A state judge has backed Mayor Eric Adams in opposing new measures that would extend the availability of housing vouchers, and the single mother who is about to be evicted from her $1,254-per-month Bronx apartment is still fighting for rental help.

Bronx Housing.Photo byNik Shuliahin 💛💙onUnsplash

Despite Mayor Adams' concerns, Miss Carolina Tejeda, who is 43, was one of four lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit seeking to compel Adams and the city's social services agency to execute expansive rental aid legislation approved by the City Council last year.

The proposed legislation would have made it possible for low-income New Yorkers who are facing eviction, such as Tejeda and her 12-year-old daughter, to be eligible for the CityFHEPS rental assistance program without having to check themselves into a homeless shelter first.

Adams Administration Says Council Had The Authority To Pass Such Laws

However, the Adams Administration and the city's Department of Social Services openly said that the Council had the authority to pass such laws on its own and that expanding the voucher program would be excessively costly.

With few options for less expensive homes amid a chronic lack of affordable housing, thousands of New Yorkers who face eviction have had their lifeline severed by a judge who ruled with Adams last month.

Miss Tejeda is legally fighting to stay in her apartment. With the help of attorneys from the Legal Aid Society, she is appealing the Manhattan Supreme Court judge's decision to a higher court.