Many Formerly Homeless Women and Their Children Fear Homelessness... Again

Thousands of formerly homeless residents in New York City fear they may find themselves homeless again.

Beginning in 2007, homeless residents have been able to get back on their feet and afford a rent, thanks to the  “Advantage” housing voucher, sponsored by the Department of Homeless Services.

Singles and families currently living in affordable housing units use the voucher to subsidize their current rent payments

But beginning last week, one-by-one, voucher users started receiving notices that their rent subsidies were ending, after the voucher program was cut out of the state budget by Governor Cuomo on March 14.

One requirement of the voucher is that the recipient must hold at least a part-time job. But even with some income, most formerly homeless people would be unable to pay their rents in full without the voucher.

Michelle Clair, 29, is a single, working mother of two and long-time resident of Bed-Stuy who received a notice saying her voucher would be terminated on April 1, the day she was supposed to renew the lease on her studio apartment.

Out of the $1070 monthly rent that the apartment should cost, Ms. Clair was only paying $50 a month with the voucher. This assistance enabled her to clear up her credit and save up money, with the hopes of becoming completely financially independent in the near future. But now those dreams are gone.

“The city helps you but then they let you slide two steps back,” she said. Ms. Clair had found herself living in a shelter for four months in 2009 due to the high cost of rent alongside raising children.

With what she earns now working as a home health aide, she could have been paying a good deal more than $50 per month, she explained, but not the full rent.

“What really gets me is the short notice,” said Ms. Clair, referring to the fact that voucher recipients were notified of the cut only two weeks before it went into effect. “Now I’m trying to get information from my landlord and negotiate a rent I can afford so that my kids and I are not out on the street.” But the landlord was being evasive, she added.

At present, homeless advocacy organizations like Coalition for the Homeless and Legal Aid are filing a lawsuit against the city on behalf of people who are currently using the voucher to pay for housing.

A state court judge ordered on Monday, March 28, that current Advantage tenants in this situation must continue to receive the voucher assistance during April, according to a Coalition for the Homeless update.  

The ruling was made on the basis that it is unlawful to cancel assistance that has already been promised. A court date has been set for April 21 to determine how the city will account for these families moving forward.

The Department of Homeless Services did not respond to inquiries for this article.