The Legal Aid Society today highlighted the plights of three low-income New Yorkers, tenants facing imminent eviction who would qualify for the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) – a local housing voucher program.

These tenants seek to join Legal Aid’s pending lawsuit, Marie Vincent v. Mayor Eric Adams, which was brought this past February to compel the Administration to fully implement enacted legislation that reformed and expanded CityFHEPS. If the law was followed, these tenants would be eligible for an emergency grant from the City.

Without relief from the court, these vulnerable families will immediately lose their long-term homes with rents that are far below market, and if they enter shelter, will cost the City many multiples of the cost of simply subsidizing their rents.

The tenants joining the suit today are Arnaldo Fernandez, Cheryl Thompson, and Delsie Lee. Each has been in their home for more than a decade.

Mr. Fernandez is a 65-year-old disabled man who has lived in his rent-stabilized apartment for over 13 years. He is legally blind and his wife, a cancer survivor with numerous health issues, is his principal caretaker. Ms. Thompson has lived in her apartment in the Bronx for 30 years. She  is the primary caretaker of her adult disabled sister, who suffers severe disabilities and health conditions, including schizophrenia. Ms. Lee is 66 years old and has lived in her Brooklyn apartment for over 34 years. She lived with her long-time fiance until he passed away in 2021 as a result of medical complications. 

“These three plaintiffs, long-time New Yorkers, are needlessly at risk of losing their homes and becoming homeless solely due to Mayor Adams’ refusal to follow the law,” said Robert Desir, an attorney with the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “Unfortunately, their stories are not unique, and their suffering, along with countless others, could end immediately if this common-sense package of duly enacted legislation was enforced.”

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