The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless – ahead of a City Council hearing on the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS), a local rental assistance program – called for sweeping reforms to the subsidy to aid thousands of low-income New York City families currently experiencing homelessness or who are on the brink of losing their homes.

The reforms proposed by Legal Aid and the Coalition would expand eligibility to the CityFHEPS program to help more New Yorkers move into affordable housing and create parity between the CityFHEPS program and the Housing Choice Voucher program (commonly known as the Federal “Section 8” program).

“Amid an unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis, the City must adopt these desperately needed reforms to help CityFHEPS reach its full potential of helping thousands of low-income families access safe and affordable housing,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

“These proposed changes will have an immediate impact, keeping families safely housed, off the street and out of the burgeoning local shelter system,” she continued. “The Legal Aid Society thanks the City Council for holding this critical hearing at a time when so many of our clients need this fundamental relief.”