The Legal Aid Society joined elected officials and other homeless rights advocates to decry a proposed rule that will require working homeless New Yorkers to save 30 percent of their limited income in a government-controlled savings account, reports the New York Daily News. Shelter residents required to participate in the Income Savings Program will not be able to access their savings until they secure permanent housing or can document the existence of an emergency that requires immediate access to their funds. The proposed rule responds to a requirement mandated by the State and enacted this past August.

“Homelessness is not a result of money mismanagement on the part of homeless adults and families, but, rather, it is a direct result of the lack of truly affordable housing for the lowest-income New Yorkers,” said Josh Goldfein, Staff Attorney with the Homeless Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society.