Mayor Adams sued for refusal to implement rental assistance laws

NEW YORK – A legal battle is brewing between some New York City tenants and Mayor Eric Adams over rental assistance laws.

Last year, the New York City Council passed a set of laws that would expand the rent supplement CityFHEPS to help keep low-income New Yorkers out of shelters. After the Council overrode Adams' veto , the mayor refused to enact the laws.

In a statement, his office defended the choice, saying in part:

"The Adams administration has invested heavily in CityFHEPS — increasing funding, implementing reforms, and significantly expanding eligibility and access for the most at-risk New Yorkers. We have wide-ranging tools to help New Yorkers stay housed and avoid shelter, including CityFHEPS vouchers, which nearly 9,000 New Yorkers used to avoid shelter in the 2023 fiscal year."

A spokesperson for the Law Department added, "We continue to maintain that the Council's four local laws regarding CityFHEPS are preempted because State law gives DSS, not the City Council, the legal authority to set the eligibility requirements for DSS's CityFHEPS rental assistance program."

Attorneys with the Legal Aid Society disagree and are taking the mayor to court.

"As of January, the laws were supposed to be in place and ready to take effect, but unfortunately, that did not happen," staff attorney Robert Desir said.

The City Council has also filed to join the lawsuit. A judge will rule after a New York State Supreme Court hearing July 22.

"We hope that we will get a favorable decision in short order," Desir said. "There are many people who are waiting for this relief."

Former Queens truck driver says he needs CityFHEPS to pay rent

When Arnaldo Fernandez started having vision problems, he worried for his job as a truck driver.

"I was losing my eyesight fast, and I didn't want to admit that I was losing my eyesight," he said.

His fears came true when glaucoma took his peripheral vision and his livelihood. He can no longer afford rent for his family's Bayside home of 15 years.

"I owe all this money on rent, and I was trying to get help," he said.

Due to overcrowding, Fernandez may end up at a shelter as far as the Bronx. He said asking for help is his last resort.

"My dream is to find a roof first. After I find a roof, I'm going to be a grandpa, so I'm looking forward for that little kid," he said.

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