The New York City Council passed a series of bills that would expand the Big Apple’s housing voucher system by veto-proof margins on Thursday in the face of stiff opposition from Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration claimed the measures would do “significant harm to the most vulnerable.”Once signed into law, it will end a provision that requires people to stay in a shelter for 90 days before becoming eligible for a voucher.
Lawmakers and advocates have long argued that nixing the three month waiting period would help free up beds in the shelter system to make more space for migrants and they’ve argued it would save money, since the vouchers are less expensive than shelter stays. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaks to reporters shortly before lawmakers passed a package of laws that nix a waiting period requirement for housing vouchers.But Mayor Adams’ administration estimates that the bills will cost more than $17 billion over the next five years, and could make it harder for homeless New Yorkers to secure a voucher by forcing them to compete with people who already have homes.
“Why would you want to pay for 90 extra days for a person to stay in shelter when it’s so expensive,” said Councilwoman Diana Ayala , the chairwoman of the general welfare committee, a key sponsor of the bill. “You would think that would not only be very simple to explain, but also to accept.” She added: “The rhetoric that we’ve heard in the last few days has been really heartbreaking and infuriating because it boils down to poverty shaming.”
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