New York City’s social services agency will soon allow low-income residents with city-issued housing vouchers to rent apartments in Buffalo, Binghamton, or any other part of the state under new rules intended to reduce record-high levels of homelessness, Adams administration officials told Gothamist on Tuesday.
Under the plan, the city — for the first time — will pay the rent for families and individuals with CityFHEPS housing subsidies outside the five boroughs, where prices are lower and affordable housing is potentially more abundant, according to Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park.
The decision comes as New York City’s homeless shelter population continues to surge — largely driven by newly arriving migrants — and as median rents citywide reach new highs, all while the number of low-cost apartments dwindles. The move also comes as the Adams administration is trying to roll back New York’s unique right-to-shelter rules, which guarantee a shelter bed for anyone in need.
“These reforms will give longtime New Yorkers the ability to move out of our city’s shelter system to other parts of the state with more affordable housing options,” Mayor Eric Adams told Gothamist in a statement. “We hope our partners across the state will greet these longtime New Yorkers with open arms and good job opportunities.”
The CityFHEPS program covers the bulk of the rent for New Yorkers moving from shelters to permanent housing, and, in some cases, for low-income tenants facing eviction. Recipients pay 30% of their income toward rent, while the city covers the rest.
But current rules limit voucher holders’ housing search to the five boroughs. Park said this is a serious disadvantage compared to other subsidies, such as the federal Section 8 program, which allows people to move anywhere in the U.S. where they can find housing.
“Housing mobility is a fundamental right that most of us take for granted,” Park said. “The more options we can…
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