The Legal Aid Society, together with the Coalition for the Homeless, Women in Need, and Neighbors Together, has won a lawsuit preventing the City of New York from abruptly eliminating the longstanding Unit Hold Incentive for property owners renting to CityFHEPS voucher holders. 

The Unit Hold Incentive has long served as a lifeline for unhoused New Yorkers by covering rent while a CityFHEPS voucher application is processed — helping to secure apartments, shorten shelter stays, and make the transition to permanent housing possible for thousands of families and individuals each year.

“This ruling is a resounding victory for homeless families and individuals who depend on the CityFHEPS program to escape shelter and secure stable housing,” said Pavita Krishnaswamy, Supervising Attorney in Legal Aid’s Civil Law Reform Unit.

“The Adams Administration’s sudden decision to end the Unit Hold Incentive threatened to slam the door on countless New Yorkers desperately seeking homes,” she continued. “The court rightly recognized that such a move cannot be made without following the law, and that the stakes are far too high for our clients and their families.”