In a cost-conscious shift, New York City's Department of Social Services will terminate its incentive that paid landlords one month's rent while processing housing voucher applications. This change is expected to deter landlords from renting to voucher holders, exacerbating the existing challenges of discrimination and a competitive rental market. Families using CityFHEPS vouchers often struggle to find housing, and advocates warn that the removal of this incentive could further limit landlords' willingness to participate in the program, which has seen its budget balloon significantly in recent years, from $253 million in FY2021 to $1.25 billion in FY2025.
Landlords, advocates, and voucher holders say the change will make using the already hard-to-use vouchers even more difficult.
With the "unit hold incentive," the city paid landlords one month of rent if they held a unit off the market while the Human Resources Administration processed the tenant's housing voucher application.
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