Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on General Welfare
The Committee on General Welfare held a hearing on a five-bill package addressing administrative problems in the City FHEPS rental assistance program: Intro 98 (habitability inspections), Intro 100 (reporting time from voucher to lease-up), Intro 101 (15-day application response), Intro 641 (rental assistance payments at least seven days before the start of the month), and a preconsidered introduction (T2026-1424) requiring a landlord portal. Department of Social Services Commissioner Aaron Dalton testified, describing a nine-month inspections pilot, a streamlined approval process that reduced average approval time to 24.8 days, existing landlord portals, and stating that the landlord portal bill's January 2027 deadline is not feasible. Sponsors Gale A. Brewer, Frank Morano, and the chair questioned the administration extensively on inspection failure rates, processing times, payment timing, and data the agency said it would follow up on. No votes were taken. Roughly two dozen members of the public and advocacy organizations testified, overwhelmingly in support of the legislation, describing delays, payment failures, and difficulty navigating Homebase and HRA.
0:04 Thank you teddy
0:04 . Hello good afternoon welcome
0:15 to today's New York City
0:16 council hearing for the
0:17 committee on general welfare
0:19 at this time please silence
0:22 all phones if you wish t
0:23 ospeak in today's hearing
0:24 please fill out on a parent's
0:26 card with one of the sergeants
0:29 moving forward no one is t
0:30 oapproach the dez chair you
0:35 begin.
0:36 Thank you so much and good
0:39 afternoon welcome to today's
0:40 hearing on legislation
0:41 concerning the City family
0:43 homelessness and eviction
0:45 prevention supplement more
0:46 commonly known as City febreze l
0:50 welfare welfare committee
0:51 chair and my pronouns are she
0:53 her New York City is facing
0:55 two intertwined crises and
0:57 acute affordable housing
0:59 shortage and a staggering
1:00 number of New yorkers who are
1:01 unhappy housed according t
1:02 othe coalition for the homeless
1:03 in July 20 26 96528 people
1:08 slept in New York City
1:10 shelters each night including
1:14 30824 children the total
1:15 number of people without homes
1:17 is far higher between folks
1:19 sleeping unsheltered and
1:19 people living doubled or
1:20 tripled up with family or
1:22 friends the number is more
1:24 likely in the hundreds of
1:25 thousands let that sink in
1:28 hundreds of thousands of our
1:29 neighbors school kids people
1:31 fleeing domestic violence
1:32 people who just can't make the
1:34 rent because it's too dam
1:35 nhigh have to question whether
1:37 they will have a roof over
1:38 their heads tonight what a
1:40 wholly unacceptable state of
1:42 affairs
1:43 . In New York City everyone
1:44 has a right to shelter but
1:47 frankly shelter isn't enough
1:49 as a City it is imperative
1:50 that we do everything we can
1:53 to get people into permanent
1:55 stable housing City febreze
1:56 I'm sorry sergeants do you
1:57 mind thank you City febreze is
1:59 one of the city's tools to do
2:00 just that as the city's main
2:03 rental assistance program City
2:05 pheap supports New yorkers who
2:06 are in shelters or at risk of
2:08 losing their homes to move
2:09 into and maintain housing
2:11 according to d s s between the
2:12 inception of City effects in
2:16 20 18 March 20 25 the program
2:17 helped 123600 excuse me 12376
2:25 2individuals secure permanent
2:27 housing understanding the dire
2:28 need for this kind of
2:29 assistance the budget for City
2:30 fabs has continually grown in
2:33 fiscal year 20 26 the City
2:35 budgeted $1.78 billion for the
2:37 program and fiscal year 20 27
2:39 that amount will rise to $1.9
2:43 7billion with even more
2:44 projected for 20 28 and 20 29
2:47 in short this is an important
2:48 program and one that the City
2:50 invests heavily in but the
2:51 program is only valuable if
2:53 people can actually access it
2:56 to do so New yorkers applying
2:57 for City feats need to be able
2:59 to understand where their
3:00 applications for assistance
3:02 stand they need to be able t
3:03 ofind eligible apartments move
3:05 into safe and habitable and
3:07 receive their rental
3:08 assistance payments reliably
3:08 and on time landlords
3:11 participating in rental
3:12 assistance programs also need
3:13 to be able to navigate the
3:15 City fees landscape
3:16 unfortunately there are pain
3:17 points at each of these stages
3:19 that block New yorkers who
3:20 really need the assistance
3:21 from benefiting from it the
3:23 five pieces of legislation
3:24 we're hearing today attempt t
3:25 oremove these roadblocks
3:26 . Intro numbers 98 101 0 1 are
3:31 sponsored by my colleague
3:32 councilmember gail Brewer
3:34 intro number 98 is about
3:35 ensuring apartments are safe
3:36 before City fees is used
3:39 towards rent while also
3:40 balancing the need for
3:41 movements to happen as
3:43 efficiently as possible intro
3:45 number 100 would require the
3:46 department of social services
3:48 or to report the average time
3:49 it takes for an individual t
3:51 osecure housing after receiving
3:53 a shopping letter a document
3:55 issued by that applicants use
3:56 while searching for an
3:57 eligible apartment intro
3:58 number 1 0 1 focuses on the
4:00 time it takes to respond to an
4:03 application for City City
4:04 febreze voucher councilmember
4:07 Brewer give a statement later
4:10 about her legislation
4:10 . In show number 641 sponsored
4:13 by Council Member addresses
4:14 the timing of rental
4:15 assistance payments this bill
4:16 would require that makes City
4:18 febreze rental assistance
4:19 payments no later later than
4:21 seven days before the first
4:22 day of the month to which the
4:24 payment applies timely
4:25 payments are important not
4:26 only for tenants but also for
4:27 landlords who participate in
4:29 the program payment delays can
4:31 create uncertainty for both
4:31 sides and can undermine the
4:33 stability City pepes eps is
4:35 intended provide he also give
4:36 a statement later finally
4:39 preconcert intro number t 26 t
4:44 20 26 14 20 24 sponsored by
4:46 Council Member murano seeks to
4:47 make the City phipps process
4:48 smoother for landlords by
4:50 requiring to administer an
4:52 online portal for landlords
4:53 who participate in rental
4:54 subsidy programs he also make
4:57 a statement later I look
4:59 forward to hearing from the
5:00 administration and the public
5:01 about these proposals I want
5:03 to conclude by thanking the
5:04 committee staff for their work
5:05 on this hearing hannah cohen
5:08 nina rosenberg justine campos
5:10 faria raymone and elizabeth
5:11 childers garcia I'd also like
5:12 to thank my staff andrew
5:14 wright l'echo rutan and demi
5:16 brown and I will now pass it
5:16 over to the committee counsel
5:18 to administer the oath to the
5:20 administration thank you
5:21 . Now in accordance with the
5:22 rules of the council I will
5:24 administer the affirmation t
5:25 othe witnesses from the mayoral
5:27 administration please raise
5:28 your right hand.
5:29 Do you affirm to tell the
5:30 truth the whole truth and
5:31 nothing but the truth in your
5:33 testimony before this
5:34 committee and respond honestly
5:37 to council members I do I do
5:40 thank you before delivering
5:41 testimony please state your
5:42 name for the record go ahead
5:49 yeah good.
5:49 Good afternoon my name is
5:51 aaron dalton and I'm the
5:52 commissioner of the department
5:53 lthe committee on general
5:59 welfare I'm aaron dalton and I
6:00 serve as the commissioner of
6:01 the department of social
6:03 services joining me today are
6:05 fra administrator scott french
6:07 and andrea reed executive
6:09 deputy deputy commissioner of
6:10 housing services
6:12 administration at thank you
6:14 for convening today's
6:15 legislative hearing and
6:15 offering me the opportunity t
6:17 oprovide feedback on the five
6:18 legislative proposals on the
6:19 agenda for today
6:19 . I want to begin by
6:21 expressing my appreciation for
6:23 our ongoing constructive
6:24 dialog and legislation and
6:27 legislative approach proposals
6:28 to the extent that legislative
6:30 proposals can benefit from
6:31 more nuanced detailed
6:33 understandings of current
6:34 practice and the impacts of
6:35 these proposals we look
6:36 forward to continuing these
6:38 conversations with the bill's
6:41 sponsors turning to the
6:41 central topic of today's
6:43 hearing City fops City phelps
6:45 was established in of 201
6:47 8with the consolidation of
6:49 several predecessor housing
6:50 voucher programs today City
6:52 fab serves more than 71000
6:54 households and a hundred 62000
6:58 New yorkers citi fab serves as
6:59 a a component of a continuum
7:00 of care that sets vulnerable
7:02 New York er's on a path
7:03 towards permanent housing well d
7:06 work in a City that cares for
7:08 its vulnerable neighbors in
7:09 this way it is worth reminding
7:12 us all that City fats is one
7:14 of several rental subsidies
7:15 established to support low
7:16 income people in need of
7:19 housing assistance and I urge
7:19 us all to continue to advocate
7:21 for federal and state housing
7:23 and rent housing and rental
7:25 subsidy investments which have
7:26 been cut considerably in
7:28 recent years briefly before
7:29 turning to the specific
7:30 legislation on the agenda
7:31 today I would like to take a
7:32 moment to share my two share
7:34 the agency and administrations
7:36 perspective on government
7:37 efficiency and government
7:39 excellence which is at the
7:40 heart of each of the bills
7:42 being discussed today the
7:43 intent of each of the bills is
7:46 to improve timeliness customer
7:47 servants customer service and
7:48 transparency of this critical
7:50 government program this is a
7:51 key pillar of the
7:54 administration demonstrated in
7:56 numerous ways but explicitly
7:57 by aiming to accelerate the
7:58 housing development and move
8:00 in process by issuing the
8:02 speed report announced in this
8:04 year likewise as we have taken
8:06 steps to improve City apps
8:08 review and approval process
8:10 including shift shifting to a
8:12 single staff review and
8:13 supervisory approval for cases
8:15 and fine tuning our focus on
8:18 eligibility for propert
8:20 yownership pay subsidy type and
8:22 clients through increased
8:23 staff and provider training
8:25 and landlord engagement our
8:26 goal is that the streamlining
8:28 of the process will result in
8:30 fewer return packages and a
8:31 reduction in the time it takes
8:33 for clients to move into
8:35 permanent housing I now turn
8:36 to the legislation on the
8:39 agenda today introduction 9
8:40 8sponsored by Council Member
8:43 what require the commissioner
8:44 of social services to deem a
8:45 dwelling unit habitable before
8:48 approving City febreze rental
8:48 assistance for that unit
8:50 . All New yorkers deserve safe
8:52 and affordable housing we
8:53 share the goal of ensuring
8:54 that City fobs inspections are
8:56 conducted quickly and result
8:57 in safe quality housing for
8:58 the New yorkers we serve while
9:00 we oppose some of the specific
9:01 requirements of the
9:02 legislation we are pleased t
9:03 oreport on a pilot program that
9:05 we think meets the intent of
9:07 introduction 98
9:08 . For the last nine months
9:10 we've been operating a pilot
9:11 program that tests many of the
9:13 approaches articulated in the
9:15 proposed legislation we
9:16 believe that the lessons from
9:17 this pilot program set forth
9:19 the foundation for an approach
9:20 that balances the desire t
9:22 oprocess applications quickly
9:25 with the need for safe housing
9:27 conditions this process allows
9:28 for inspections to be
9:30 conducted by providers in most
9:33 instances and hr inspectors
9:35 for more challenging units we
9:36 are also exploring the
9:38 establishments establishment
9:39 of a pre qualified list of
9:40 third party third party
9:41 inspectors to allow approved
9:43 organizations to inspect and
9:44 improve vacant apartments
9:45 prior to occupancy occupancy
9:47 for all newly constructed
9:49 buildings like the proposed
9:51 legislation our approach now
9:53 distinguishes between minor
9:54 and major repairs and our
9:56 expedited re inspection
9:57 process offers an opportunity
9:59 to promptly remedy minor
10:01 faults and relay that evidence
10:04 to hr landlords send photos
10:06 documenting that the failures
10:07 have been addressed and that
10:08 the unit unit now meets
10:11 habitability standards virtual
10:12 inspections have proven to b
10:13 ea valuable tool in both
10:15 maintaining agency safety and
10:17 habitability standards and
10:18 from an efficiency perspective
10:21 . Each era uses virtual
10:23 inspections and or reines uses
10:25 virtual inspections for re
10:27 inspection using whatsapp or
10:29 facetime to help streamline
10:31 the process further we'll be
10:31 ready to roll out these
10:33 process improvements system
10:34 wide in the first quarter of
10:37 next year while unattended if
10:39 adopted as drafted this bill
10:40 would limit our flexibility
10:42 increase burden and time t
10:44 oprocess and require the
10:45 addition of many more fra
10:46 inspectors and inspections we
10:48 are committed to responsible
10:50 and expedited approval moving
10:51 timeliness for City fabs
10:53 clients and we think the
10:54 current process well balances
10:56 the joint goals of product
10:57 processing quickly and
10:58 ensuring safe housing for New
10:59 yorkers we serve we look
11:00 forward to the discussion of
11:02 the proposed legislation and
11:04 changes we've made to the
11:05 process and hope they meet the
11:06 underlying goals of the
11:09 proposed legislation
11:09 . Introduction 100 sponsored
11:11 by Council Member would
11:13 require the department of
11:14 social services to annually
11:16 annually submit to the Mayor
11:17 and the speaker of the council
11:18 and to include in mayor's
11:20 management management report
11:21 the average time it takes for
11:23 an individual to secure
11:24 housing after receiving a
11:25 voucher we share the aim of
11:27 advancing transparency through
11:29 timely and accurate reporting
11:30 of relevant data we are able
11:32 to report on the metric
11:33 proposed in the legislation
11:34 but we hope to have further
11:36 discussion with the bill's
11:37 sponsor around the
11:38 interpretation of these
11:38 metrics and whether they are
11:40 the best metrics to use to
11:41 assess the City phelps program s
11:45 impacting timelines from time
11:46 of receipt of initial initial
11:48 shopping letter to move out
11:50 including a historically low
11:51 vacancy rate for affordabl
11:52 epermanent housing units for
11:55 instance a survivor of
11:56 domestic violence be limited
11:58 geographically to ensure
12:00 safety another household be
12:01 focused on finding housing in
12:03 a particular borough due to
12:03 the location of there child
12:05 school and health services.
12:07 In addition to the
12:09 challenges posed by attempting
12:10 to gain general insights from
12:12 a nuanced metric already
12:14 reports on various metrics
12:16 including local law 79 lengthy
12:18 stay reporting for rental
12:20 assistance programs and we
12:21 would like to explore whether
12:23 the sponsor would feels the
12:25 benefit of explore with the
12:25 sponsor the benefit of adding
12:27 this additional metric
12:30 introduction 1 0 1 sponsored
12:32 by Council Member would
12:33 require the department of
12:35 social services to respond t
12:36 ocity febreze frontal
12:37 assistance applications within
12:39 15 days of receipt to inform
12:40 the applicant of whether the
12:41 application has been approved