Earlier in May, the nonprofit Win and the Real Estate Board of New York released a report outlining issues with the city’s housing voucher program.
It detailed confusing requirements with the application process and delays due to understaffing and outdated technology.
But the Department of Social Services, which oversees both homeless services and the human resources administration, is pushing back.
In a new progress report, the department is highlighting the progress the city has made in getting more rental assistance in the hands of New Yorkers. The department has steadily been placing more people in housing using vouchers.
The report lists four ways DSS is working to expand housing opportunities, including making CityFHEPS vouchers more accessible, increasing housing supply and improving the agency’s processing systems.
Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park sat down with Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Thursday to talk more about the DSS’ progress in expanding housing assistance.
“CityFHEPS is the largest municipally funded rental subsidy in the country. We’ve got 41,000 households receiving rent subsidy through CityFHEPS right now,” Wasow Park said. “Our utilization is growing, and it’s growing on a regular basis.”