New Approach to Nonprofit Partnerships Will Ensure Long-Term Affordability and Stability for Tenants
Our Bureau
New York, NY
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park today launched the Affordable Housing Services (AHS) initiative — a new effort that will create 1,500 permanent affordable homes for New Yorkers in the shelter system with City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) vouchers. Through an emergency declaration issued today, DSS will fast-track 1,000 of those units
With 10,600 households with CityFHEPS vouchers currently in the city’s shelter system unable to find housing due to the city’s severe housing shortage, the program will create a new, much-needed, and scalable pathway out of shelter. Through the Affordable Housing Services program, the city will help nonprofits purchase or enter long-term, building-wide leases on affordable housing sites — locking in long-term affordability with strong tenant protections for CityFHEPS voucher holders. The new initiative represents another major step in the Adams administration’s efforts to create affordable homes across the entire city.
“Time and time again, our administration has taken action to help New Yorkers in our shelter system move into permanent affordable homes, and our strategies have proven effective,” said Mayor Adams. “As 10,000 households eligible for CityFHEPS are currently living in shelters, the Affordable Housing Services initiative will create over 1,500 much-needed permanent affordable homes for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. And as we act now to connect New Yorkers to the homes they need, we will continue to advance our historic ‘City of Yes’ proposal to build housing in every neighborhood and advocate for Albany to truly meet the need.”
“Throughout this administration, we have reaffirmed that every New Yorker deserves a permanent home, and we continue to take consistent, innovative steps to make that aim a reality,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Today’s announcement of the Affordable Housing Services initiative will help 1,500 individuals and families transition more quickly from shelter to stable housing and will give nonprofit providers new tools to secure leases to further assist their clients as they transition from shelter to housing. Thank you to DSS for their steadfast commitment and creative solutions as we all work together to help every New Yorker in need of a permanent home.”
“The Affordable Housing Services initiative is an important avenue for accelerating pathways to housing for shelter residents,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “This effort builds on the increases in permanent housing placements this administration has already facilitated and serves as an example of our ongoing commitment to secure affordable housing for New Yorkers.”
In total, the city’s pipeline for the program will create 1,500 units of subsidized housing for households with CityFHEPS vouchers. DSS has already finalized contracts with various nonprofit providers to create subsidized housing for nearly 700 households in shelters that are eligible for CityFHEPS vouchers. More than 150 households have already been placed in permanent housing made available through the program in 2023. The program also includes the first-of-its-kind project, done in partnership with Riseboro Community Partnership, to convert the former JFK Hilton Hotel into affordable housing.
The new initiative represents another major step in the Adams administration’s efforts to create affordable homes across the entire city, especially for families exiting the shelter system. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the administration connected more New Yorkers to permanent housing using CityFHEPS vouchers than in any other year in the program’s history — building on a series of reforms the Adams administration has implemented to expand access to vouchers, eliminate the 90-day length-of-stay requirement for New Yorkers in shelter to be eligible for the vouchers, expand their use so voucher holders can obtain permanent housing anywhere in New York State, and further streamline the program with technological improvements for voucher holders.
“For nearly 20 years, Acacia Network has been proud to partner with the City of New York to address some of our most pressing quality-of-life issues — from homelessness and housing affordability to the more recent COVID-19 and migrant crises,” said Lymaris Albors, CEO, Acacia Network. “This announcement by Mayor Adams and the Department of Social Services is a testament to the power of multi-sector collaboration and the value that non-profit providers bring to the table, and we look forward to continuing to work together by connecting homeless individuals and families to safe, permanent housing.”
“Housing is the bedrock of families, individuals, and community well-being,” said Debbian Fletcher-Blake, CEO, VIP Community Services. “We applaud Mayor Adams and Commissioner Park for their vision to invest in 1,500 affordable housing units for shelter residents through DSS’s Affordable Housing Services program. This innovative program represents a significant step in addressing homelessness in New York City. It will provide a direct pathway to equitable opportunities for low-income individuals. We are excited at the prospect of improving access to permanent and stable affordable housing in New York City.”
