The Legal Aid Society applauded the New York State Legislature for its proposed allocation of $250 million to create the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP), as detailed in this past weekend’s budget annoucments, as reported by City Limits.

HAVP is critical legislation that would create a comprehensive statewide voucher program to combat homelessness by providing low-income families, the disabled, and the elderly resources to secure affordable housing.

Half of the program’s funds would go to families struggling to pay rent, allowing them to stay in their current homes. The other half of the money would go to homeless New Yorkers, providing a path to permanent housing.

“I think it’s clear that we need the Housing Access Voucher Program to continue to recover from COVID,” said Ellen Davidson, a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Law Reform Unit. “We’re still dealing with people who have not recovered their income and have only been able to remain in their homes because of ERAP and what’s going on in housing court, but eventually their time will run out.”

The Legal Aid Society is calling on lawmakers to ensure that this proposed allocation is adopted in the State’s final budget on April 1.