More Homeless New Yorkers Connected to Subsidized Permanent Housing Than Any Year in Recent History
Our Bureau
New York, NY
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park this week celebrated the opening of a new Affordable Housing Services (AHS) site in the Bronx, marking the creation of nearly 400 high-quality, deeply affordable homes for New Yorkers in shelter through the ground-breaking AHS initiative in 2024. The opening is the latest achievement in the Adams administration’s efforts to get New Yorkers off of the streets, out of shelters, and into permanent, affordable homes. In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), DSS helped a record more than 18,500 households move out of shelters and into stable homes — 24 percent more than the year before. Further, a record number of New Yorkers used City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) vouchers to obtain permanent housing or stay in their homes.
“A home is more than just a place for a family to rest their heads at night — it’s the skeleton key to unlocking the American Dream of stable, secure housing and a pathway to the middle class. With today’s announcement, we are taking unhoused New Yorkers from the streets and shelters and placing them into stable housing, bringing them one step closer to turning that American Dream into a reality,” said Mayor Adams. “With the opening of this new building, our administration is continuing to deliver on our promise to quickly build high-quality, affordable housing in parts of New York City where people need it the most. Affordable housing remains the foundation of a safer, more affordable New York City, and the opening of these new homes shows how quickly we can make change when we work together.”
“A robust shelter system is necessary for supporting New Yorkers in crisis, but it’s no substitute for permanent housing and all the stability and opportunity that comes with a proper home,” said DSS Commissioner Wasow Park. “We have been laser-focused on expediting and expanding pathways to housing for New Yorkers in need, and the results speak for themselves: We’ve moved a record number of households from shelter to permanent housing in back-to-back fiscal years. But with a citywide housing vacancy rate of just 1.4 percent, building on this incredible progress requires innovative approaches to housing, and our Affordable Housing Services initiative represents just that. Through this initiative, DSS has created nearly 400 units of deeply affordable housing for New Yorkers in shelter, including this amazing 63-unit project developed in partnership with The Doe Fund. We have hundreds of additional units in our pipeline and very much look forward to bringing those homes online and providing a brighter future for New Yorkers in need.”
The 63-unit building is the latest site to open as part of the Adams administration’s push to fast-track the creation of nearly 900 deeply affordable homes, which have already been awarded as part of the AHS pipeline. With nearly 400 units now open, DSS is working to expedite the opening of another 500 deeply affordable homes for New Yorkers in the shelter system with rental assistance program CityFHEPS vouchers. DSS continues to develop the AHS pipeline, working with various not-for-profit providers to identify new, high-quality proposals as the city looks to build on this year’s record-breaking progress connecting New Yorkers in shelter to permanent subsidized housing.
The AHS site will be operated by not-for-profit human services provider The Doe Fund, which has four decades of experience helping vulnerable New Yorkers facing compounding challenges and unique barriers to obtaining long-term housing stability. The organization’s signature “Ready, Willing, and Able” program has helped countless New Yorkers break the cycle of homelessness, with a specific focus on providing employment supports for justice-involved individuals and New Yorkers struggling with substance use challenges. DSS has finalized or opened AHS sites with various not-for-profit providers, including Riseboro, the Fortune Society, Community Housing Innovation, VIP Community Services, and Services for the Underserved.
There are more than 9,000 households holding CityFHEPS vouchers currently in the city’s shelter system that are unable to find housing due to the city’s severe housing shortage. AHS created a newer, much needed, and scalable pathway out of shelter. Through the program, the city helps nonprofits purchase or enter long-term, building-wide leases to create deeply affordable housing with 30-year contracts leveraging social services dollars — locking in long-term affordability with strong tenant protections for CityFHEPS voucher holders. Many of the program’s remaining apartments are scheduled to become available for lease through February 2025, which will mark the one-year anniversary of this innovative housing program for CityFHEPS voucher holders in shelter.
This announcement builds on the Adams administration’s historic efforts in combatting the city’s housing crisis. Earlier this month, Mayor Adams celebrated the approval of his administration’s “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,” the most pro-housing zoning proposal in New York City history, which will enable the creation of 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years and invest $5 billion towards critical infrastructure updates and housing.
I have absolutely no faith in Adams affordable housing. When you on house connect 2 most apartments the min income is 80 thousand dollars. The apartment you might be able to apply for in Brownsville and east New York new lots ave. Adams such a disappointment. This affordable for average working class NYer. Immigration housing Adam is an epic failure.. He really went over the line when he blamed the Biden administration for the condition of immigrants in New York. That was the last straw.