Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing on committee on public housing.

At this time during today's hearing, no one may approach the dais.

Please silence any electronic devices that you might have.

Chair, you may begin.

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the hearing on a committee of public housing for the New York City Council.

I'm Councilmember Chris Banks, the committee chair, and I would like to thank my colleagues who have joined us here today, Councilman Marty.

Um today uh the committee is holding an oversight hearing on the premature end of the federal emergency housing voucher program, which we call the EHV program.

The efforts by NYCHA and HP in progress.

Should I begin?

Should I repeat?

Okay.

I'll start over again, let's get back in my trend.

Today the committee's holding an oversight hearing on the premature end of the federal emergency housing voucher program.

Uh the efforts by NYCHA and HBD to transition nearly 5,002 New York City households that currently rely on these vouchers to remain stable housed.

We will hear uh we will also hear uh resolution 495, which I sponsored, uh calling on the uh New York State Legislature to pass and the governor to sign uh this legislation would strengthen the state's housing access voucher program by improving unit inspection requirements and prioritizing applicants uh with the greatest housing needs.

Uh during COVID-19 uh pandemic, Congress created the emergency housing voucher program uh to provide rental assistance uh to some of the nation's most vulnerable households, including individuals and families experiencing experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Uh survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and uh human trafficking, and families with children.

The program was originally funded uh through September 2030 and resulted in approximately 70,000 vouchers being issued nationwide.

New York City received nearly 8,000 of those vouchers and continues to administer more emergency housing vouchers than any other city in the nation.

However, in March of last year, the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it would end the program four years ahead of the schedule, cutting off funding at the end of 2026.

Now let me be clear, this decision uh has created an urgent and unacceptable situation.

More than 5,000 households in New York City now face the very real possibility of losing rental assistance that keeps a roof over their heads.

But in case of anyone, if in case of everyone forgot, uh behind every voucher is a person, a family, a senior, a veteran, a survivor who depends on this assistance to remain housed.

Today the committee will ask many questions, but the most important one is simple.

What is the plan?

Uh with this with less than five months remaining uh before funding expires.

We need more than general assurances.

We need concrete answers.

Those questions which we will ask.

Uh, how many households have already been transitioned to alternative housing assistance program?

How many remain at risk?

Uh what barriers still exist, what resources are needed, and what specific actions NYCHA HPD or the state, our federal partners are taking right now to ensure that these families do not fall through the cracks.

Last September, this committee held an oversight hearing on the administration of Section 8 and the emergency housing voucher program.

And at that time, NYCHA testified it anticipated transitioning and affected affected households to alternative, alternative forms of assistance, including Section 8, uh Section 9, and the home tenant-based rental assistance program.

Now, nine months later, the committee expects a detailed update on the progress that has been made.

The luxury of time is not on our side.

And every delay increases the risk that thousands of New Yorkers could face housing instability or homelessness.

The people relying on these vouchers did everything we asked them.

They followed the rules, secured housing, built stability for themselves and their families, and it is now the administration's responsibility to ensure stability is not taken away.

We need a clear pathway forward, meaningful coordination across all levels of government, and a commitment, a commitment that no household currently receiving the emergency housing voucher assistance will be left behind.

That is why resolution 495 is so important.

This legislation would expand eligibility for New York State's housing access voucher program to prioritize households currently receiving emergency housing vouchers and help create a safety net for those at risk of losing federal assistance.

Housing stability should not depend on whether the federal program is extended or allowed to expire.

Our neighbors deserve certainty.

They deserve dignity and they deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they will not lose their homes.

You know, I look forward to this hearing, hearing from the authority, HPD, and the other agency partners, advocates, members of the public about the immediate steps uh that must be taken to protect these these households and ensure that every available tool is being used to keep New Yorkers housed.

I would like to uh thank my chief of staff, Michael Lambert, along with the committee staff, Samia, Jose, Charles Spencer, uh Reese, uh James, Chowdery, Noah, and the hard work for their hard work for preparing today's hearing.

We will uh now go to a prepanel uh where we will have uh affected, impacted residents uh give their testimony.

Um I remind members of the public that this is a government proceeding and that the quorum shall be observed at all times, and as such, members of the public shall remain silent at all times.

Uh the witnesses uh the witness table is reserved for people uh who wish to testify.

No video recording or uh photographies allowed from the witness table.

Uh, members of the public may not uh present audio or video recordings as testimony, but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the sergeant of arms for inclusion uh in the record.

Uh if you wish to speak today at today's hearing, please fill out their parents' card with the Sergeant of Arms and wait to be recognized when recognized.

You will have three minutes uh to three minutes for the prepanel uh today's hearing top to give testimony on today's hearing topic.

We will now have the prepanel come on up, Stephanie Mansfield, Gina Capucci, Capuche.

I'll say the first name, you follow with your last name.

Gina and Danielle Bibber.

Oh, yes, and the mother you can come on up to.

Yes.

Thank you.

You may begin your testimony starting to my right.

Good morning.

Sorry.

Can you tell I'm nervous?

And take your time.

You want to pull the mic down.

I want to make you as comfortable as possible.

If you want a little water, you can have some water.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Um, a little nervous.

Um, my name is Stephanie M.

I'm from Brooklyn, uh, single mom of three neurodivergent children, beautiful neurodivergent children.

I'm an advocate, uh domestic violence and a sexual assault survivor, a strangulation survivor, and I navigate this world every day with a traumatic brain injury.

I am here to advocate for the emergency housing voucher.

It took 10 years for me to be rehoused, um, and it a global pandemic, and I think that in order for me as a mother of three to flee, um my abuser, and to have safe and adequate housing, that's just not acceptable.

Um, I think that there's other homes and households that also endure that kind of um safety or lack of safety.

The EHV voucher was amazing, it provided a home that allowed me and my children to be safe from stalking and harassment and abuse and danger.

And it was uh wonderful two and a half years of freedom.

Um in the book The Body Keeps a Score by Van der Kook, Bessel Van der Kok.

Um, your body stores trauma it until it no longer can carry it.

Um it and it releases it in such a way that um it manifests itself in different ways, and my body could no longer store the trauma of that 10-year abuse, so in our new home, four months rehoused, safe, secure.

I fell in the hospital, I was right in the hospital for a week, and it's still a blessing because I was safe to do so, and the EHP voucher allowed me to do so.

So two and a half years to be told that hey, this voucher that provided that safety and security is no longer available for me and my children.

This is why I am here.

I am here to advocate for my children.

My child my child is currently taking the algebra regions.

I have a neurodivergent chickie that is currently in school navigating himself, and so brilliant and bright, and I have another one that just loves to run, and I am here as a mom, as a single mom, just trying my best for my kids, and um, I'm a proud New Yorker, I love this city.

I'm a proud Brooklynite.

I love this city.

I think that is amazing that the Knicks, Nick's and five, right?

We must say that.

Knicks and five.

You see the paint coming on, you see that we're about to celebrate this wonderful miracle and accomplishment of this basketball team that we've been rooting for, but we should also look at our most vulnerable New Yorkers, and we should include them in the things that matter the most hierarchy of needs, our safety and security is our food our shelter, our home being met.

Is that basic need being met?

And at this current time it's not that EHB voucher meant more than just oh, you're housing a certain set of individuals.

It meant that new Yorkers were able to be housed and safe, and it took a pandemic for that to be housed and safe.

Um, I'm hoping and I'm cleaning and I'm asking that not only that we look into the housing access voucher, um, that we extend that, but also we look into how us New Yorkers can come together and expand and invest in city feds properly because this is something that can also target New Yorkers and is meant for us.

Because we are New Yorkers, we're strong.

We spread love the Brooklyn way, and I I am so passionate about the city, and I know that we can great do great things when we come together as we have come together in the past.

And um, yeah, let's not forget our neighbors and the little guys.

So thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may be good.

Alright.

Uh, good morning, Chairbanks and members of the committee on public housing.

Thank you for holding this important hearing, and thank you, Stephanie, for kicking us off and for the opportunity to testify on behalf of New Destiny Housing.

I also want to thank the domestic violence survivors and those with NYCHA EHB who are here sharing their testimony, including these um women who are on the panel with me.

My name is Gina Capuchiti, and I'm the senior director of housing access and stability services at New Destiny.

New Destiny is the only organization in our city dedicated exclusively to permanent housing for survivors of domestic violence.

We do this work because domestic violence is the number one cause of family homelessness in our city, and for survivors, housing is a matter of life and death.

For survivors of domestic violence and the community of advocates supporting them, the launch of EHB meant so much more than just another housing program, and I think that's really underlined by Stephanie's testimony.

Unlike local subsidies, the EHB program was the first large-scale effort responding to people fleeing abuse and being able to access a voucher without being forced into shelter.

We could secure a voucher for the paraprofessional who couldn't bring herself to take her disabled 19-year-old daughter into shelter and preferred to face abuse at home for the wellness of her daughter.

When the HB program launched, New Destiny was selected by the city to provide housing navigation to the survivors referred for these vouchers.

In less than two years, we housed over 700 survivors.

Through our aftercare program as well, we remain in close contact with them with hundreds of them.

So when NYCHA announced that EHB households would have to apply to a transfer within its portfolio among the housing options available.

Survivors contacted us in a panic, afraid of losing the safe homes they had finally found.

Today, over 5,000 NYHB households are at risk, including over 1,100 domestic violence survivors and 600 runaway and homeless youth living in every council district.

We have been working closely with the mayor's office to domestic and gender-based violence to ensure survivors are informed and their partnership has been crucial.

In addition, the partnership with NACHA has been incredibly crucial as we've been working to troubleshoot issues case by case, and we see that there is a clear commitment from their staff to make this work in any way possible, but there are ways in which their hands are tied.

We simply don't have enough units in the area.

We don't have enough units alone, but also in areas people feel comfortable living in.

The city must extend City Fap's eligibility to NYCHA EHB participants and fund it in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

A dedicated eligibility category would let these families transition seamlessly, staying in their homes out of shelter and safe.

The city has a responsibility to ensure the housing stability for survivors of domestic violence facing the loss of their EHB, preventing the re-traumatization of eviction proceedings, the cost of shelter, and the unmeasurable cost of further abuse if they feel forced to return to abusers.

City PEPs would also keep rental income flowing to thousands of landlords housing these families.

New Destiny is not alone in this call.

About 350 organizations and New Yorkers, most of them directly impacted, have signed our letter urging the mayor to act, which we will deliver at City Hall this afternoon.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Okay.

Buenos días, my nombre Soy la Bueno.

Y me siento muy.

Okay, see yo perdiera mi coupon.

Yes, and we estresada.

Muchas gracias.

Thank you for your testimony.

Hi, my name's Danielle Fipper.

Um, this is my mother-in-law.

I'm advocating on her behalf.

Um, she is a victim of domestic violence.

Um, thank you.

She is a victim of domestic violence.

She was with my uh partner's father since she was sixteen.

She came to the U.S.

here with uh lived in NYCHA.

She's been a New York residence since the nineties.

She's worked, she's done everything right.

When she finally left, my boyfriend's father, and she was with us while we try to find her housing.

This voucher gave her the first time in her entire life, independence.

She had never lived on her own.

She had my boyfriend at 17.

She didn't get far in school, and she's not able to make the income that most New Yorkers can make to survive.

She can't really go back into the NYCH near here because my boyfriend's father is still in the system over there, and that was her abuser.

This voucher has given her her first home that is truly her own.

Not that she shared with the family, not that she shared with her husband or anything.

She's been able to get a job.

She's been able to make friends, she's been able to create stability for herself.

She she's worked so hard, and she's done so much to make sure she's able to stay in her home and do what she needs to do and be a contributing member.

And what's one of the things that really upset us the most is that NYCHA just sent a letter randomly in March of this year?

No indication that there was an issue with funding when they got the notice last year.

There was no notice to the tenants.

So out of nowhere, we're wondering, is she gonna be able to afford her rent?

How is she gonna stay?

What is she gonna do?

There is no action plan.

We've called NYCHA.

I was on the phone with her for two hours on hold to really be told no information.

There has been no sort of real direction or guidance.

How can we help her navigate to stay in housing and stay within what she needs to do with no direction?

First and also the funding.

Like, how is it that New York State is not taking care of its people?

I know this is something that's a federal program, but she lives here.

She pays taxes, she's worked, she's been a contributor member for over 30 years in the city, and she needs help, and now there's no help for it.

I know this is like I said it's a federal program that you guys didn't create this program, but it's a shame that the lawmakers here and also in the Capitol aren't creating funding categories to help expand the regular Section 8.

No one told us initially that this was just a temporary program, that it was only gonna be good for 10 years.

We thought it was a permanent program, and we were like great, she's gonna be stable.

She's gonna be she's 62 in 10 days.

How is she supposed to be able to afford the New York the New York rents?

And not even like a nice place, just a crappy little studio.

How's she be able to afford that with rents for like $2, three thousand,000?

And she doesn't even make that in a month?

I'm sorry, I'm just sure.

I want my mother in law and everyone else who's in her situation to be able to have stable housing for them and their families.

It's not right that they work hard and can't get the help that they need that they deserve that they worked for.

Sorry.

Yeah, thank you for your testimony.

Now we will have Kenny Burgles.

Thank you, Chairbanks.

Uh, Councilman Marte, good to see you.

Uh good morning, everyone.

So my name is Kenny Burgos.

I'm the CEO of the New York Apartment Association, and our members own and operate the majority of New York City's rent stabilized housing.

Hundreds of thousands of homes concentrated in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Upper Manhattan.

In the very neighborhoods this committee cares most about.

I'm here today to do something that may surprise some people.

I'm here to ask this council through this resolution, the state legislature and the governor to expand and strengthen a rental assistance program because I want to put a myth to rest once and for all.

The myth is that property owners don't accept vouchers, that we don't want them, that we don't want subsidized tenants as a burden.

The opposite is true.

Our members use tens of thousands of, excuse me, our members house tens of thousands of New Yorkers with CitifEps, Section 8, and other assistants every single day.

A voucher means a stable tenancy, a reliable payment, and a family that can stay in their home through job through a job loss and illness or crisis.

No rational owner turns that away.

When owners hesitate, it isn't the voucher, it's the bureaucracy around it, months-long inspection delays, payments that arrive late or not at all, and caseworkers no one can reach.

We need to fix this process.

So let me be crystal clear.

We want the government to administer them better so people can get out of shelters more quickly.

We are completely in line with the city council on this issue.

The only person opposed to improving and expanding vouchers right now is the mayor.

On this specific resolution, we support it because it does two practical things.

First, it allows the housing access voucher program to prioritize not only New Yorkers who are already homeless, but families on the verge of losing their federal rent subsidy because of cuts or eligibility changes in Washington.

That is not a hypothetical.

Federal housing assistance in this city is under real and immediate pressure.

It is far cheaper in dollars and in human terms to keep a family housed than to rehouse them out of the shelter system.

Second, the bill lets local administrators inspect units under consistent state standards, streamlining one of the choke points that has slowed down every voucher program the city has ever run.

I want I also want to be honest with this committee about why our support matters and what it is contingent on.

Our members wholly support housing New Yorkers who need help.

What we cannot support is being asked to do it for free.

Vouchers are rent freezes for tenants in need without bankrupting buildings that are facing rising costs, including government-backed property tax hikes and water rate increases.

Many buildings are also struggling with high rent arrears because of a broken housing court system.

The idea that we shouldn't expand vouchers because we can just freeze the rents is a recipe for failure.

We are already seeing buildings fail due to systemic defunding.

There are now dozens of independent housing experts who have waived the red flag about the growing physical and financial distress in New York City.

If we keep on this path, the city will lose housing supply and there will be fewer homes for future voucher holders.

Helping its citizens pay for their housing is the best investment a government can make.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you to the panel.

Appreciate it.

Next, we will now go to the administration.

Testimony from NYCHA and HPD.

And I'll turn it over to the committee council to give the affirmation.

You can now approach the panel.

Thank you.

All right.

You may begin.

We're about to do the affirmation.

Good morning.

Please raise your right hand.

Do you affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth before this committee and to respond honestly to council member questions?

You may begin your testimony.

Thank you.

Chair Chris Banks, members of the Committee on Public Housing, other distinguished members of the City Council, NYCHA residents and voucher holders, community advocates and members of the public.

Good morning.

I am Lakeisha Miller, NYCHA's executive vice president of Leased Housing.

I am pleased to be joined today by Melissa Rinwick, Senior Advisor in the Office of Leased Housing, and our colleagues at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Adam Phillips, first deputy commissioner, and Merrill Block Weissman, Deputy Commissioner of Housing Access and Stability.

Thank you for this opportunity to discuss how the government, I mean, excuse me, how the authority in HPD are handling the federal government's early ending of the emergency housing voucher program and working to support at-risk voucher holders.

We know that members of the council are as concerned as we are about the fate of this program.

We share this concern and we thank you for your partnership as we assist its participants.

For half a century, NYCHA has helped low-income New Yorkers rent housing in the private market thanks to the federal housing choice voucher program, also known as Section 8.

The Section 8 rental subsidy allows families to typically pay no more than 30% of their adjusted monthly income toward rent.

NYCHA plays the remaining amount to the owner of the home on the family's behalf, usually referred to as the subsidy share of the rent.

NYCHA administers the largest Section 8 program in the country.

We currently serve more than 110,000 households, about 222,000 residents who rent homes from over 26,000 participating landlords.

More than half of our participants are children and seniors.

The average household income is about $24,000, and families pay an average of $477 in monthly rent as their monthly share of rent based on their income.

Like the HCV program, the emergency housing voucher program is also administered by the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It was established as a separate tenant-based voucher program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help our most vulnerable families and individuals gain stable and affordable housing, including people who were experiencing homelessness, were at risk of homelessness, or were victims of domestic violence.

The approximately 70,000 EHVs administered by 626 public housing authorities across the nation were supposed to be funded through September 2030.

However, HUD announced in March 2025 that the federal funding will run out by the end of this year, four years early.

Addressing this early and unexpected expiration of funds is a nationwide issue affecting all public housing authorities that manage EHBs.

Within New York City, the administration of EHVs was split between NYCHA and HPD.

NYCHA received over 5,700 vouchers, and HPD received about 2,000.

Both of our agencies have been working diligently to identify alternative housing options for our EHV households.

Once HUD made this announcement, NYCHA began developing a plan to assist the 5,000-plus EHP participants.

Originally, NYCHA planned to offer EHV program participants a regular Section 8 housing choice voucher.

But since federal funding has not kept pace with recent cost increases to the program, doing so would require a waiver from HUD.

We requested the waiver in December 2025 and it was denied by HUD the following month.

We now plan to provide EHV participants with alternative subsidized housing options across NYCHA's portfolio, including the PAC portfolio and other project-based vacancies.

To that end, beginning in March 2026, we reached out to our EHV households through multiple rounds and modes of communication to encourage them to complete a public housing application, which we are continuing to accept so that we can pursue an alternative subsidized housing option and capture information we need to match them to housing support outside of the EHV program.

To date, we have sent over 13,000 emails and 9,000 letters to EHV participants informing them of the need to apply.

We have also sent correspondence to EHV landlord participants and continue to hold regular office hours with referring providers to provide updates on the EHV transition process.

Completion of the public housing application is the first step towards providing households with an alternative subsidized housing option.

We will continue to reach out to the remaining EHV participants to encourage them to do so.

As of June 9th, we have received approximately 3,350 responses from EHV households.

We have begun matching these households with vacant apartments across our housing portfolio, contacting them via email, regular mail, and phone to inform them once the match has been made.

In addition to placements within NYCHA's portfolio, the city has identified $80 million in home ARP funding to reallocate to HPD's home TBRA program to assist a portion of NYCHA's current EHV participants.

The proposed use of funding is contingent on HUD approval.

Although we are pleased to share with the council this progress, we understand that time is of the essence to ensure our EHV families continue to receive the housing support they need.

NYCHA is working with referral partners participating in cross-agency working groups with City Hall and HPD to identify every approach to assist EHV households and is also partnering with the mayor's Office of Mass Engagement to support our outreach efforts.

Thank you for your time and attention this morning.

HPD First Deputy Commissioner Adam Phillips will now provide information on HPD's response to the issue.

Thank you, Lakeisha.

Good morning, Chairbanks, members of the public housing committee, and members of the public.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I also want to thank the folks who share their personal stories and how the EHV program has had an impact in their daily lives.

HPD is here to discuss two related but distinct EHV issues.

First, we will address HPD's cohort of EHV voucher holders.

There are roughly 2,000 households whose vouchers are administered by HPD, a group completely separate from the NYCHA clients discussed earlier.

We will provide an update on the current status of these HPD EHV households, the stopgap solution we are implementing to prevent homelessness, and the need for long-term federal solutions.

Second, we will discuss NYCHA's EHV voucher holders.

There are roughly 5,700 households in NYCHA's group that were discussed earlier.

We will provide an update as to what HPD is doing to support the transition of a portion of those voucher holders from NYCHA EHV to home tenant-based rental assistance, also known as home TBRA.

Before we discuss the transition of NYCHA's EHV clients to home TBRA, we'll start by providing updates on HPD's approximately 2,000 EHV clients.

HPD received notice from HUD in March 2025 that EHV funding would be terminated nearly four years earlier than anticipated.

HPD, NYCHA, and housing agencies across the country face the same unprecedented dilemma.

Local governments were being asked to fill a resource gap that has historically been filled by the federal government.

This abrupt change in policy immediately put the roughly 2,000 HPD EHV households at risk.

As soon as we were notified that the EHV program would be ending early, we took swift action by engaging congressional leaders, national organizations, and other public housing authorities affected by this massive federal policy change.

Many EHV households face significant barriers to housing stability and rely on vouchers to avoid falling into homelessness.

We educated congressional leaders on the significant risks and vulnerabilities that our EHV clients face in light of the program's early termination, along with the urgent need to secure additional federal funding that would allow us to provide ongoing assistance to these households.

Amid our efforts to educate our federal partners on this issue, HPD simultaneously began exploring possible funding alternatives through the summer and fall of 2025 to ensure we were prepared for a range of outcomes.

At that time, Congress was weighing measures that would help to at least partly address the EHV funding cliff, but it remained very unclear how much additional assistance, if any, the federal government would provide us and other public housing authorities.

While the federal government wavered, HPD devised a creative stopgap solution to prevent these households from being evicted or made homeless.

By leveraging home TBRA funds, we could transition them from HPD EHV to a newly created HPD Home TBRA program.

We would have to do so by the end of September 2026 when EHV funding is estimated to run out.

Once transitioned to home TBRA, we estimate that funding will last for around two years.

This is not a permanent solution.

This is a stopgap measure until more permanent assistance can be secured.

To facilitate a smooth transition from HPD EHV to home TBRA, we proactively conducted outreach to EHV households and property owners.

We sent letters and notices to EHV households and their landlords informing them of an upcoming programmatic change, and in February 2026, HPD hosted a number of information sessions to explain the federal changes, answer questions, and provide guidance on the transition to home TBRA.

Hundreds of households and owners participated in those sessions and based on their engagement, we publish frequently asked questions and other relevant guidance online.

HPD is making every effort to seamlessly transition our 2000 households from EHV to home TBRA.

We began sending out applications in March, and as of June 1st, HPD has issued invitations to all of the roughly 2,000 EHV participants to apply for home TBRA assistance.

To reduce the burden on households, we sent out pre-filled applications with recent household and income information.

Our response rate has been strong.

Almost 80% of the applications that were sent out prior to June have been returned.

This federal change has caused a crisis that is hitting cities around the country.

Some may be forced to take the most painful path, where voucher holders face a lapse in coverage and lose their housing.

HPD has been fortunate to have the resources to continue housing thousands of families whose EHV vouchers are being taken away prematurely.

We are unique in being able to create a new program, albeit a temporary one, to keep these families housed, but this is not a sustainable solution.

Home TBRA will not be able to cover our voucher holders indefinitely.

There is no replacement for the federal government.

They must meet their obligations to fully fund their programs, including Section 8.

We have made that clear in our meetings with federal officials, and we will continue to say, in no uncertain terms, the federal government must not abandon voucher holders.

They must uphold their responsibilities.

Those are the steps we're taking to keep HPD's 2,000 EHV households safely and securely housed through Home TBRA.

We'll now move on to our role in supporting NYCHA and a subset of their 5700 EHV households.

HPD will be supporting a similar transition of NYCHA EHV households to home TBRA, which will be administered by HPD.

Given the time-sensitive nature of this crisis, with funding set to run out by the end of the year, we are pursuing an emergency contract via a request for proposal or RFP to enable the transition of families from NYCHA EHV to home TBRA.

HPD is currently reviewing responses, and we are in the process of selecting a vendor.

We are making all possible efforts to ensure a seamless transition for as many EHV households as we can.

We will continue to work across government to ensure EHV households can access dignified, safe, and stable housing.

Thank you, and we welcome your questions.

Thank you for your testimony when you open a statement.

Well, we'll recognize the the public advocate, but before that, we were also joined by uh Councilmember LCOSE on.

Public Advocate?

You have the floor.

Am I?

Am I able to ask questions now?

You can give your statement.

Just test the statement.

Open statement.

Okay, thank you.

Um, and um most importantly the next day in five.

Um good morning.

As mentioned, my name's Jamani Williams.

Um, public capital for city of New York.

Thank you, Chair Banks, and the members of the committee for holding this hearing.

This bring the city and state have had to come to grips with Trump's administration's the Trump administration's proposal to end federal rental assistance for thousands of NYCHA households, the cancellation of the emergency housing voucher EHV program, and proposed cuts of 43 to 45% to federal rental assistance, introduce strict two-year timelines for able-bodied adults.

Such measures could lead to the displacement of tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

The number of unhoused New Yorkers entering the Department of Homeless Services, DHS Shelter System, managed by the Department of Excuse me, Social Services, DSS, is continually increasing according to the Coalition for the Homeless.

The number of longer-term New Yorkers utilizing shelters, so a 12% growth between 2023 and 2024, an increase of over 7500 people.

According to DSS Office of Research and Policy Innovation, 7788, 7,788 vouchers were allocated to NYCHA in the Department of Housing Preservation Development.

By early 2024, the city has successfully used all our allocated vouchers with clients serviced by the NYC Department of Homeless Services, accounting for nearly one third of the placements.

NYCHA says that there are approximately 5,200 EHV participants as of March 2026.

So about 67% of vouchers in NYC has been used by NYCHA alone.

Since 2019, my office has labeled NYCHA as the city's worst landlord for multiple reasons.

If thousands of New Yorkers face homelessness due to mismanaged assistance for those impacted by federal emergency policies, NYCHA's ability to maintain tenant trust will be severely compromised.

The EHV program successfully housed New Yorkers who are now at risk of becoming unhoused again for no reason other than the cruelty of those who have chosen to work for this administration.

City needs to get creative in order to prevent NYCHA residents with these vouchers from falling back into being unhoused and further exacerbating unhouse crisis in NYC.

Placement from DHS shelters into NYCHA housing have plummeted by over 80% since FY 2015, which ex which with such exits now accounting for less than 5% of the total despite monthly fluctuations.

I know NYCHA is usually in a perilous situation.

And some of it is mismanagement of NITHA.

So when I get opportunity, Mr.

Chair, I'd love to ask some questions based on a statement I gave.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh I'm going to begin my line of questionings and then I'll pass it over to the public advocate and then to my colleagues.

Again, thank you uh to the administration um for coming.

And let me just go straight into the questions.

As of today, uh, how many emergency vouchers does HPD administer and how many does NYCHA administer?

Thank you for the question.

Um HPD currently administers almost two thousand EHV vouchers.

And how many is NYCHA?

Okay, that's right.

Thank you for your question.

NYCHA currently administers roughly um 5100 EHV households.

Uh does HPD and NYCHA target the same population?

We target similar populations based on uh criteria for the vouchers.

Um so we're trying to ensure through the EHV program that we're targeting the households that are in the most need of stable housing.

And how many of these households are headed by a survivor of domestic violence?

Sure, at the time uh when the EHV program started for HPD, about uh 15 to 16% of the households were headed by domestic violence.

Can you repeat that?

Uh around sixteen percent.

16%.

And how many include children under 18?

Uh children, sorry.

For us, I can let uh sixty twelve.

Uh I as she locates our information, council member, I can ask her for the NYCHA program.

Yes.

Um, approximately fifty-five percent of the participants we serve are um under the age of 18.

And how many of the children total are housed through the uh city's EHV uh portfolio?

Thank you for your question.

That that is for the EHV program alone.

55%.

That is fifty.

Okay.

And for HPD uh about 30% of the households, um, sorry, about 30% of the people supported by EHV are children.

Okay.

And how many include seniors uh over the age of 62, and how many include persons with disabilities?

Uh we have about 15% of our households are headed by seniors, and about 20% are households uh with disability.

And how many are headed by a young person who's aged out from the foster care system?

So that's not something that HPD tracks.

Okay.

Kind of a version of it that we could look at is households that were referred to us by ACS that risk of homelessness, and that was about that's about seven percent of our households.

How many include persons are that are in hospital or undergoing any type of medical treatment?

That is not something that's not tracked.

Okay.

Typically, how many of the EHV holders receive a voucher?

I'm sorry, say that again.

Typically, how many of the EHV holders received a voucher?

All of sorry, all of the EHV ho all of the EHV participants received a voucher.

Is that what we rephrase that question?

Do apologize.

What was the average length and we could scrap that question or strike that question?

What is the average length of homelessness before each household received EHV voucher?

That is not something that we track, but about uh 70% of the households that are on HPD's EHV program were previously homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Okay, and of the cities combine EHV households, including NYCHA and HPD, uh, what is uh the borough distribution?

I can give it for HPD, um, and then NYCHA can give it um broadly.

Uh for HPD, about 40% are from the Bronx, 22% Brooklyn, 20% Queens, 14% Manhattan, 3% Staten Island.

And then we have some that are a few that are outside of New York City, which was something that was allowed through the emergency housing voucher program.

NYCHA.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Um, NYCHA's EHV households similar to HPDs and our overall Section 8 program, um, are highly concentrated in the Bronx, so that's about 47% are in the Bronx.

Another 23% are located in Brooklyn, 9% in Manhattan, 3 to 4 percent in Staten Island, and 16 and a half percent in Queens.

We also, as a uh condition of the EHV program, we do have a small population that reside outside of New York City.

Okay, and what neighborhoods and boroughs have the highest concentration of EHV households?

NYCHA's EHV programs, the highest concentrations are Bronx in Brooklyn, similar to our General Section A program.

Okay.

Okay, let me come back to that.

On March uh 6th, 2025, HUD announced that the EHV funding will be depleted by the end of the federal fiscal year 2026.

Approximately four years earlier than the original uh American Rescue Plan uh Act timeline of 2030.

Uh, what is the precise date on which NYCHA and HBD each were project the uh EHV voucher subsidy payments will stop?

So thank you for the question.

Um, yes, in March 2025, we received notice that the EHV program would be ending about four years earlier than anticipated.

Um, based on the information that we have and based on our analysis, we assume that the the HPD EHV program would run out of money by the end of September 2026.

Okay.

Thank you, Adam.

Um, for uh NYCHA is similar to HBD, we will also notify like other PHAs across the nation in March 2025 that the EHV program would be in and early.

Um, based on our analysis, NYCHA's funding should be expiring mid-November 2026.

And and the tenants have all received a final notice from NYCHA and HPD.

So from HPD's perspective, um, in February 2026, when we knew that the there would be no federal solution to this problem, we started to do targeted outreach to tenants and to households.

Um since March 2026, every single household has received an application to transition from EHV to home TBRA.

Um, and I I think something really great to to highlight here is that we've had an uptake rate of approximately 80%.

So of all the households that we've reached out to, as of June 1st, nearly 80% of households have returned a completed application to transition to home TBRA.

Okay.

How many of NYCH's uh EHV households and how many of the HPD EHV households does each agency project will not receive housing assistance uh when the EHV program expires?

So all of HPD's uh nearly 2,000 EHV voucher holders will transition to home TBRA as long as they continue to be eligible.

Thank you for your question, Councilmember.

Um the expiration of the federal funding for the EHV program is an issue that NYCHA has taken very seriously.

Our goal is to offer every EHV household an alternative option.

We are working very closely with the city and with HPD to implement an effective solution.

We are utilizing every resource within our housing portfolio, starting with the project-based voucher units within our private and packed portfolio.

Um we have engaged those partners as that is a source of long-term affordable housing available to the EHV households.

We have also made use of additional vouchers that we had at our disposal under what is called the mainstream voucher, and we have partnered with the um HRA agency to transition some families back over to their services.

So again, we are taking this very serious.

We are turning over every rock that we can to access affordable housing.

Um we are also part of the HPD partnership with HUD approval, we will be transitioning a portion of our EHV households over to the home TBRA program.

Okay, thank you.

And alternatively, uh, how many households do NYCHA and HBD each expect uh to not have undergoing a transition uh to the all to the alternative assistance uh based on the current pace of transfers?

Thank you for your question, Councilmember.

I think it is expected that at some point of this process, because the crucial first step for um NYCHA is that the EHV households complete the public housing application and that they make sure that their existing program requirements regarding recertification and inspections are up to date.

We will land at the end of this process where some people may not be out of compliance, but again, it is our goal to offer every household an opportunity, and we will continue all of the outreach efforts to get households into compliance and completing a public housing application.

I will say this is where we can use the council support to reinforce that requirement.

Um we are also getting additional support from the mayor's office of mass engagement, their public engagement unit is also going to be assisting with outreach to households using things like peer-to-peer texting and really expanding our outreach efforts.

Okay.

Um NITRA reopened its uh Section 9 weightless uh back on June 2024 for the first time since uh 2009 and selected close to 200,000 um households by lottery.

On uh August 1st of 2025, NITRE paused, uh issuing new vouchers to to the wait lists uh to free uh capacity for the EHV uh to Section 8 transition on September 29th of 2025, NYCHA testified before the committee uh that NITRA would begin transferring all its EHV participants to the Section 8 program, and the EHV uh EHV uh participants would continue to receive the same benefits and their rental subsidy would not be impacted.

At the September 29th hearing, uh NITRE testified that it had received a waiver from HUD uh to facilitate the EHV to Section 8 transition.

However, it was reported uh in the uh Gotham is on February 13th, uh 2026 that HUD denied NITR's requests for a waiver uh to issue uh new vouchers in January of 2026.

On what date did NYCHA submit the waiver request to HUD?

Thank you for your question, Councilmember.

So the transition of EHV households to the section eight program required multiple waivers.

Upon um announcement of the end early end of the EHV program, HUD issued guidance to PHA strongly encouraging them to transition the EHV households over into Section 8.

To do so, you needed a waiver to do that.

NYCHA complied with that process and received HUD approval to do so.

Shortly after that, HUD issued a notification projecting a funding shortfall in the Section 8 program at the end of 2025.

So in that projection, we were not able to issue any new vouchers or transfer any EHV households, but also in that status, NYCHA had waiver permission.

Okay.

So we exercise that second waiver permission in December 2025 because we wanted to continue with the plan to transition households over to Section 8 because we understand the stress of destabilizing the households.

Even though we submitted that waiver request, HUD denied it in January.

So we are responding in real time, turning over every ROC using every option available to continue rental assistance for these households, including partnering with City Hall and HPD to access the home TBRA program.

And when you submitted the waiver request, what information did you provide to HUD?

We made a compelling argument about the destable destabilizing effects of ending the federal funding, how we are the largest program, and how it could create or exacerbate the um homelessness issues in New York City.

But HUD did not feel the argument was compelling and they denied our waiver requests.

And what specific waiver did NYCHA provide in the waiver requests?

The second waiver?

I just want to make sure that clarified.

Yeah, it would be the second waiver.

So in the second waiver, we requested permission to continue the plans to transition the EHV households over into the Section 8 program in manageable batches so as not to overwhelm the Section 8 budget and continue to make use of the existing EHV funding that was available.

And when did HUD deny the waiver?

It was in early January of 2026.

And was uh the reported January 2026 denial a walk back from the initial approval given back in 2025?

It was um thank you for your your question and the opportunity to clarify.

The first waiver was granting us permission to transition the households over by adding them to the section eight wait list and giving them priority for the next available voucher.

Okay, and um who from HUD was responsible for the denial decision?

Um there, thank you for your question.

The waiver was handled by um HUD headquarters.

Okay, and obviously NYCHA received a formal denial a lot of yes.

And uh what was the basis of the denial?

The basis of the denial was that the section eight program was still in a shortfall status and we could not transfer the households.

Okay.

And what funding shortfall was the waiver intended to close, and what is the uh per household subsidy gap that prevented the transition?

The um thank you for your question.

The cost of the EHV program is 125 million dollars a year.

So in the original plan, we would transition them, let's say 200 to 300 families a month, and then allow the the existing EHV funding to just stretch out a little longer so that we have time to work it into the budget.

Okay.

So 2025.

Thank you for your question.

We needed to stop issuing the vouchers because of the plan to transition EHV households over into Section 8.

We did not have the budget to do both.

So we needed to do that, and we obtained HUD approval to do that.

Uh does NITRE have a plan on when it will issue the new Section 8 vouchers uh for the general waiting list?

Thank you for your question.

Um, we are continuing to monitor news out of um DC and what the funding looks like for the program.

So when we make a determination of when we will revisit the wait list, we will stay in communication and advise you.

Thank you.

NYCHA sent the EHV participants a letter directing them to uh complete a public housing application via the self-service uh portal by May first.

Uh the letter stated that NITRE was unable to offer a regular Section 8 housing choice voucher as it's originally planned to do because of the pro the program did not have enough funding.

The letter also stated that NITRE would begin offering NITRE EHV participants who have successfully completed the online uh NITRE public housing application and alternative subsidized housing option beginning in um May of 2026.

How many of the NITRE EHV households submitted uh public housing application by May 1st deadline?

Thank you for your question, council member.

Um, just bringing it more current.

Um, NYCH's response rate to um or the EHV's household's response to NYCHA's request, roughly 67% of the households have completed a public housing application.

Um I just want to re-emphasize again that that is a crucial first step, and we really could use the council support and just reiterating that households need to complete that public housing application.

Before we move forward, uh Brian's gonna be sworn in by the council.

Do you affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth before this committee and to respond honestly to council member questions?

Did you have somebody you wanted to add to that question?

Do you have something you wanted to add to that question?

Okay.

As of today, how many uh NYCHA EH voucher households have submitted an application?

Thank you for your question, Councilmember.

Um, do all of the outreach and the partnering with the service providers who receive regular updates and they're also reaching out to the households, the response rate is 67%.

And what's the raw number?

Uh it's about 3400.

Uh, how many EH uh V voucher households have been determined to be ineligible for public housing because they are not in good standing?

Thank you for your question, Councilmember.

To clarify, the requirement to be up to date with the recertification and inspection requirements is not solely applicable to public housing, it's just the overall eligibility for an alternative option.

So of the 3400 households who have responded, roughly 1,000 are out of compliance with their program requirements, and we will continue to perform outreach to those households so that they can become up to date.

So, on what basis uh are these households being found ineligible or lacking good standing?

Thank you for that clarifying question.

Um, so as part of the EHB participation, all households must recertify annually, letting us know what their current household composition and income is so that we can make sure that their tenant shares are calculated properly and report to HUD that update.

Additionally, they must allow their apartment to be inspected so that we can ensure that they are le living in decent safe conditions.

Does NYCHA have to amend the tenant section?

Um the assignment plan for this section nine to allow uh for the EHV voucher holders to transition into public housing.

Thank you, guess uh, Councilmember.

So, so right now we are focusing our efforts on uh PAC and Project A Section Eight.

The reason being um is uh number one, we have available units, but number two, it's a seamless transition.

They don't have they're going from one program that they're already part of to um there will also be section eight uh, you know, households.

It will be permanent housing for these folks too, which is really great.

Uh once they're in a PEC unit, once they're in a project based section eight unit, they we won't have to revisit this issue in one two years' time.

So that is really great uh for these folks.

Once we exhaust those, then we will we will have to revisit um section nine, uh, you know, the section nine question.

I know uh the previous committee was recent mentioned that NYCHA is considering relocating some of the uh EHV holders to the RADPAC sites.

Um does NYCHA have to amend the tenant section or assignment plan for those section eight to allow for that to happen.

No.

No, okay.

And um we knew that we know that there was an ABC report back on April of 2020 or April 24th and 2026 that NYCHA is accepting applications on a rolling basis uh through the summer.

Can you confirm uh if the May 1st deadline is is firm or rolling or clarify uh what this means for households household priority status?

Sure.

Um so first uh you would like to apologize for any confusion that may first um you know may have caused in the letter, um, but people who are uh participants currently can still apply.

We really we really encourage them to do so.

Um and as Lakeisha said, there are a few things that we really need people to do.

It's sort of like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.

You need to apply, you need to work with us to make sure that you're up to date on the requirements of the program you know we'll we'll uh you know work with you to get your recertification up to date to make sure that your you know your inspections are up to date and uh and then after that we will we can work with you to get you know clients you an apartment well I want to be clear this is not a lottery I'm sorry I don't want to be clear it's not a lottery yeah I know but I'm you know I'm just using that you'll have to the only way to be in it is right just wanna okay of the households that have been approved to enter the housing choice voucher program how many have been matched to units um thank you for your question council member to clarify the EHV households who have completed the public housing application and who are up to date with their program requirements we are matching them to available move and ready units within our packed and PVB portfolio to date since the the first tranche of applications were received for May 1st we've been able to match five hundred and sixty eight households to an available move and ready unit.

And uh what's what's the breakdown um of these units across NYCH's portfolio uh including like the bedroom sizes thank you for your question council member we can provide that after the hearing I don't have that specific level of detail available and of the households um that have been approved to enter the program how many remain to be matched um thank you for your question council member we're looking at roughly um 4,500 households who need to be matched to an alternative subsidized housing option.

Okay and of the EHV participants who have been matched uh to the alternative housing unit how many have actually moved in thank you for your question the um I am happy to report that the rental packages are starting to come in we've received um roughly ninety rental packages and to date we've been able to process approximately 14 transfers from the EHV program over into project based sectioning.

So process means placed in a unit can you for clarifying question yes so the the first thing that I want to c clarify is that we are not placing people.

We are matching them to available moving ready units that meet their household size so then how many residents are in a unit that have been moved into a unit there are approximately fourteen that have moved so far.

Fourteen yes would NYCHA commit to sharing uh well you did the you shared the moving uh figures which is fourteen um would you commit to doing it on a monthly basis leading up to the deadline thank you for your question progress that's being made yes so NYCHA is very committed because we are taking this early termination very seriously um we are doing matches to available movement will you commit to report to the committee yes yes that's a yes yes we will report out so we're gonna allow uh some of our other colleagues to uh ask some questions and then I'll come back to my line of questions.

I'm gonna allow the public advocate to go and then I'll allow council member Monte to go so uh public advocate you have the floor thank you so much I appreciate it uh 14 is an astounding number.

So it just it really caught me off of guard.

Um I just wanted to is there a reason why it's so low, just so I can understand and also I wanted to hear what HPD's number was.

And maybe I missed it.

Thank you for your um clarification question, council member.

Um the number is starting off low, right?

Because we just started to look at the applications that were coming in as of May 1st.

So we are really focused on matching households to a v move and ready available units within the packed and PBB portfolio.

That number will grow as we do additional matches and also as we partner with HPD to move over a portion of households to the home TBRA program.

So just so I understand that the issue is operational one, not uh availability of the program.

Is that right?

Um it it's it's a process, right?

You we match the households to the units.

So we started doing that early May.

There there's a process to meeting and going and viewing the unit, completing the rental package, submitting it for processing.

Okay.

So that there's a process flow associated with transitioning the EHV households.

Okay.

And for the HPD voucher holders, the transition from EHV to home TBRA, no households are moving, it's just a different voucher or coupon program.

Folks are not moving into other units, they're staying in their current units.

Okay.

Um and for both, how long do you think those programs would last?

That's a great question.

So we're projecting um with the home TBRA funds that will have about two years um of funding before we run out.

Like we mentioned in our testimony, this is a stop gap measure, it is a temporary measure, and it's we're advocating for more section eight funding on the federal level.

That is truly the long-term solution.

Here is additional section eight funding.

And for NYCHA.

Yes, thank you for your question.

So NYCHA is making use of its project-based vacancies.

That is a longer term solution.

Um, it's similar to the general section eight program where funding is renewed year over year.

So once we take care of transitioning households to project-based section eight, as Brian mentioned earlier, we won't have to revisit the stability of those households.

And yes, so also thank you, Brian.

The seventeen hundred households that we're estimating that we will be able to transition to the home TBRA program, yes, we will have to revisit, and as Adam mentioned, it requires continued you know, engagement with the federal government for funding.

Uh Mr.

Chair, may I get a uh a little bit more time?

You may have additional time.

Thank you.

Um just so I uh I wanna understand clearly, how many people f uh for from NYCHA's administration uh that NYCH is administering won't be able to get a voucher.

Thank you for your question.

It is NYCHA's goal to provide an alternative option to every single household.

We are working very closely with City Hall and HBD to implement an effective solution that addresses all households.

So if I can if I can understand, excuse me, HPD, um the your uh clients you think will have two years, um, and that's a hundred percent of the folks that you are dealing with now for the for the EHV.

And NYCHA, you think everybody will get a different program, and they won't have to worry about it at all after that.

We have so for HPD HPD's uh approximately two thousand EHV voucher holders.

Once they move on to TBRA, we're estimating about two years of uh until funding runs out.

We will be working with NYCHA to transition some of NYCHA's households over to HPD's home TBRA program, and it's a similar timeline, about two years we'll have until funding runs out with the folks who NYCH is transitioning over to our TBR home T program.

So everybody will have about two years.

Everybody on the home TV any everybody who is receiving home TBRA funding, it'll be about two years.

Okay.

If I may um clarify, council member, NYCHA is using a multiple sources, right?

To assist this EHV households due to the federal government's withdrawal of funding.

We are making use of available vouchers in our mainstream program.

We are utilizing the services of HRA who initially referred families to refer them back.

We are making use of project-based section eight units.

So those sources of funding have a more long term solution where you don't have to revisit in two years.

But the portion of NYCHA's EHV households that will transition over to the home TBRA program.

Their program will be time limited and how many is that we are estimating seventeen hundred households.

1700 might expire in um two years.

So that leaves if I did that math is that uh four thousand or three thousand that won't have to um they'll be should be fine.

No, roughly three thousand five hundred okay thank you.

My my last question I just and for me with NYCHA I know some of it is always funding.

I'm always concerned about the mismanagement.

So I just want to uh I did notice that um the the percentage of placements from DHSelter in NYCHA has really plummeted.

Um the vacancy rate in NYCHA is higher than the vacancy rate in the city.

So I just wanted to understand um what was happening can we raise the percentage of placements from folks in DHS uh children into NYCH housing and uh what's the issue why is the vacancy rate higher than what the vacancy rate is the rest of the city.

And I'll and I'll be done I thank you uh mr chair for the extra time.

So I think this is an issue that we've gone over uh with the council thanks so much uh council member I mean public advocates excuse me I've been called worse than the council yes I know and uh ac actually I've called you council member before too um so um a lot of a lot of folks uh focus on the sixty two hundred number which is the number of vacancies in the public housing portfolio the number I think that um I like to talk about more though is forty seven hundred those forty seven hundred families moved into public housing um you know because we were able to get those apartments move in ready lead free uh mold free and asbestos free uh we're doing more work on apartments uh than we ever did before in order to get them moving ready so it is not a sixty two hundred number that is just apartments that are stagnant every month we have hundreds of families who are moving in um but we also have a lot of transfers uh and we have a lot of people who are leaving the program so um so it is it is a is a universe that is fluid and the the the DHS part that's plummeted the DHS part I'm I I'm sorry I don't have the numbers in front of me but we will be happy to set up a a briefing for your office on on just on that particular and the vacancy issue as well.

Thank you.

Thank you for advocate uh now we'll move on to councilor uh this question is for NYCHA how many vacant moving ready apartments do you have currently within um thank you for your question within our packed and PBV portfolio um there are roughly seven hundred moving ready units we do anticipate that additional units will come online throughout the rest of the year.

And do you think by September when this program when this federal program ends there'll be enough ready move in units to absorb the people that are losing the voucher and that are under NYCHA's jurisdiction?

Thank you for your question.

NYCHA's funding just to clarify our funding runs out mid-November.

Okay.

So it gives us a little bit of extra time in November then.

Right but um to will we have enough project base or um units to place EHV households no we are working very closely with the city and HBD to implement you know additional resources toward that end.

And and this is what's frustrating I know the council uh both mostly the Progressive caucus and chair banks have been advocating to give you more money to fix vacant apartments but we are constantly given obstacles that there's no there's no reason why you guys need extra money.

And so I feel like there's a huge disconnect especially when we know there's a cliff coming in mid-November and we have to make sure that we have to get these units ready for this pop thousands of people to move in and NYCHA continues in this budget process to say we don't want more money from the council.

Can you give a comment on that talk about that a little bit so um thanks so much for the question council member I think they're two different there are two different issues right so the portfolio that Lakeisha is talking about is um the project based section eight uh portfolio the portfolio that we've been having conversations with uh the Progressive Caucus about is the Section 9 portfolio um I think we've had many productive conversations with you all we are grateful for every dollar that the council and the city gives us for the vacant unit readiness program um without it we would not have we would not be able to turn over as many apartments as we are and we are turning over hundreds of apartments every month um in order to do more we would have to we would have to hire more staff hiring more staff is a 25 year commitment um and so it is something to to keep in mind um and it's something that we will continue and we we we said this in our last meeting with the progressive caucus we'll continue to work with you we will continue to to you know find ways to to make this uh issue better but uh yeah that's what I'll say okay um as you know I'm not a fan of rat impact but right now there's a thousand seven hundred vacant units within that portfolio uh what's the timeline for those units to be uh move in ready thank you for your question we anticipate that those um units will become moving ready over the coming months throughout the end of the year I also want to clarify that you know it will vary from property to property right these these packed properties go into a three year construction period and so the move and ready state of those units it varies from property to property and we also have to consider that there are conditions at the property such as reasonable accommodations and domestic violence transfers that have to take place so we will continue working very closely with our PAC partners our PBB partners to make sure that we are utilizing all move and ready units that are available.

I just have quick two two more questions I'll say them all at once.

Okay.

Actually uh let me ask this question before the break um sorry I just lost my train of thought um can you break down how many vacant unit ready uh apartments there are in developments that have already gone through the rat impact transition compared to those that are still in the process thank you for your question we can provide that information following the the hearing okay and my last question for HPD you said 80% of the uh tenants have responded initially to to your request and your application to transfer what's the strategy for that the remaining 20% um has there been additional follow up do you have a plan whether it's working with the mayor's Office of Mass Engagement and other stakeholders to get to those folks yeah that's a great question so the um the 80% uptake that we've seen and response rate is related to how we sent out the applications so as not to overwhelm our existing HPD staff and to ensure that we could administer the transition smoothly we sent out um applications in batches of 500 beginning in March.

So the last batch of 500 went out um at the end of May early June and so there's a there's a chunk of of applications that are outstanding that we continue to come in at the same rate as those that we started to do in the first batches um we're we're going to continue to do outreach to tenants and landlords.

It's in all of our best interests that tenants understand uh as as easily as possible how the transition to home TBRA works.

It's in all of our best interests um so we do ask if if the city council can provide some assistance is to ensure that um tenants who are transitioning to home TBRA they fully understand that they have to send back an application and that the landlords where these tenants live are also required to fill out paperwork to send back to HPD.

But we're we're very we're very very um it's very positive that we've had this many respondents come back to us in this short amount of time thank you and thank you Chairbanks.

Thank you uh councilmember Monte uh we'll now move to uh council member P Sanchez thank you you can also say Sanchez one that's oh Sanchez one and before you so you proceed with your uh state questions we've been uh joined also by councilmember Julie Wong who's uh with us via uh virtually thank you thank you Chairbanks and a special shout out to you Chairbanks uh this was supposed to be a a shared uh joint hearing between HPD and and NYCHA uh committees but you to you tackled it so thank you so much really appreciate this important topic um so I my first question I just want to clarify and re if you could repeat the status of the 5700 households at NYCHA and the 2000 um households that HPD has in the EHV program so 100% of EHV uh recipients at HPD will be moving toward home TBRA correct that's correct okay and then at NYCHA you anticipate 1700 moving over to TBRA um do these households have to will they have to physically move or they will remain in place no these these households can remain in place it's a transition from one voucher program to another voucher program.

Excellent and so um for NYCHA so 1700 and TBRA um 568 households have been have I you've identified units for them within project based section eight uh properties correct and then 14 of those 568 have moved already yes okay and then within the public housing portfolio itself section nine no households have been uh identified have been matched to public housing units thank you for your question to clarify we are our priority focus is on the project base section eight right now once we have exhausted that the availability of units there then we will revisit the uh the um availability of utilizing section nine units okay so not yet just want to make sure it's zero right now today okay and then within within the pack portfolio have have any matches been identified at this time uh thank you for your question the 568 matches are primarily within the packed portfolio thank you okay so that is as of today and you said there's 4,500 households still unmatched and maybe if uh everything goes well for TBR which is a temporary measure we'll have we'll be around 3500 households on that thank you for your question yes that's that's the rough map yes okay okay thank you um so so moving on to sort of the the broader impact um actually this is also clarifying question you said uh 70% of NYCHA emergency housing voucher households were homeless prior to um being receiving a voucher or was that NYCHA?

Thank you for the clarifying question on the flow of questions we actually didn't get to answer so uh about 84% of the households referred to NYCHA's EHV program were either experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

Thank you and so with 84% of households with EH um may I Chairbanks may I continue you may I'm gonna pretend like I'm co-chairing for two more minutes.

Oh by that you have the floor thank you Chairbanks um so 84% of families uh or or of households with an EHV through NYCHA were formerly homeless 70% of households within HPD uh emergency house housing voucher uh how uh holders were homeless, correct?

Um, but I also heard believe I heard you testify that these households would not be qualifying for assistance within HRA DSS.

Is is that correct?

They would not uh qualify or not be considered for the city's vouchers.

So we're taking a look at all the available options for all of our EHV households.

Um from our perspective, HPD already has uh we already have funding with it within our disposal that is federal funding, and we're preferring to use those existing resources before tapping another city resource.

We also want to make sure that the transition process for the tenants goes as smoothly as possible.

So we're already holding up and supporting an EHV program, and by transitioning them to home TBRA, it is the same agency providing the same set of services and vouchers.

That makes sense for HPD, but on the NYCHA side, we have four between 3,500 and 4,500 families unaccounted for.

So why are we is NYCHA considering uh working with DSS uh and identifying the HEPS vouchers uh for these households?

Thank you for your question.

Um NYCHA is actively engaged in conversations with um City Hall and um HVD about available resources.

So that's a not yet.

Yeah, I you know I don't want to say something we are actively engaged in conversations, right?

We are like I said before, leaving no stone unturned.

So anything that comes available to us that we can utilize to stabilize these households, we will take advantage of it.

Okay.

And then can you just repeat for me that the average household income that we're talking about with EHV households?

Did you say 24,000 across the 7700 families or households that we're talking about here?

So that um thank you for your question.

For NYCHA's EHV households, the average household income is 22,500.

So the the averages are for our distinct populations.

And HPD?

For HPDA, the average household income is 19,500.

So these are these are the most vulnerable of our New Yorkers that we're talking about here.

Just you know, I I want I want to thank you, you know, for for attempting to think, you know, creatively and critically and speaking across the agencies to try to solve this problem, but we're effectively losing 125 million dollars from the federal government overnight to house some of our most vulnerable households.

And I know that you know this this council is throwing a lot at the administration in terms of ideas for how to do more.

We we want to help you're saying you don't need us or you don't want what we're we're we're bringing to the party, but we want more resources for NYCHA to speed up uh the vacant um, you know, to to speed up the amount of turnover, uh, in in the you know, the the units that are vacant at NYCHA.

We want more vouchers for for households across the city through the city FEPS program.

We really are in this council, we have a critical mass of members who are you know, specifically focused on the lowest income New Yorkers, and so you know, just I I want to recognize that it is the federal government that is doing this to us, and we have to continue to fight them, but at the same time, you know, this is 125 million dollars that we had to house the most vulnerable New Yorkers that we no longer have today, and you know, we we have to figure uh figure that out.

Um I have one more l uh last cla clarifying question, Brian.

You said with respect to our rentals within reach campaign and turning over units faster that hiring staff is a 25 year commitment.

What did you mean by that?

So when you I mean when you hire somebody, you figure they're gonna often you know you have to you have to uh think that they're going to stay at least until they retire, right?

So you have to plan to pay that person um you know for 25 years.

So one year commitment of additional funding if we're going to hire people, because we do most of the work for turnover with in-house staff, you have to make sure that you have enough money to pay that person.

Otherwise, you end up in, you know, two, three, four years from now if that money doesn't exist, then you can no longer sustain, you know, the same level of staffing.

So that is a concern.

And and I I just want to clarify, we will never say we don't want your money, we don't need your money.

If you guys are offering money, we we're we're always we're always open to it.

Uh so I just don't want it to be characterized that way.

Uh, did you hear that everybody?

We are in no position to say we don't want your money.

So uh thank you, Brian.

And look, understood, I you you know my mom still lives in NYCHA, and you you know, there are there are so many folks who are waiting six months, nine months, ten months to get painting in their apartment to have plumbing fixed.

You need the labor, whether it's about the turnover or it's about uh the maintenance of the existing units, NYCHA needs the labor.

So please work with us on this.

We're fighting for you.

You have so many members, probably a majority of the city council who is behind this as a priority in this budget.

Let us help you keep having the conversations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair, uh, for the time.

I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Uh now we'll move to uh Councilmember Julie Wong who's with us via virtual councilmember Wong?

She has some questions.

Okay, I'll resend that and uh I'll now move forward with my line of questions or continue with my line of questions.

Thank you to my colleagues.

Uh going back to uh the uh early questions, particularly for NYCHA, how much time does a EHV voucher participant have to accept the alternative housing uh offer?

Once the offer is made, how much time do they have to accept the offer?

Uh council member, thank you for the question.

Once they receive the unit match letter notification from either the PAC partner or the project-based property management team, they have 15 days to schedule a viewing to see that unit in person.

Fifteen days.

Once they have viewed the unit, they have 24 hours to accept or reject that unit.

And thus far, with the 14 or so, uh, how many applicants have not passed the HQS inspection?

Um the units that we're offering in the project-based units are move and ready.

Okay.

So the PAC partners and PVV property management teams are letting us know that those are units that are ready to pass HQS.

Does does NYCHA have enough units readily available to transfer the 5,002 EHV households to its portfolio?

NYCHA.

Thank you for your question.

Um we are working very hard in taking this issue very seriously.

Seriously, so we do not have to say we do not have 5,200 units available.

Okay.

So how many units will NYCHA need to turn over before a complete transfer of all eligible household how eligible households is possible?

Thank you for your question to transition all EHV households, we would require rough math, um, an additional 3500 units.

We have to do it more math, but yes.

So it's we have 5100 households, right?

1700 are anticipated to go to home TBRA.

So the balance of that, yeah.

So the balance of that would require a project-based section 8 unit, or another resource.

At the um September 29th, 2025 hearing, NYCHA testified that it estimated it would take a year and a half to facilitate the EHV to Section 8 transition.

Uh how long does NYCHA now estimate it will take for its current transition strategy to be completed?

Thank you for your question.

Um, with the early termination of this this valuable federal resource, we are acting with a sense of urgency.

So as rental packages are coming in, we are processing those rentals.

As we have move and ready units, we are matching households to those units.

So we are acting quickly and with a sense of urgency.

And and you said before that it was fourteen um uh where they've been placed in units already.

Yes.

And you're acting with a sense of urgency.

Those are the the packages that are coming in.

So that um just to clarify, we are doing the matches.

Melissa described what that process is like with the interview and the decisions that are made.

We have to receive the rental package completing that process.

And once it is received we are processing them.

So what's the what's the time frame thus far?

Thus far is it's been roughly a week but we can follow up with more firm information after the hearing.

A week that's um for the current EVH households is it possible to convert a lease and subsidy in place?

I'm sorry, can you repeat that question?

For current EHV households is it possible to convert a lease and subsidy in place?

Thank you for your question.

So the to convert a lease for an EHV household in place you require funding to do so.

NYCHA has matched um households to mainstream vouchers that would allow them to convert in place.

We've done that for the 45 mainstream vouchers that we had in place.

Um the partnership with HPD with the roughly seventeen hundred households will allow them to lease in place as well and the small batch that we were able to transition back to HRA will allow them to lease in place.

So how many of these in place transit transitions have occurred and through what program thank you for your question.

To date we've been able to transition roughly 75 households to a mainstream voucher and HRA assistance and that will allow them to remain in place.

Sorry for approximately uh 1,200 NYCH EVA EHVs well allocated to the domestic violence survivors can you describe the resources available uh to the EHV holders with disabilities or who are for fleeing domestic violence um uh dating violence sexual assault stalking or human trafficking to seek alternative housing options thank you for your question um NYCHA is making use of all available housing options within this portfolio as the EHV households complete the public housing application we are matching them to the um units that suit their needs um we are also working with the service providers such as New Destiny and DYCD and others who are also working with the families on what their needs are so as we match them to units if we need to rematch them due to safety concerns NYCHA is working with its partners to troubleshoot those cases okay and how are you ensuring that the VAWA confidentiality and safety screenings are built into the placement um process so that a survivor is not off of the unit and a a development near abuser or location compromise by for the I appreciate that will compromise their safety.

Yeah I appreciate your question um council member we are when we're doing the matching if a household that meets that criteria contacts us and lets us know that the unit they are matched to poses a safety concern we will rematch them and we will get additional detail to make sure that we match them to a suitable placement.

Okay and what steps would a applicant need to take uh who is not up to date on um their annual certification or annual inspection so that they can uh receive the alternative housing option thank you for your question um any EHV household who has been notified that they are not up to date with their program requirements um will need to complete their annual recertification either via paper and return it to our office, or they can go online to the self service portal to um complete their annual recertification.

If their inspection is out of date, we will work with them to schedule the inspection and get it completed.

All of our outreach efforts include reminders, whether it's through the early termination of the EHV program or through normal program administration, we do outreach to those households.

Okay.

And at the uh September 29th, uh, two twenty five we had a hearing.

NYCHA testified that there should be no rental assistance evictions.

Will NYCHA again commit that a no eligible NYCHA EHV household will be evicted due to the w window of the V E VH program.

And um, yeah, you answer that question first.

Can we get a commitment?

Um thanks so much, Councilmember.

Um so I think we were in a very different world in September um, you know, when when we testified at that time at that time um we were looking to transition everyone into our regular uh section eight program because we have the ability to do so.

Um, but when um HUD put NYCHA and hundreds of other housing authorities throughout the country into shortfall, um that all shifted.

Um so um so those households would have had the protections.

Um, that's it.

There will be no evictions.

So when we when we uh for families who will be able to be placed um in one of the programs that we're offering, um, you know, those those families are.

You commit that you will not evict any tenants that are it won't be it won't be uh it won't be on us, the victim tenants.

So they're so the way this program works, they are not we're not their landlord, right?

So they you know they are they we're given these vouchers and they go into the private market.

Recording in progress.

They go into the private market and it they have they have landlord, they have separate relationships with their landlords.

So then can you give us an estimate of how many households since there's no commitment?

Sure.

Can you give us an estimate of how many households will be displaced?

No.

Because they you know, we really don't know.

Um our commitment is to offer um a housing option to these families, but to prevent someone from being homeless.

Correct.

So now we're gonna actually I'm gonna move two questions directly to a HPD um pertaining to their particular vouchers.

HPD has indicated that the EHV uh participants should expect the home TBRA uh application package by June of 2026 or earlier.

As of today, how many HPD, EHV households have been issued pre-filled home TBR uh applications?

So approximately eighty percent of the current EHV voucher holders in HPD's program, or sorry, a hundred percent, a hundred percent of the EHV voucher holders have received pre-filled applications to transition to home TBRA.

So a hundred percent have gone out and about eighty percent have come back to us already.

And how many of the EHV uh households have returned the applications?

Um and how many have been approved?

Sorry, can you repeat that?

How many EHV households have been returned to applicants?

Um sorry, how many applicants have applications have been returned and um to you and uh how how many have been approved?

How many have you approved?

Um so at this point, around 80% of the applications have come in.

We front loaded the process to make sure that we have the workload ready for us.

So about 60% of the applications are in process right now.

Okay.

And how many of the uh EHV households were not issued applications due to any ineligibility or lack of goodstanding?

Sure.

Um, thank you for that question.

There's about a small number of households that moved outside of New York City.

So about 20 households that moved outside of New York City, and they are not going to be eligible for the home T VRA program that we're administering.

And on what basis were they?

Because we need they because they're using their voucher in another jurisdiction outside of New York City, we can't offer them the home TRA program within New York City.

And how many of the EHV households were not yet assessed for eligibility?

Uh at this point we are just starting the process.

So we have that 60% that we're starting to work through.

So they're in various different stages of review.

Um I know NYCHA gave their numbers as far as how many have been placed in units.

Can you give your number of how many have been placed in units?

Uh right now, people have just have an option to either stay in their unit or they can choose to use their coupon and look in the market.

Uh at this point we've had one household leased up, but it is just because we are working through the process.

We again we started by getting the applications out in front and are now at a quiet pace moving through every of our applications.

And households will not be required to move, they will be able to stay in place if they choose so.

This could be one minute, please.

Sure.

Councilmember Sanchez.

Thank you, Chair.

Just uh while they sort that out, I just wanted to ask an unrelated question um regarding the agency's landlord outreach, uh HPD and NYCHA.

Have you all sent notices to landlords in the AHV program?

Because we're hearing that folks are not aware.

Yeah, so we've we've done extensive outreach starting in February 2026 to tenants and landlords and property owners.

Um we have a webinar that's up on our website that landlords and tenants can view, and we also have frequently asked questions.

We also encourage landlords and tenants to reach out to HPD directly, either by phone, by email, coming to 100 Gold Street.

We are more than happy to continue um to help folks transition through the process from EHV to home TBRA.

So, sorry, just to clarify on the HPD side, you have sent letters emails?

That's correct.

Thank you.

And on the NYCHA side?

Yes, thank you for your um question.

NYCHA has also sent um letters and emails to its landlords who are impacted by the early termination of this program.

Okay, and starting on a similar timeline since February?

Yes, we actually sent it in March.

Okay.

And do you do you all each agency have confirmation that folks have received this information?

Um, willing to engage in TBR efforts?

Email holding response rate.

We could follow up after the hearing.

Yeah, we can follow up, but by the virtue of receiving eighty percent of our EHV h EHV voucher holder applications back.

Um I think just about everybody's.

We are, yeah, and there's another part of the the application is for the tenant side and the owners, we're also getting some their side of the paperwork starting to come in at a good flip.

Okay great.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Chair.

No, thank you.

We're gonna move on on the questioning uh, and we're gonna go to the uh home ARP relocation.

Um at the committee's hearing held back in September, NYCHA testified that it had been uh coordinating with HPD, um effectuating the EHV transition, noting that both agencies had different budget constraints.

Uh the can you describe your agencies how the agencies have been coordinating and collaborating in the months since the hearing to continue transitioning uh EHV uh participants at the different respective agencies?

Yeah, so we've been meeting regularly, HPD, NYCHA, and other city agencies that will be impacted by the early termination of EHV.

We're working with City Hall to to ensure that every household can stay um stably housed.

What was the rest of the question?

Sorry, can you repeat the beginning of the question?

No, I said at the last hearing you had testified that you had been coordinating with APO.

Oh, NYCHA's been coordinating with HPD and effectuated in the uh EHV transition, noting that both agencies had some budget constraints.

Yes, the budget part.

So probably the most important part.

Right.

Um, so there's existing home ARP money that had been reallocated to HPD in order to support the transition of some of NYCH's EHV voucher holders over to home TBRA.

This was a creative solution that we worked together with our partner agencies and with City Hall to ensure we can uh uh keep additional households uh in place.

In place, okay.

Um HPD's uh March 19, 2026, uh substantial uh amendment two relocates closer 35 million in home ARP funds from NYCHA to a new home TBRA program after NYCHA said it could not use the funds uh to provide direct assistance.

Uh HPD plans to use these funds to provide housing for EHV voucher holders in their portfolio.

Uh when did NYCHA notify HPD that NYCHA cannot use the 35 million um in home ARP funds?

Um thank you for your question.

I will that our finance team is not here to provide that level of clarity, so we can follow up after the hearing.

Okay, so we'll get you those five.

We have a list of those finance questions, so hopefully we'll you can answer those, submit them through writing.

Um I'm almost coming to the end of my questions uh when it comes to the budget and the city FEPS.

Um uh what is the administration's position on making EH uh V households eligible for City FEPS?

Our position is to use all of the available resources that we have already and use those to transition EHV households to home TBRA.

HPD is already holding up an EHV program, and by administering a new home TBRA program within the same agency, it's less of an administrative burden and it's a more efficient use of resources to transition folks from an HPD EHV program into an HPD administered home TBRA program.

And for the record, what other avenue uh avenues um are NYCHA and HPD considering?

So we're continuing to work together to identify all of the available resources that we have at our disposal.

I do want to point out that this is truly a federal problem that was created.

If we continue to advocate for additional section section 8 funding, that would solve a lot of the problems here.

We have to continue to advocate for additional funding from the federal government.

We're continuing to create to come up with creative stopgap solutions, but it's no panacea for a larger federal solution for a longer term uh solution to this problem.

Alright, and my last question, and we'll go to public testimony, uh state assistance, uh any continued talks with the state uh to uh get assistance.

Every like I said before, every option is on the table.

We're trying to run down every available resource to ensure we can keep folks stably housed.

Again, a state resource, a city resource, also all really great, but it cannot supplant the federal government's responsibility here.

Okay, alright.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimonies.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, I'm gonna open the hearing up for public testimony on today's oversight topic and legislation.

Uh I remind members of the public that this is a government proceeding and decorum shall be observed at all times.

As such, members of the public shall remain silent at all times.

This uh the witness table is reserved for people who wish to testify.

No video recording or photography is allowed uh from the witness table.

Members of the public may not uh present or may not present audio or video recordings uh as testimony, but may submit transcripts of each recordings uh to the charge of arms for inclusion into the hearing record.

If you wish to speak at today's uh hearing, please uh fill out an appearance card with charge of arms and uh you be recognized.

Uh when recognized you have two minutes to speak on today's hearing topic, uh, vacancies and transfers.

Sorry about that.

And um on the two bills that we are hearing today.

And if you wish to submit a written uh statement on additional written testimony for record, please give a copy to the charge of arms.

You may also email written testimony uh to the council and uh testimony at Council NYC.gov within seventy-two hours of this hearing.

Audio and video recordings will be accepted.

And now we're gonna call up the first panel.

We have uh Joe Weston West McCartney, uh Marlene Curtis, Jolia Breno, and telephilio Brody.

Maureen Curtis, that's you.

Wesmacott, uh Jolia Breno, um in telephilo, uh Jimmy Magnar, and Princess Thomas.

Uh Jade Vasquez, uh Ms.

Vasquez, you may begin first.

And everybody else will proceed.

You may begin your testimony.

Good morning, Chair Banks and members of the public housing committee.

My name is Jade Vasquez, director of policy and research at WIN, the city's largest provider of shelter and supportive housing uh for families with children.

Today, as our city faces its worst affordability crisis, approximately one hundred thousand New Yorkers, including thirty-one thousand children, are living in New York City shelters.

As federal cuts threaten vital social safety nets, including the elimination of emergency housing vouchers.

New York City must lead the nation by expanding, not diminishing, local programs and initiatives that serve struggling New Yorkers experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness.

Established in 2021 via the American Rescue Plan, the EHP program has provided vital rental assistance to 50,000 fifty-nine thousand households across the country who are experiencing homelessness, facing eviction, or fleeing domestic violence and human trafficking.

Although the program was originally funded through 2030, the Trump administration's cruel decision to exhaust funding for the EHP program means thousands of families are at risk of losing their homes, including more than 5,000 New York City households.

This looming disaster will hit every single borough.

Twenty-four hundred families in the Bronx, 1,200 families in Brooklyn, 900 families in Queens, 500 in Manhattan, and nearly 200 in Staten Island.

All are at risk of losing their homes.

Unfortunately, we cannot solely rely on the state to fix this problem.

As a new housing access voucher program, only has enough funding for 1,000 vouchers, and worse, those vouchers are restricted strictly to individuals already living inside shelters.

This means EHV recipients must survive the trauma of eviction and homelessness before they can even qualify for help.

While WIN has led statewide advocacy efforts to change ATVP's uh eligibility requirements and support resolution zero four nine five, the state's failure to amend the HVP law means our city government must step up by fully implementing the 2023 City FEPS expansion laws.

Smith.

Thank you.

We're running a strict strike, strike, strike time.

I will submit written testimony.

Thank you for your testimony.

It is you may begin your testimony.

Sorry, I turned to a fact generally.

It's alright.

Um, good morning.

Uh my name is Maureen Curtis.

I'm the vice president of the criminal justice programs at Safe Horizon.

Safe Horizon is the largest victim services agency in the country.

Um, and thank you so much for this um hearing.

Um, we Safe Horizon helped over almost a thousand survivors of domestic violence and homeless runaway youth, obtain vouchers um through this program.

And I can't say enough about how important this is that the city expand the city FEPS program for the survivors and others who are in need.

Safe, stable, supportive housing has been and continues to be the number one need of survivors.

We work with clients to see if they qualify for any housing resources, and we um for the survivors who were able to help with HVV receiving this voucher, literally changed their lives.

They were able to find safety and sleep well at night, sometimes for the first time in years.

Many have been able to put down roots, build community, build family, ensure stability for their children, go to school and find employment.

So much of what you heard from survivors earlier.

This is crushing what is happening.

Homelessness is a trauma, domestic violence is a trauma, and cycling it out of homelessness is re-traumatizing.

We are we will be forcing survivors to make choices that they should not have to make.

Some of them will be maybe come homeless again, and some of them may choose to go back to the person who was hurting them.

Um I can't say enough about how important it is that we really do something.

Um we are still facing the repercussions of the ending of the advantage program back in 15 years ago, and it made it still makes it very difficult for our clients to find housing with a voucher or with a subsidy.

Our clients need city FEPS so that they now have the option.

So please, please do what we we need as a city to do what we can to come up with this money.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may begin.

Hello, thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'm not gonna have time to get to everything, but I will submit their uh email testimony.

Um, my name is Joe Westmacott.

I work at Safe Horizon Street Work Project, one of the largest homeless youth service programs in the city, and our number one request is to offer every EHV household, every nice EHV household a City FEPS voucher option, um, so that they have the option of staying in place.

Most of our clients who are homeless youth, this is their first opportunity to access stable housing in their life.

They've worked very hard to build their housing and community in place.

This disruption, even the we're worried that they will not have another housing option.

The numbers don't match up for NYCHA to be able to offer almost all the homeless youth households are single individuals, which means that they would only be eligible for a studio apartment.

NYCHA famously does not have studio apartments.

Um, also homeless youth because they have historically been excluded from all city housing resources, including not being eligible for city fabs vouchers, including, despite the fact that the city council has thank you twice passed legislation to give homeless youth access to city fabs vouchers.

Three mayors, including the mayor, this current mayor have refused to implement that legislation, meaning that our clients have no other housing options.

They are significantly higher risk to return to homelessness.

Some already are because landlords know this how this program is ending for our clients whose leases are already up, they're not being renewed.

We've already had clients return to shelter and homelessness because of this.

So this is an urgent issue, and we are desperately asking to give our clients a city Club's voucher option so that they can remain in place, not have to be disrupted and uprooted, and return to the transients in trauma and instability of homelessness, or to even in the best case scenario, being uprooted from the homes that they've worked very hard to build for the first time in their lives.

And I'll submit um written testimony as well.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may begin your testimony.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jimmy Maher, also at Safe Horizon.

I'm gonna read one of our clients' testimonies.

Um my name is Dr.

Quasier Brown, and I am an EHV voucher holder.

Before receiving my voucher, I experienced homelessness and spent time in the shelter system multiple times.

I also have a history with ACS and know firsthand what it feels like to live without stability, certainty, or a place to truly call home.

For many people, housing is something they take for granted.

For me, housing changed the entire trajectory of my life.

Because of EHV, I've been able to remain stably housed for nearly five years.

During that time, I was able to focus on rebuilding my life instead of simply trying to survive.

I maintained employment, pursued higher education, improved my health, and worked towards creating a future that once felt impossible.

I earned my bachelor's degree and later returned to school to pursue a career in health care.

Tomorrow, today, why she's not here.

I have an interview for a radiology program that will bring me one step closer to achieving that goal.

Opportunities like this are only possible because I have stable housing.

When you don't know where you're going to sleep, it is difficult to focus on school, work, medical appointments, or long-term goals.

Housing is the foundation that allows people to succeed.

EHV gave me that foundation.

For years I have done everything that society asks of people who have experienced homelessness.

I worked hard, stayed out of the shelter system, remained responsible, and continued moving forward.

The stability provided by EHV helped me become independent and self-sufficient.

The possibility of losing this support is frightening.

Many of us built our lives around the understanding that this program was intended to provide long-term housing stability.

We are not asking for luxury.

We're asking for the opportunity to continue living, working, learning, and contributing to our communities without the constant fear of losing our homes.

I am living proof that housing assistance works.

EHV did not create dependency in my life.

It created opportunity.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may begin your own.

Okay, good morning.

My name good afternoon.

My name is Princess Thomas.

I am urgently asking for help because my family is facing how a housing crisis due to the ending of the EHV program.

And despite exhausting every possible option, I am being left without a path to remain house.

I am a survivor of domestic violence, and obtaining this apartment gave me and my children something we desperately needed after trauma.

Safety, peace, and stability.

This home has been the foundation that allowed to rebuild our lives.

I've current I currently receive Social Security disability due to heart failure and the overwhelming stress of knowing how I will continue to pay my rent, has taken a serious toll, both my physical and emotional health.

My son has an IEP since he first started school, and he is finally making meaningful progress because of the incredible support he receives through his school and the community we have built around us.

Relocating will disrupt the progress and take away the stability he depends on.

I have done everything I was told to do in order to find housing assistance.

I have contacted HRA, HUD, NYCHA, HPD, I apply for FEFS, even apply for public housing assistant, hoping it would help me qualify for another voucher.

Instead, I have been denied assistance because I told my income is too high.

Even though I cannot realistically afford my rent on my own, what is even more concerning is that I am seeing a different treatment of families depending on which housing authority is issued their vouchers.

I understand HPD is transitioning some EHV voucher holders to tenant-based rental programs, vouchers.

Meanwhile, NYCHA voucher holders like myself are being told to fill out public housing applications instead of being offered similar rental assistance that would allow us to stay in our current apartments.

I do not understand why families facing the same crisis are being treatedly differ treated differently dependent on which agency manage their voucher.

I'm respectfully asking the council to look into this issue and ensure NYCHA EHV family received the same opportunity for continued wrestling rental assistance.

Thank you.

Thank you all for your testimony.

Thank you.

We will now have uh Cece Cramer.

Uh Brandon Chaney.

Robert Desiree.

This sir.

And Alison Weekly.

Thank you.

Started to my right.

You may begin your testimony.

Good afternoon, and um thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'm Robert Desier.

I'm a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society.

Um we are submitting written testimony along with the coalition for the homeless, and we'll submit that in due course.

So I'm here regarding the impending termination of the EHV program.

This program established through the American Rescue Plan Act, provides rental assistance to some of New York City's most vulnerable residents, including people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, youth aging out of foster care, and people living with disabilities.

Through a collaboration with HRA and NYCHA, the legal aid society helped nearly 200 clients and former clients obtain EHVs.

When we learned of the availability of the EHV, we saw it as a unique opportunity to help a lot of the clients that we have that are facing eviction, and we wanted to ensure that we took advantage of this opportunity, but also um demonstrated that there was a significant need um in um getting all these um vouchers to lease up in hopes that um that would encourage the um the the powers providing these vouchers to continue to do so um so many of these people were long-term tenants um they couldn't afford their apartments any the their rents anymore um and they were largely people who um became disabled and lost their ability to work so um although the program was expir expected to last till 2030 um you know HUD obviously announced that the funds were exhausted and um they would end the program by the end of this year.

Um and we know that there were over seven thousand vouchers that were issued in New York um to people with um average incomes of just over eighteen thousand dollars um a year.

So um the effect is going to be devastating upon these people.

Um if I could just um wrap up.

Sorry.

Thirty seconds.

Sure.

Um so we're concerned about the 25% of um NYCHA's EHV participants that are assisted under exception payment standard uh under the exception payment standard and have rents that are higher than would um normally be allowed um in the normal cost of the program.

So we think that they're particularly vulnerable because of their high rents, and we want to ensure that they um assistance that they receive will allow them to continue in their apartments in um these areas of opportunity that um they've identified.

Um so we want the um we want NYCHA to increase their outreach to um the households.

Um, from what we've learned.

Um, there have been issues accessing the portal and um completing their um applications to do um the trans to complete the transitions that are available.

So um we want to ensure that people are not um left behind and um victims of um kind of bureaucratic um deficiencies.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may begin yours.

Good afternoon.

My name is Brendan Cheney.

I'm the director of policy and Operations at the New York Housing Conference.

Uh, thank you, Chairbanks, for holding this hearing, and thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I've submitted written testimony, but in the interest of time, I'll summarize here.

Um we are very concerned about the status of the 5100 households that receive the HVs through NYCHA.

Um, we understand that the state and city did not create this problem, uh, that the problem was created through the federal government cutting this funding abruptly.

Uh, and we appreciate that the state and city are working to try and find solutions.

But I think it's clear from this hearing from we heard earlier today that I think those options are not necessarily appropriate for all the households, and there's clearly not enough of the um pact and project-based section eight and then public housing options for all the households.

And so we really need NYCHA and the city to uh look into to use City FEPS and HAVP to support these households that are not going to get supported through the programs they're they're currently looking at and to do that urgently.

Um so I will say we strongly support the resolution calling on the state legislature to pass and the governor to sign uh the legislation that would ensure families are eligible.

The HAVE families are eligible for HAVP, and um we encourage the city to extend City FEPS eligibility to NYCHA EHV families and to fund it in the 2027 budget.

Um, you know, while the city's made some progress in aiding EHV households, it is imperative that solutions protect and keep all EHV households stably housed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You give it back 18 minutes, eighteen seconds.

All right, you may begin with your testimony.

Uh thank you, Chairbanks.

My name is Alison Wilkie, and I'm the director of government affairs and strategic campaigns with the coalition for the homeless.

Um we just recently released our state of the homeless uh 2025 report, and what we found with our analysis is that under the four years of Mayor Adams' administration, homelessness among longer term New Yorkers increased by 27%.

That's over 12,000 households.

It is very clear that we need to chart a new course on homelessness, and that's a function of two things: helping people who are currently in shelter get out of shelter, but it is also preventing people from coming into shelter.

And based on the testimony we heard today, there isn't a plan for 3,500 households who have EHV vouchers.

We cannot just leave these households to go back into shelter.

That is devastating.

That is devastating for the survivors of trauma.

That is devastating for the runaway and homeless youth, who, if they go back into youth homeless shelters, will not have access to any vouchers.

It is devastating for these thousands of households who have finally found stability and been able to move on and find success in their lives to suddenly have them face, facing the choice of having to leave their homes, having to go back into shelter.

These are vulnerable households, people with disabilities who do not have other options.

So leaving these thousands of New Yorkers with no other choice is not only wrong, it's really irresponsible of the city and the state.

And we absolutely support resolution 495.

We fought to get the HAVP eligibility changed, and we fought this year to try and get more money into the HAV program.

The state failed to act.

We will, you know, continue that fight, but the city needs to step up, and we need to make sure that we expand City FEPS and put at least 500 million dollars in the budget this year for City FEPS, and then make sure that we make those city fs vouchers available to folks who have EHV vouchers right now.

Thank you.

We have testimony.

You may begin.

You could press the button.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Um good afternoon, Chairperson, members of the committee on public housing.

My name is Cece Crome.

I'm a victim of domestic violence, a person living with sickle cell anemia, and um the related complications, and a working mother and a working New Yorker.

Today I asked you to consider what happens to families like mine.

Um there's so much uncertainty around what's going on.

Stable housing is a foundation that allows me to remain safe, healthy, employed, and staying active in my community.

I currently work for a nonprofit organization and also serve as a dual apprenticeship in the New York City Doula Initiative.

I'm helping support mothers and families through some of the most difficult times of their life.

I'm also a proud mother of a straight A New York City student, like thousands of working New Yorkers with housing assistants.

I'm trying to do despite everything that's happening in my life to contribute to society.

I want to share something personal.

My sickle cell diagnosis and my experience as a domestic violence survivor is not something that I discuss openly.

I'm a private person and I do not want to be defined as a victim.

Since receiving information suggesting that my housing assistants may not follow through, I searched for alternative housing resources.

I reached out to several multiple city organizations.

But because I currently have a voucher, I'm repeatedly being told that first I have to lose my apartment and go to a shelter.

So my question is: what happens to families like mine?

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimonies.

We're now going to move to our next panel.

Anna Love.

McKay.

Maggie.

Sorry about that, Elizabeth.

Thank you.

We'll begin with uh we'll begin with Ms.

Anna Love.

And also, too.

Sorry about that.

We also uh Maria Thomas or Tamayo.

It's Thomas, okay.

You can yes, we have two seats, yes.

Thank you.

All right.

To my right, you may begin.

But your testimony.

Chair Banks, thank you for this opportunity to present testimony on navigating the transition away from EHVs.

My name is Anna Left, and I am the Associate Director for Housing Policy and Advocacy at New York Legal Assistance Group.

I also lead our public housing justice project.

My testimony is focused on two groups of EHV recipients in particular, domestic violence survivors and individuals who experience frequent hospitalization.

NILAG strongly urges a more holistic, interactive approach for these groups.

This is a mammoth undertaking and a valiant effort by New York City, but currently NYCHA's approach to transitioning folks off of EHVs is on a first come, first served basis, and this approach does not work for these groups.

When you submit your application, determines what you get.

A unit in Project B Section 8 or PACT, maybe in the future, a voucher, etc.

For those being shown units, they get to refuse one.

They don't get to say a project-based unit won't work for me.

I want to wait for a voucher.

These two groups need to be given the option of greater flexibility, whether it's because they need to live very close to their health care providers or because they need a tenant-based approach so that they can move quickly for safety reasons.

To accomplish this, the city and NYCHA must engage in an interactive process for these people for people refer to the EHV program for these reasons, expand City FEPs and HAVB with eligibility carve-outs for these groups, expand home TVRA, and commit to greater transparency and public materials so that CBOs and legal service providers can fully advise clients.

Thank you for this opportunity.

I'll also submit written testimonies.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

You may begin your testimony.

Good morning.

My name is Maria Thomas.

I am a NYCHA resident, a NYCHA employee, a college graduate student, two classes away from graduating Com Laude.

I am with my master's degree.

I am also a DV survivor and I experienced homelessness in the past.

After exposing some situations that are were happening in my department, I have been experiencing retaliation.

But rather than quietly living, I have chosen to document and share what I believe are important gaps in the system.

If someone with my level of education, professional experience and knowledge of government processes can find herself in this position, imagine how a single parent with fewer resources feels when facing the same barriers.

In many ways I have become my own research study.

I'm not seeking sympathy.

I am seeking accountability transparency and meaningful reform of NYCHA.

I continue to believe I'm a valuable asset to NYCHA, the company I serve and I live in my hope is not to leave but for NYCHA to work with me and with other single parents to avoid um to identify solutions to the problems I have encountering NYCHA also I am here by myself today but I represent a group of single parents that were higher on their section three NYSHA and lost their jobs on um in unfair situations but they are afraid to speak or they're at work right now or they're looking for employments because they lost their jobs thanks to NYSHA perpetrating disparities on us residents regardless of our level of education thank you.

Thank you for your testimony you may begin good afternoon.

Press the button yeah hello yes we can hear you good afternoon everyone um my name is Elizabeth and I'm with several organizations local New York Safety Act people with live experience um so I used to be in a shelter um three years ago and I have the city fabs voucher I used to work with the city um under administration as children's services for 29 years and I used to also teach for seven years and I experienced being homeless but I did have a shelter over my head so I thank God but during that transition of me going through what I went through I did receive within one month one month thank God two vouchers City Fed voucher and the emergency housing voucher but I chose the city fed voucher thank god because I would have been in this the predicament what we're going through now right so we know that we're in a housing crisis and housing crisis can be resolved we know that when this president came in he started taking away all certain housing um assistant programs that affects black and brown communities which now is affecting our communities nationwide so this is just not a city thing it's not a state thing is a national thing but because we live in the richest city of New York we need to do something about it right so we need to expand city fs we need to also put more funding money in the HAVP which we've been going up to Albany asking our governor to put in it unfortunately under her budget she failed to do so here we are now in 2026 we're going through this been going on for several months looking and hearing what um NYCHA was saying they answers need to be fully investigated because city and they hearings um continue being lies after lies but I'm no judge so I can't sit here and judge but I can listen to hear what they're saying all I'm saying, we live in uh a city that no one should be homeless, but we need to do something for our people, because no one, too many people.

If y'all don't do something about it, too many people is going to be overflowing these shelter systems and all the streets, and our families don't need to be in the street during the times that we live in.

We're already having a shelter issue, we already have the housing issue, we're already having a food issue, we got too many issues, and they need to be resolved.

And the city council, we need to stick together, and we need to tell our mayor Madani to put more money and funding our city expansion and do what he has to do, and then we need to tell our governor, Holko, to put in more money for the HAVP.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony to the family.

Thank you.

Okay, now we're gonna uh move to virtual testimony.

Uh we will now turn it to remote remote testimony, sorry.

Once your name is called, a member of our staff will unmute you, and the sergeant of arms will give you the go ahead to begin.

Please wait for the sergeant of arms to announce.

Um, so you may begin before delivering your testimony.

We will now begin.

We're gonna begin with Angelica Charles.

You may begin.

Hi, can everybody hear me alright?

We can hear you.

You may begin your testimony, Charles.

Okay.

Well, good afternoon, everyone.

Chamber members and everyone here.

My name is Angelica Charles.

I am a family care advocate here at JCCA, which is Jewish Childcare Associations located in Brooklyn.

I am also a member of We Unlock NYC.

Um, I'm here to testify both from my professional experience as well as my personal experience.

I work with families every day, and as someone currently look living inside the exact system that we're all describing.

Um, I'm originally from New York, but I was based in another state working as a traveling CNA nurse during the COVID pandemic.

In 2022, I returned back to my beloved New York.

Um, mainly because of my high risk pregnancy, which included ulcerative colitis, so severe that I had to give up my current position as a traveling nurse, and my place outside of New York, I had to put up for sale.

I spent close to two years in the New York City shelter due to my high risk pregnancy that led to a stroke, which forced an emergency C section almost two months before my due date.

When I received my EHV voucher, I was pleased.

I was happy, I felt secured, and you know, even after getting housed, I was still unwell, health complications didn't mean I had to give up my work as a traveling CNA nurse, and I made the decision to change careers and become a family pair advocate due to what's happening in our black and brown communities.

I'm also currently in school getting my um my BSW and pursuing my DSW when I finish my BSW and my MSW.

Thank you, your time expired.

You have 30 seconds to wrap it up, yeah.

Okay.

I just wanted to make it clear that I heard what NYCHA and HPD said, and I have EHP through NYCHA, and I can tell you that my landlord never received that email.

I received the email in March.

I followed all the protocols, but yet I was told that I'm on the wait list and my thing is W9, like a lot of my families that I've worked with.

So I'm trying to understand, like, is it possible for NYCHA to create a hardship extension one year for porting?

Because there's a lot of families out here that wants to leave New York and port out before the EHV voucher is completed at the end of November, something new that NYCHA never told us.

But unfortunately, most of the families just moved into their apartment, and according to NYCHA, you have to be in your apartment for a year.

So is it possible for NYCHA to help those families who obviously is not gonna be able to keep their current apartment because rent is too expensive?

Yeah, man, ma'am.

We we we gotta finish the testimony, do apologize.

You can uh submit written testimonies so it can be on the record.

All right, all right, thank you, Ms.

Rolls.

Uh, we will now move to uh last name is Basma Brilino.

He may be getting okay.

Should I say now?

Um I've got arabiana, but she moved in um, hello.

Um, I'm going to translate for Basma because she only speaks Arabic.

Okay.

Um, my name is Basma.

I live in Bay Ridge.

I have an eight-year-old daughter.

I hold an EHV voucher.

I live with only her in my home.

The father has not been with us from eight years.

Uh, I experienced domestic violence at his hands, and this voucher is the only way that I feel safe and I can afford to live.

I am a working class single mom.

I am extremely stressed because of my current um housing situation and the possible instability that will come if I um lose this voucher and do not have a pathway towards another uh form of rental assistance.

I'm extremely stressed every day.

I can't sleep and my health is worse, and my daughter sees the stress that I'm dealing with.

Um, I'm really scared to leave my community in Bay Ridge if I'm forced to move or if I become homeless.

Um I'm an Arabic speaker, I only speak Arabic, and I need the support of my Arabic speaking community here in Bay Ridge, especially because I do not have any family here.

Um my entire family is in Egypt.

Um, you know, before I got this voucher, this EHV voucher, I was extremely stressed about my ability to pay rent and to house me and my daughter.

I was considering going back to Egypt, but I was extremely grateful to receive this voucher.

It gave me the housing stability that I needed.

Um, and now I'm so scared to be back in a similar situation again.

I don't want my daughter to have to change schools.

I don't want her to lose her community and her friends.

She already has experienced your time expired.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

We will now move to uh Christina Chase.

You may begin.

Hi, good afternoon.

Um, I'm Christina Chase.

I'm part of the Ravenswood Houses Resident Association.

Um, whoa, okay.

That was very uh very moving testimony, and I'm trying to make sense of it because I'm here to advocate really for section nine.

Because it I must be said we have more vacant section nine units than we have uh EHV households, meaning like we could literally provide people homes tomorrow if we wanted to if those units were up to date.

It doesn't make sense to me as to why project based section eight units are being prioritized over section nine ones.

We lose the transparency and commitment to securing long-term stable housing, and we also risk future evictions and displacement that's Section 9 safeguards tenants from, which often happens at the hands of private landlords, even Section 8 ones.

Um we could easily provide Section 9 housing if we aggressively invest in those vacant units in the next few months, which is what the rental within reach campaign could help us achieve.

We need our council members to fight harder than they have ever fought before to ensure that funding goes to Section 9 as well.

More taxpayer money goes to private landlords for section eight units than goes to a section nine unit.

That doesn't make sense.

These vouchers cost us about 10 million dollars a month.

If NYCHA could get that additional funding or even a part of it, we could enhance the infrastructure for housing stability that we already have and hopefully expand it so no family has to worry about homelessness again.

Yes, we need more support for Citifabs, HAPV and China-based rental assistance programs, but we cannot leave Section 9 out of it out of this conversation or place it as secondary to being a resolution to our housing crisis.

Vouchers are not stable forms of housing section nine public housing cares the city must ensure these baked at NYCHA homes are prepared so they can help families and individuals who just want a stable place to call home.

I cannot speak to the precarious conditions EHV holders are experiencing.

Thank you, your time expired.

I can only speak to the housing stability section nine has provided my family and advocate for other people to have the same thank you.

Thank you for your testimony we will now move to Christopher Leon Johnson.

You may begin uh yeah hello my name is Christopher Leon Johnson uh look um I care to be aside a lot of people online downstairs they put you pretty broadway so testifying virtually which I was there that person but I'll say this right now that look uh when it comes to uh these uh with homelessness and city feds and etc when it comes to when it comes to NYCHA let me make this clear that um look um this is a the problem with the cities that we got a mayor that is hell bent on getting rid of city feds for NYCHA we have a uh mayor that's pushing for rat at pack in the blueprint and pushing for the private test of NYCHA now when that happens those city fests will be utterly worthless because you go to a lot of apartments for right where we come way pressed they hate city fests uh we have a mayor that is captive to um re gray and open year for all in a fundus New York that is totally opposed to um solutions that will uh mitigate homelessness in New York City this these are the same people that are that are opposed to two to three family two three uh bedroom apartments uh last session and I sense right now that going forward um the city council uh have to find a way to really protect uh regulated tenants and make aware that the problem when it comes to this whole situation with NYCHA is the government itself it is not uh the tenants and what's happening is that um the mayor is pushing for the displacement of the people in NYCHA with the help of uh C.O.

Weaver who is the so-called uh executive director of the office Tectanics and um Amory Gray but the city council need to start condemning those two because they are the biggest adversaries when it comes to um people that are living in NYCHA amory gray is Ciao Weaver and um going forward I I know that you can't do a lot Mr.

Mr Chair because you're I know you're scared of them targeting you at 29 and but you know going forward I think that's thank you thank you for your testimony Christopher all right thank you thank you thank you we'll now move to Alicia Elisha you may begin you use that HRA or the access HRA mobile app to manage your fate in addition to applying or waster defining for benefits you can use access HRA to Alicia you may begin your testimony you may begin your testimony you may begin your testimony okay we'll move on to Fantasia Benjamin you may begin Fantasia Benjamin Fantasia Benjamin you may begin your testimony thank you I wasn't I couldn't speak because I wasn't unmuted before it's okay you think you may begin your testimony man hello my name is Fantasia Benjamin and I'm a recipient of the EHV voucher we have been using this voucher for three years I am I received this voucher due to domestic violence in this time I have been able to come out of survival mode find a job and take care of my eight year old my son is very active in this community we live in is currently playing violin and piano and then therapy due to the the trauma connected to my ex husband he is driving in his school and they are not allowing us to stay to have an option to stay in place.

Um they have known for over a year and they failed at a chance to inform us we are not being told that we we have now being told that the only option is for us to move out of our place I'm urging the board to find an option for us to stay in place.

So we do not have to disrupt our children and worry about homelessness.

This is is a big affordability program.

I mean problem.

And if the if we can find a way for things to be more affordable, then we will be able to pay our rent without a voucher um and that's it.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimonies, Benjamin.

Uh we will now move on to LaShawn Smith.

You may begin.

Okay.

Hi.

Oh god.

Can you hear me?

I'm sorry.

We can hear you.

Okay, I'm here.

Hi, I'm down here too.

I'm down here at City Hall.

Um, I just wanted to say I'm a EHV.

I've had my voucher, my children I had our voucher for about five years, and I thank God for the voucher and for the opportunity to have a voucher.

A lot of us are very, very hardworking.

I have a son who is 26 years old, and he's had an IEP since he's been about two or three years up, two or three years old.

Um, I am an advocate because of everything that's been going on.

Um, we were victims of family domestic violence.

My defensive violence gets it by the hand of a man, it was by the hand of my family.

So because of the trauma and everything that my children and I have been through.

I am now the founder, director of Lavendis Place.

I am a new 501c3 um owner, and I will be working to help people so they can never ever have to experience the torment and the abuse that my family has gone through.

And one thing that I want to say is as the people of New York City and the people of the United States of America, we have to be very careful who we give power to.

When we vote, we have to know what the surmacy with our heart that they're gonna be men and women of their of their word.

We just sometimes we just give power to anyone, and people say things and they make promises that they don't keep.

And our mayor made a lot of promises to us that he was gonna expand city feds, and he's reneging on most of what he promised.

So I'm here to say that we have to stick together.

No one in New York City should ever be homeless.

We are the richest city.

Thank you, your time expired.

Thank you.

God bless you all.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony, ma'am.

We will now move to Rahima Kalkan.

You may begin.

Yes, hi, good afternoon.

My name is Rahima Kalkan.

I have a I am a sub uh domestic violence survivor with a child.

He has IB.

Umisha is ending in the end of the year, and I'm at risk of losing my home.

Um, I don't know what to do.

I have for just a heart to build my child and family.

He's happy here where we're staying, so he can go to school and everything.

So uh my concern is like the others.

I don't know what's gonna happen, what are we gonna do?

So I'm just asking if there's any option that can help everybody and me as a single mom.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony, Miss Calcan.

We're now gonna move to uh, I'm sorry about that.

Ramona Fayera.

He may begin.

Hi everyone, Ramona from Safe Section 9.

Um, coming on today, uh, because uh we as an organization want to express our solidarity um to the families that are facing this crisis.

We recognize the importance of the EHV, City FEPS and Section 8.

However, these subsidies are not long-term solutions.

The current crisis facing New Yorkers on EHVs, City FEPS, and soon-to-be section eight and project based section eight reflects the fickleness with which the federal government is treating housing stability.

We support the resolution, um being discussed on today's agenda, but find it ironic that NYCH and HPD are being asked to answer the call, but the mayor's budget invests fully in privatization and starves public housing.

NYCHA's response is dependent on PACT.

However, PAC is an extremely flawed financial structure that harms tenants.

Yes, the short-term solution is to put folks into pack properties or transition them to other vouchers, but that is not the long-term answer.

The long-term answer is to invest in the comprehensive modernization of Section 9, not focus on empty units.

Um, since HPD estimates that they can only offer two years of support, and PAC is not a long-term guarantee.

The City Council's report on the fiscal 2026 preliminary capital commitment plan states that there is no PAC funding past fiscal year 2026, which likely presents a future funding gap, should not all PAC conversions be completed by then.

Therefore, the only rental program that would house the affected families long term is Section 9 public housing.

It saddens me as a NYCHA tenant to hear that so many New Yorkers and stakeholders are expressing such disdain for public housing.

I would love to live with you guys and to see you have the stability, flexibility, economic resources, benefits, and rights that I benefit from as a public housing tenant.

And we understand that their negative perception is grounded in what they see from the outside, but I assure you that you would thrive with us within public housing.

For that to happen, we need to allocate all public.

For that to happen, we need to allocate all public money.

Okay, um, we need to allocate all public monies towards comprehensive modernization, and that needs to be executed based on the physical needs of developments.

It would bring units back on board in an equitable manner.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Rosaris Roseman.

You may begin.

Rosaris Roseman.

All right.

We'll now move to uh Shade Nicolette Delgado.

You may begin.

Sade Nicolette Delgado.

Sade Nicolette.

Yeah.

I'm here.

Hi, who are you?

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

You may begin your testimony.

Hi, so I am a recipient of the EHV voucher for domestic for fleeing domestic violence.

I was granted this opportunity from the family justice center through the uh mayor's office to end domestic and uh gender-based violence.

Now, this opportunity awarded me and my daughter who was 10 years old at the time to flee our domestic violence situation, not only from family domestic violence, but also from our abuser, which is also my child's father.

Now, being given this opportunity, when I first moved to New York City, I was a working parent, and I was able to pay 989 of rent while Section 8 NYCHA paid a significant smaller portion.

Now, after that, I did have to, I was not able to continue to work after paying rent for about a year.

And I was awarded the opportunity to get an intermittent relief, and I have been working with Section 8 to be provided with rent and HRA so they can cover my smaller portion.

And if it wasn't for this opportunity with this voucher, I don't know how me and my daughter would be housed right now.

Um we love our apartment, and we maintain our apartment, and without being awarded this opportunity, that would not be feasible.

Um, given the opportunity to be able to flee domestic violence from New Jersey and be relocated back to New York City has taught my daughter culture.

It has taught my daughter a lot of different things that she would have not been able to have had it not been for this voucher.

My daughter has been in a safe and sound school, and I have been able to get the healing that I've been able to get because of this voucher as far as therapeutic services and things of that nature.

So being uprooted in this with this opportunity by the Trump administration would cause a significant, a significant issue, not only to my family, but to other families.

Thank you.

Your time expired.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh Virginia Perel.

You may begin.

Hi, good morning.

Good morning.

You may begin your testimony.

So my name is Yeah.

So my name is Virginia Perel.

Um I am currently uh a EHV voucher.

And honestly, having this voucher has given me the stability to be um focused on my future instead of constantly worrying about housing.

And also because I have to support I was able to go to school and recently I started my first job in a hospital.

Having stability open doors for me that I don't think would have been possible if I was struggling to keep a roof over my head every month.

At the moment, I'm still I'm figuring out life.

I'm balancing work, school, and trying to become financially independent.

But by having the HV voucher, by having the VHV voucher, um, it gave me an opportunity to focus on these goals and move forward.

Okay, um, I also think programs like this help straighten up communities when people have stable housing, they're able to go to work, school, take care of their families, contribute, and build a future for themselves.

The goal isn't to stay dependent forever.

Um, in my opinion, I think is something that's able to.

Well, it supports us to have a stepping stone for the future and to become independent and eventually give others the same opportunity.

And honestly, for um, this program has been life-changing because it opened doors I didn't think they know open before for me, and I'm grateful for the opportunity it has given me.

That'll be all.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

We'll now move to the last name is May Con.

You may begin.

Hi, sorry.

My name is Yomara Makou.

Um, cool.

Sorry about that, ma'am.

Do apologize.

It's okay.

Alright.

And um, my name is Yomara, and um, thanks to my emergency housing voucher distributed by NYCHA.

I am able to live in Long Island City, Queens.

I just wanted to make sure to submit testimony to publicly fortify the importance of finding funding for emergency housing voucher holders, despite it being a federal dismissal of the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.

Since I came to New York over 20 years ago, I've lived in two different locations in Chelsea.

The Lower East Side, the Upper East Side, Brighton Beach, two different places in Middle Village, Queens, Brownsville, Brooklyn, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the Garvet District, Hell's Kitchen, and now I'm in Hunters Point area of Long Island City, Queens, and this is all just to say that the entirety of my adult life has been spent in this city, and anything I have ever attempted to make for myself has been repeatedly sabotaged by housing instability.

The important thing that I want to illustrate is simply that having lived at all of these addresses was not a matter of privilege.

I wasn't bored of a neighborhood after a few years and decided to find somewhere else.

I was coerced into every single one of these locations by poverty cycles and excessive rent prices that removed the opportunity at having any choice.

Some of the locations that I listed were shelters.

With all of this displacement, I was at the point of permanently giving up.

But then I received my voucher.

My voucher was not just a contractual agreement, meant to secure a physical location around me.

Although that is what it is.

It was also an agreement that I was going to continue to try to live.

It was and is a lifeline.

It has taken it every year since I've moved into my current home to build myself back up into a fraction of the functionality I had before.

The trauma of being repeated.

Thank you, your time expired.

You have 30 seconds, ma'am, to wrap it up.

I just wanted to say that stable housing is everything.

I can't be displaced again.

I'm sorry.

I can't be coerced into yet another address in whoever's portfolio.

I also received a notification from NYCHA stating that I'm not a priority at all.

Whether it's HAVP or TBRA, I deserve to continue to try to live in my home.

I deserve to keep my life.

I deserve to stay in my home.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony, ma'am.

Uh the next person is uh Zara Bridges.

You may begin.

Zara Bridges.

Zara Bridges.

Alright.

We'll move to Marsha Cooper.

You may begin.

Marsha Cooper.

Marsha Cooper.

Okay.

Hello.

Hello.

Oh, yeah.

Yes, you may you may be in it.

Yes, we can hear you.

Can you hear us?

Yes, I'm here.

Thank you for having me.

Um, so I would just like to say I'm a single mother of um three and um I was an extremely abusive relationship uh four years back.

Um, some things I don't even want to think about without my stomach getting sick.

Um, I was given the voucher and um with that I moved to Albania, Virginia with my children with that stabilizing myself and becoming a medical assistant and continuing further education.

Um, shortly after four years, um sectionate just randomly dropped payments where I was living and I didn't know at the time it was due to EHB, um causing me to move back to New York for shelter um in October at the end of October of twenty twenty five with my kids.

I recently just moved into my apartment in Harlem um on May twentieth, not knowing that this program was ending.

I found out based off of a phone call following up on my transition into my apartment.

I never received notice.

I still haven't received notice.

I don't have anything in black and white as to what's going on.

I found out this meeting on TikTok.

So with uh housing authorities saying they reached out to everyone, they didn't.

And so me just coming out of the shelter with my kids, um, thinking I found stability again.

I am back at square one shilling exposed and with uh autistic son who's sixteen years old who's in JRTC is straight a student, it hit him so hard he fled back to Virginia and trying to stay with his uncle because he refuses to be displaced again.

None of this are any fault of my own or my kids.

We have continued to be disposed.

Um due to, you know, house mass already just falling short and a at this point I don't know what to do as a single mother.

I don't I don't know what to do anymore.

My five year old said, Mom, I'm so happy finally we have a home and I can you're time expired.

Um thirty minutes.

Um, thirty seconds to wrap it up, ma'am.

Yes, thirty seconds.

Yes.

For uh me to know inside right now that I don't know what's gonna happen.

And maybe we may have to move again and no housing d authority did not tell me until today I still have nothing in black and white.

I found out by the grace of God he called it in the customer service.

And that's all I want to say.

Thank you for your testimony, ma'am.

Uh, we will now call on you.

Zitza Fuentes.

Fuentes.

You may begin.

You litza Fueranthes.

Oh, they tried to.

We'll wait for the transition.

Okay.

She changed.

Uh Alicia.

Hello.

Hello?

Yes, you may begin your testimony.

Yes.

Is this Ms.

Fuentes?

Yes.

You may begin your testimony.

Thank you.

I am a current.

I am a current EHV voucher holder.

I have been in my home now going on four years.

I have been current on all my rent.

I work in the neighborhood.

I get back to the neighborhood.

I work for the ASPCA in the Bronx.

I help people in the community be able to vaccinate their pets for free.

I have been a member of the Epicostal Church on Union Avenue.

Have been giving back at the food pantries, have been helping out in the soup kitchens.

I do what I can.

My children are enrolled in the schools in the neighborhood.

I cannot move from this community.

It's too much hardship.

I have already been in and out of the shelter six times.

I am a victim of programs ending out of nowhere and me ending up back in to the shelter system.

I promised my children this was the last time.

And now we're back in square one with fear of ending back in a shelter and losing it all.

My job, my children changing school, I have an autistic fund that cannot adapt to change.

He is 14 years old, and any time he moves, his grades drop, he behaves in a way that he shouldn't be behaving.

He goes completely new.

These are things that affect me, my children, my family.

We need more choices.

I need to stay in this community at the very least.

This is my testimony.

I try so hard to do for my community.

I keep everything the way it is supposed to in my apartment.

My landlord has zero complaints about me.

I can't just keep moving.

I can't keep letting these vouchers in the city just pull it out from under the rug on us.

Thank you.

Please, please rethink this.

Please give us a choice.

Thank you for your testimony, ma'am.

Now we will move to Rosales Roseman.

You may begin.

That will now conclude our uh Zoom testimony.

If we have inadvertently missed anyone that has registered to testify today and has yet to um have been called, please use the Zoom to raise your hand.

Uh function, and if you have testified remotely, you will be called in order uh that your hand has been raised.

If you are testifying in person, please come to the days.

Seeing none, I will now close the hearing.

Excuse me.

Okay, we will Alethea Singleton Denazia Glover Dementia Whitmore Elise Joyner.

Felicia Cruz.

Ingrid Cooper, Katisha Davis, Makai Hannah.

Uh Roxanne Perth.

And you get to put this in already.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, seeing none, I will now close this hearing.

Thank you to the members of the administration and to the members of the public who have joined us today to discuss this urgent topic.

This hearing is now adjourned.