NEW YORK - The city is once again making changes to a controversial program that relocates homeless families to other states.

In a letter to Jersey City officials obtained exclusively by NY1, the Department of Homeless Services says New York will no longer pay landlords a whole year’s rent up front for homeless families to relocate.

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Starting next month it will make monthly payments instead.

The Special One-Time Assistance program had been making lump sum payments to landlords in New Jersey and elsewhere to get homeless families more stable housing.

But the payments often meant those families had no leverage to force landlords to fix poor conditions in their apartments.

This latest development comes after the city of Newark sued the de Blasio administration over the program.

Jersey City joined the lawsuit last month.