NYC’s New Housing Voucher Rules Will Drastically Expand Income Eligibility for Renewals (2024)

In response to advocacy from homeless residents and their allies, city officials have released new rental assistance rules designed to drastically increase the number of New Yorkers eligible to renew municipal housing vouchers.

A rule change published Friday will enable New Yorkers who receive CityFHEPS rental assistance to hold onto their housing vouchers after five years if they earn up to 80 percent of Area Median Income—currently $66,880 for an individual or $85,920 for a family of three. The decision marks a significant adjustment to a new law that increased the value of CityFHEPS vouchers but capped renewal eligibility at 250 percent of the federal poverty line—equal to just $32,200 for a single adult and just under $55,000 for a family of three.

“This is basically what we were asking for. It’s a really, really, really big win,” said Sarah Wilson, an organizer with the Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project. “You can take a job that pays $20 an hour and not risk losing your housing.”

Wilson said she struggled to find an apartment priced low enough to afford with her CityFHEPS subsidy and had advocated for the value increase for the past four years. She and the Safety Net Project worked with members of the groups Neighbors Together, VOCAL-NY and the Open Hearts Initiative to continue calling for the renewal adjustment even after the Council passed the legislation in May.

“We really fought to have people earn a living wage and to be able to afford housing,” she said. “Previously, that didn’t exist and now having a successful rental program benefits all of society. This getting done is going to greatly impact all New Yorkers.”

Homeless New Yorkers and their advocates had long urged the city to increase the value of the vouchers to reflect the real cost of housing in the country’s most expensive rental market, with recipients like Wilson describing the inability to find an apartment priced low enough to afford with CityFHEPS.

The City Council voted in May to peg the CityFHEPS voucher value to higher Section 8 levels, potentially unlocking thousands of higher priced apartments across the five boroughs for New Yorkers living in shelters or public spaces, as well as some people at risk of eviction. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the measure and agreed to fast track the increase, which took effect Sept. 1.

In New York City, Section 8 covers one-bedroom apartments priced at $1,945 per month and two-bedroom apartments priced at $2,217. Before the new law matched those Section 8 rates, CityFHEPS vouchers only covered rents of $1,265 a month for a single adult and $1,580 for a family of three or four. Those totals failed to keep pace with the average two-bedroom apartment in every neighborhood in the city, according to a review of rental prices by real estate website RentHop.

Voucher-holders pay a “household share”— a portion of their income, up to 30 percent — and the subsidy covers the remainder of the monthly rent.

Advocates say the strong rental assistance vouchers could help thousands of New Yorkers secure permanent housing. More than 46,000 New Yorkers stayed in a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter Thursday night, city data shows. That total includes 8,599 families with 14,927 children. Adults staying in DHS shelters and living in public spaces—commonly known as “street homeless” New Yorkers—also qualify for CityFHEPS vouchers.

A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Social Services (DSS) said the agency decided to increase the CityFHEPS renewal threshold in response to feedback from voucher holders and their advocates.

“We’re proud to announce that after receiving important feedback, we’ve made adjustments to our final rule that we believe strengthen the program and supports we provide to New Yorkers in need and will be moving forward to implementation immediately,” the spokesperson said. “We thank all clients, advocates, providers, and members of the public who participated in the process and made their voices heard. Your valued experiences, insights and input continue to make our work and NYC stronger.”

The new rules take effect in December and also allow the CityFHEPS program to cover mid-year rent increases in rent-regulated units—an important adjustment after the city’s Rent Guidelines Board voted in June to increase rents by 1.5 percent for the second half of new one-year leases.

DSS further updated the rules to enable households at risk of eviction to submit a rent demand letter to qualify for CityFHEPS without first being subjected to an eviction proceeding, as long as the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance also waives its state FHEPS eviction proceeding requirement.

Coalition for the Homeless Senior Policy Analyst Jacquelyn Simone praised city officials for implementing the new rules.

“People whose income increased won’t have to worry about losing their vouchers abruptly,” Simone said. “We are glad that the Department of Social Services acknowledged a shortcoming of the CityFHEPS program in addressing the income cliff that made it difficult for people whose income increased to maintain housing stability.”

1. clearly this is only for cityfheps but what happened to fheps ? their only giving vouchers an amount of 1580 for family 2 for two bedroom in 2021 you cannot find that amount to find an apartment &d believe me i have two months searching &d nothing yet smh how about the major force on that also cityfheps is not the only program that needs to be uplifted!!

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   • No Fheps is only giving an amount of $1323 for a family of 2. This has been my problem for 3 years. Let’s see what’s going to happen now.

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   • No Fheps is only giving an amount of $1323 for a family of 2. This has been my problem for 3 years. Let’s see what’s going to happen now. I am in hopes that you we get a break as well.

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   • Move to the city

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2. Ty, ry,& ty. I ve been having trouble with them for yrs. I m. A renter living in a coop ,so they falsify rent statements. Management changes hands quite often & then all bets are off . I had a problem a few years back as the city made an error. They paid up in court resulting in a 0 balance mgt. . They sent me a lease. A month later my neighbor tells me mgt. Changed hands again .once again I was harassed. Lease never returned. Sec 8 has been doing their part ,mgt. just don’t know what is what. I am very excited about these new proposals. Ty for bringing them to my attention.

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   • Reply written above

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3. Thats great im a cityfeps holder and i would like to know how do i find out if my voucher went up and the amount because im looking to transfer my voucher but need to know my price range has changed

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   • For City FHEPS, your local HomeBase should be able to help you with that. Just look up your zip code and call the appropriate location: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/homebase-locations.page

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     • Homebase is terrible.. they will give you a month long appointment just to sit down with them then fumble on everything else .. I’m a landlord and seen it multiple times.. it’s sad I fight for my tenants and money ..

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       • Do you have anything available?

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         • Do you have anything available I have a city that’s voucher for one bedroom $2,218

   • How can I increase my voucher from 800 to 1200 for one person

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4. Hello,

   I am a FHEPS voucher recipient and I am still waiting for our Governor to sign Intro 146 to also increase our voucher amounts. Many of those who have Cityfheps and have had their vouchers increased have successfully applied and have found appropriate housing for their families. We are impatiently waiting for the bill to be signed so that we also can have the opportunity to provide our families with the option of better housing.

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5. How is this suppose to help the families with the FHEPS Voucher. All talk about CityFheps and the increase yet Fheps is still at the below market rent. It’s unfair to I crease one and not the other.

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   • Very unfair Fheps needs a big increase just like cityfeps

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     • Not true… City affordable and out of city affordable is… No comparison when you pay city taxes and city rent… Then u’ll get it

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   • Camba in staten did not help one bit so good luck you call leave a message no return call when sent two people were not legal inspector etc hpd did nothing ended up in court apartment was illegal conversion almost being evicted core services in conrona queens suppose to be housing specialists mr lemon know bum lord brother fake ingestion took money from broker fee and they split among camba should not exist a bunch of miserable woman who hate men.

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   • so get a job

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6. I wanna know what happened after the 5 years and good cause do you end up back in the shelter or do they pass you the fheps voucher

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   • People are allowed to re-apply to FHEPS at the end of 5 years.

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   • Good news for Fheps voucher holders.
     On February 16 2022. HRA will send out State Fheps increase. Check your local Camba homebase.
     For those like myself who have been patiently waiting.
     Now it is our time to find a home to save our families from being ostracized.
     Now there are still alot of Brokers who will not accept this.
     So try something new look for a house or even condos.
     If your search or dynamic is not putting in results.
     Change the options your more likely to get a better result.
     Good luck to you all.

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7. What happened to people that lost their city feps voucher because their income was high. Are they making any accommodations for these people ?

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   See Also

   Adams Admin Confirms Inaction on Council’s Rental Voucher Expansion

8. What about the HASA vouchers? They are now way below market value. Is anyone addressing increasing these vouchers to match cityfhelps or section 8?

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9. Sounds like good news for single folks who previously could only earn part time money while on Section 8. And GOOD part time jobs are kinda hard to come by as employers prefer full timers. Currently, there are many full time positions that are begging to be filled, so I suppose it will be a good time to start looking.

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10. Will the increase also be applied to NYSCHR vouchers?

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11. I haven’t seen my city fheps go up yet

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12. I need help need housing immediately.

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    • Why…you make enough

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13. I got my cityfheps $1945 and they gave me brand new one bedroom apartment in Bronx st Ann’s ave in this building security guard also

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    • How long did it take for you to get your voucher?

      Was you in the single woman’s shelter system?

      do you need to be working in order to get the voucher?

      If you was in the shelter system how long was the whole process to get your Voucher and get the apartment?

      Thank you xoxo

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    • Hello if your still around I just got my city phep voucher and My qualifications is 1,945 do u no any were thats add taking my voucher

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    • You live down the block from me hello neighbor

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14. What I want to know is how is it that all of these new city building going up and people are moving into them but they never appeared in the Lotteries? I’ve been going around writing the address down to many of these building and call a few of the realty brokers that are managing the lotteries for the city and can never get a straight answer. One person even laugh along with me. It appears like everyone knows that the lottery is rigged. Case in point: how is it possible for 95 per center of a housing development that was in the lottery is all Chinese? And its in Staten Island. Another case in point how is it that all Jewish people in up all in several buildings in Brooklyn and Queens? A few of these people that I know was only on the so-called waiting list for two months or less. How is that possible. We need an investigation into iow the city housing lottery is ran?

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    • The code word Is low income that’s not us for us it’s very low income and you don’t see to many of those the system was never set up to help us I see many buildings for the whites,Asian they get in but when you arrive for an appt they take your check to run credit abs before you get back home you recieve something saying u didn’t qualify with a good credit score but oh nooo credit did have nothing to do with it also the very low income buildings don’t come with next to nothing amenities laundry rm that’s it WHITE people building have laundry rm ,roof deck,gym,dog parks,Amazon recieveing rm gift wrapping rm hmmm trust me we have no wins with the system set up against us from the beginning I’v been doing my homework on this situation

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      • Why…you make enough

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15. Hello. I’m a landlord of two elderly men with a fix income. Their five year voucher is going to expired. I’m receiving 800 for a room. When they asked for an extension on cityfheps, is there an increase for the room. I heard a room payment is 1425. Is this true.

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    • No ! A room Will Remain at 800 Im Currently In a Room, About to Transfer To a One Bedroom With my Cityfheps new Rent $1850

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      • Hi! I live in an SRO for over 11 years, and just found out that my room has been subsidized by CityFheps all these years. No one has helped me to move out and the “case managers” been lying and suppressing this information from me. What can I do to get my housing voucher from them? Thank you for any response.

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        • You should contact CityFHEPS. Their office is located at East 16th Street in New York City, NY. When you call (929) 221-0043, you will probably reach an HRA representative. You must request to speak to a CityFHEPS rep. CityFHEPS and HRA reps work in the same offices.

          The CityFHEPs rep can send you a copy of your CityFHEPS voucher. Also, you can get an email address to send emails to CityFHEPS.

          You should also apply for affordable housing through Housing Connect or HPD website.

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          • Have u ever seen the income requirements on some of those affordable apts in Housing Connect? I received one in an email yesterday. It minimum income $111,0000.00 for a one bedroom. Rent $4,000.00 That’s affordable housing?

16. I have Fheps and my landlord is willing to terminate my lease if, I find a 2 bedroom due to unsafe conditions. The problem is my voucher amount ($1323) and I can’t find anything. I would love an increase also. I also was told that even if my landlord would break my lease with no-fault. That I would have to have multiply complaints on file with 311 in order to be approved by Fheps through Riseboro to move; which I believe is really unfair when management is more than willing.

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    • You have Fheps? You do not have the CityFHEPS voucher?

      Have you gone to the affordable housing website, Housing Connect or HPD to apply for affordable apartments.

      If you have the CityFHEPS voucher, you can call (929) 221-0043 to ask questions about the CityFHEPS voucher and moving. An HRA will probably answer your call. You must request to speak to the CityFHEPS rep.

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17. I don’t know who my cityphelps base is where I needed to know if my voucher is increase cause I want to get apt no share, this is danger times covid 19,no info on what to do

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    • Call Homebase Request A Good Cause transfer … Every Zipcode Has A Different HomeBase … They are annoying to work with But they Help !
      Currently in A Room My Cityfheps Voucher was increased in Nov I signed my lease for my 1 BDRM this January

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18. Same problem here have felps a family of 5 to of my sons receivers Ssi and somehow my voucher is 1580 and currently going through and eviction and need to move

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    • No yours should be higher than that you must go to your local hra center and make sure you get rental assistance for the child on ssi also sometimes they don’t include the child due to income but he/she must be included in the budget to receive a higher voucher. Hope this helped.

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19. Is the Fheps voucher increase go into affect I see it was signed but when I calll my local home base they say they have no idea I’ve been dealing with my voucher being so low for four years now it’s unfair If they increase cityfheps why not at the same time

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20. Why is Fheps struggling to get approved very unfair to increase in voucher and not the next it’s so many families with Fheps that have a difficult time finding housing it’s no apartment that matches a family of 4 for 1900 for a three bedroom no way there are no three bedrooms in nyc for $1900 raise the Fheps voucher asap

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    • The CityFHEPS voucher has been raised to $2,217 for a two bedroom apartment. A three bedroom must have a higher amount for the CityFHEPS voucher.

      You should call (929)) 221-0043. You will probably reach an HRA representative. You should request to speak with a CityFHEPS representative. I think the CityFHEPS voucher replaced the FHEPS voucher.

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21. Gosh I’m trying to move back east from Las Vegas and I’m looking at the mess you guys have with your housing system which scares me a lot I don’t understand all these programs you have. Where is regular Section 8 how are people being kicked off after 5 years I don’t understand this? In my state we are not kicked off ever! What is going on in New York City?? Lots of stealing lots of cheating on the lottery list from what I see. Very disgraceful.

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    • If you have Section 8, you should be able to transfer it to another state. I think there is a waiting list for applicants who want to obtain Section 8.

      If you need the CityFHEPS voucher, you should call their office at (929) 221-0043 to ask questions about housing. You need to request to speak to a CityFHEPS representative.. When you call, you will probably reach an HRA representative.

      Someone who is 60 years old or receives Federal disability benefits, can extend the five year maximum for the CityFHEPS voucher.

      Some housing lotteries are fair. I obtained my studio apartment through a housing lottery.

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22. Hi I’m a CityFheps recipient and I haven’t seen my voucher go up yet and I just renewed We are 4 people in my household and the apartment that we are in is so small there’s no space no closets the one u can call a closet has a leak so your clothes gets yellow stains I have a leak on the bedroom window when it rains I have to move my tv everything out the bedroom if not the water will get on the tv and everything else I live on the 5th floor and I have asthma so I make sure that if I go down it better be important anything to avoid those stairs my kids my daughter 18 and son 19 sleep in the same room you know at that age u want your privacy we are constantly getting rid of stuff because like the space is limited u can’t keep everything u can’t have drawers this was an apartment turn into 2 and you know when they do that you loose the space and the comfort I haven’t seen the increase on my voucher and I will like to move not only my family and I are in a very small apartment but the area is very bad depression is getting to me this situation is driving me insane not knowing what to do next feeling stuck My question was the increase for everyone who has a voucher? And to move out of this apartment what I need to do? Please anyone that knows about this and can help me please contact me at msmadeline003@yahoo.com thank you

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    • Call Your local HomeBase Office Ask for a Good Cause Transfer . They will update your voucher !

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    • You must contact a CiityFHEPS representative and ask about the increase in the CityFHEPS vouchers. When you call (929) 221-0043, you should ask to speak to a CityFHEP’s representative. HRA representatives work on the same floor with CityFHEP’s representatives. Unfortunatley, CityFHEPs representatives are very slow in increasing the voiucher amounts. A representative might ask you to go the CityFHEP’s website and complete the modification application and include the increased rental amount. However, the CityFHEPS vouchers are increasing the amount to $1945 for one bedroom apartments and $2,217 for two bedroom apartments.

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23. Thanks for sharing this useful information, great article. It saves me time

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24. The post is useful . Give me more information I need

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25. I have a client that just recently received a $2805 cityfheps voucher. Client is afraid that because her salary has gone up to $36,000/year. Will she be accepted for the voucher.

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    • The CityFHEPS’ voucher amounts have increased, and the maximum income amounts have increased. Workers are allowed to earn $20 per hour. For 52 weeks, if all weeks are paid, that amount is $41,600. Your client can have a $36,000 income. It is possible that the renter’s portion of the rent could increase. When a person earns an income, that person pays a portion of the CityFHEPS’ voucher amount. She might be expected to pay 30% of the CityFHEPS’ voucher amount.

      The CityFHEPS’ website answers these questions. Also, you can speak to a CityFHEPS’ representative at (929) 221-0043, When you call the telephone number, you will probably reach an HRA representative. You will have to request to speak to a CityFHEPS’ representative. Some HRA representatives do not have the answers about the CityFHEPS voucher.

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26. If there is such support, it will be great for the homeless

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27. they don’t include the child due to income but he/she must be included in the budget to receive a higher voucher. Hope this helped.

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28. I wanna know what happened after the 5 years and good cause do you end up back in the shelter or do they pass you the fheps voucher

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    • If someone is 60 years or older or he/she has Federal disability, the CityFHEPS voucher will extend beyond five years.

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29. Thank you for sharing the New NYC Housing Coupon Rules. i heard this on fm whatsapp when people talk to each other. I was really surprised when I read the article here

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30. Those are interesting shares that I love very much.

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31. I wanna know what happened after the 5 years and good cause do you end up back in the shelter or do they pass you the fheps voucher

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32. Thanking you to provide the New NYC Housing Coupon Rules.

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33. I haven’t seen my city fheps go up yet

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34. If there is such support, it will be great for the homeless.

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35. Good post. Amazing article keep sharing

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36. Will the increase also be applied to NYSCHR vouchers?

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37. Thanks for sharing this information with us. I appreciate your thoughts on this topic and it is very helpful for homeless…

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38. I’m searching for this information because I have a presentation next week.

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    • Valuable information on housing voucher rules.

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39. Everything has its value. Thanks for sharing this informative information with us. GOOD works!

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40. Very useful information about NYC New Housing Voucher Rules Now I would like to put this status on Gb whatsapp so that all my contacts can also know about it.

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41. Thanks for sharing this information with us

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42. Do anyone knows that new amount CityFheps Voucher is paying for a family of 6?

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43. Do anyone knows the new amount CityFheps Voucher is for a family of 6?

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44. Thanks for sharing such a valuable information.

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45. they don’t include the child due to income but he/she must be included in the budget to receive a higher voucher. Hope this helped.

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46. very good information provided about NYC New Housing Voucher Rules. Thanks.

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47. Very good information provided about NYC New Housing Voucher Rules. Nice work, keep it up.

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48. You people are doing great work for homeless people.

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49. Very helpful sharing. It will help many people to be better balanced

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50. very usefull i like it

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51. Thanks For Proding this Information>

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52. Very useful information about nice New Housing Voucher Rules. Thanks.

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53. I found the post to be highly good. The shared information are greatly appreciated
    Regards

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54. The CityFHEPS rental assistance program in New York City is making important changes to support residents in maintaining their housing vouchers. A new rule allows recipients to keep their vouchers after five years if they earn up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income, preventing an “income cliff.” Advocacy efforts from homeless residents and allies have led to these positive adjustments, ensuring that individuals and families can work towards a living wage without risking their housing. These changes reflect a significant win for all New Yorkers and provide hope for securing permanent housing.

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55. Thank you for this great information

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56. Thanks for this information.

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57. These new housing voucher rules in NYC are a welcome change. They address concerns about the previous income cap, offering more stability and flexibility for families and individuals who rely on these vouchers. It’s a positive step toward providing affordable housing solutions for those who need it most.

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58. Very helpful sharing. It will help many people to be better balanced

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59. If there is such support, it will be great for the homeless

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60. They should think about what long-term impact this decision will have on people’s lives

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61. Indeed, these new housing voucher rules in New York are a significant step in expanding housing accessibility for individuals with low incomes. It’s a crucial move in improving the lives of many.

    For seniors, having access to comfortable housing tailored to their needs is paramount. I came across an interesting resource https://famserve.com/ offering senior living apartments. Perhaps this could be beneficial for those in search of a convenient and pleasant living space. What are your thoughts on this?”

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62. Very Good!

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63. Good And Great

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64. this is very helpful information thanks for it.

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65. gd

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