I
4:58 was an unedited but I want t
4:59 omake sure that the facts are
5:00 right this is the only time I
5:02 won't have a time limit to
5:05 talk about this but I just
5:07 cannot emphasize enough that
5:08 this is a historic win for
5:09 vulnerable New York er's we're
5:13 expanding housing vouchers
5:14 responsibly we're controlling
5:15 the cost because this is a
5:16 capped appropriation it is not
5:17 an entitlement program and
5:20 we're putting most
5:21 fundamentally most important
5:23 to me personally is that we're
5:24 putting the City on a stronger
5:27 pathway pivoting us from
5:27 costly shelter reliance toward
5:30 permanent homes today we're
5:31 we're marking the day where we
5:34 stop prioritizing paying more
5:35 for worse outcomes for our
5:37 families outcomes that
5:39 destabilize our our
5:40 communities.
5:41 And with that I have a long
5:42 list of acknowledgements but
5:43 to finally thank the of course d
5:49 division I see you andrea
5:52 vasquez smita that jeff baker
5:54 of course our general counsel
5:56 marker hebei our finance
5:58 division jonathan rosenberg
6:01 julia harrah miss I have given
6:04 him this is awkward but I've
6:05 given him a nickname that I
6:06 said I wouldn't say in public
6:07 but you know we're there are
6:09 the general counsel at the
6:10 mayor's side steve eby steve
6:13 Banks we got to the finish
6:16 line here I really really
6:16 appreciate all the work and
6:19 the coalition the homes can't
6:21 wait coalition legal aid
6:22 society vocal New York win
6:23 coalition for the homeless voa
6:26 safety net project css there
6:27 are more but I just want t
6:28 othank you all for holding the
6:29 line getting us to this finish
6:31 line and to my team my chief
6:33 of staff maria De lobos ben
6:35 ratner kim castellanos gerard
6:36 fernandez dylan campos maria
6:39 jose mares soraya bonita
6:41 oriana roa acevedo are interns
6:43 mia marcus and ari everybody
6:46 worked so hard on this thank
6:48 you for indulging me and with
6:50 that unless our colleagues
6:53 want to say anything I think I
6:55 asked the clerk to call a roll g
6:57 william martin committee clerk
6:58 roll call vote committee on
7:01 housing and buildings chair
7:04 arena Sanchez hi.
7:07 Riley hi felice proudly
7:11 voted I Abreu congrats sarah
7:15 Hudson permission to to
7:16 explain my vote permission
7:21 granted thank you so kindly I
7:24 just wanted to uh take a
7:26 acknowledge you and your
7:28 tireless efforts really those
7:30 of you and your team and
7:33 everybody involved in bringing
7:35 this home it's not exactly
7:36 where we wanted to be but it's
7:38 still a lot more than it would
7:41 have been without your your
7:43 fight and hard work so.
7:44 Thank you and with that I
7:46 vote aye Joseph I vote aye
7:50 congrats pie I hope you get
7:52 some sleep now
7:56 . Williams
7:56 . How about I
7:59 . Congrats Salaam a variety
8:03 and congrats as well hwang
8:06 . I congratulations baloney
8:11 . I vote I congratulations
8:15 Sanchez Won
8:15 . Wilson I would like to align
8:17 myself with Council Member
8:19 comments and and vote aye
8:22 . Thank you with the vote of
8:25 11 in the affirmative zero in
8:25 the negative and no
8:26 abstentions item has been
8:27 adopted by the committee Madam
8:29 chair that is a full committee
8:31 . Thank you thank you billy
8:32 and with that this vote