Homeless Services United Calls on Mayor Mamdani to Implement CityFHEPS Expansion as Required by Law
New York, NY — Homeless Services United (HSU) is calling on Mayor Mamdani to immediately implement the CityFHEPS expansion that is required by law.
CityFHEPS is one of the City’s most effective tools for preventing homelessness and helping families and individuals leave shelter for permanent housing. The expansion was debated, negotiated, and enacted through the legislative process. It is now the law.
The New York City must follow the law.
HSU and our members advocated to strengthen and expand CityFHEPS because we see every day what works, and what does not. Rental assistance vouchers help families secure permanent apartments, prevent unnecessary shelter entry, and reduce costly, prolonged shelter stays. Delaying or narrowing the expansion keeps people in limbo, increases shelter costs, and prolongs instability for thousands of New Yorkers.
As an organization that advocates for the expansion of affordable housing and prevention services and promotes effective solutions to end the crisis of homelessness in New York City, HSU believes implementing this law is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative.
Substituting half-measures or inferior housing models for permanent rental assistance will not solve the crisis. New Yorkers deserve real apartments and real stability, not temporary workarounds.
Failure to implement the expansion will mean:
- More families remaining in shelter longer than necessary
- More people doubled up or facing eviction without support
- Continued strain on a shelter system already under pressure
- Disproportionate harm to disenfranchised New Yorkers and disabled tenants
HSU calls on Mayor Mamdani to:
- Publicly affirm the City’s commitment to implementing the CityFHEPS expansion in full.
- Drop any efforts to delay or narrow the law; and
- Provide a clear timeline for implementation.
The law has passed. New Yorkers are waiting. The City must act.