The New York City Council voted on Thursday to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of a bill stopping a potential rent hike for thousands of low-income New Yorkers who use city assistance to help cover housing costs.
It’s the latest dispute between the Council and Adams over the growing number of New Yorkers relying on the CityFHEPS voucher program, which, like Section 8, subsidizes rent for low-income tenants.
It’s one of the nation’s largest rental subsidy programs: More than 60,000 New York families rely on the program to pay rent each month, while another 10,000 approved households are waiting in shelters, per city data.
Qualifying participants are required to pay 30% of their income toward rent, which the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development uses as the limit before a household is considered “cost-burdened.”
The Adams administration wanted to boost that to 40%, but the Council rejected the increase. The administration previously argued that the rent hike is necessary to offset the voucher program’s rising costs, and the mayor vetoed the bill last month.
“This Council has been steadfast in working for the people of the city of New York, particularly for the least of these and the most underserved populations of this city,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said at a press conference before the vote on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate that the mayor kind of abdicates his responsibility, particularly with this legislation that we are going to override today.”
Advocates for homeless New Yorkers applauded the Council’s actions.
“My experience, from being able to get this voucher years back, to seeing the organizations and electeds keep fighting to make it what it is now – I’m proud it’s helped tens of thousands of people get out of shelter,” said Milton Perez, a leader with VOCAL-NY’s Homelessness Union. “This is about getting people housed, but also us staying housed. It’s all about helping people get somewhere that can actually be thought of as home.”
The Council overrode several other mayoral vetoes on Thursday.
One bill requires private employers with more than 200 city employees to submit a pay data report, while another measure requires pay equity studies on these same companies to examine any pay disparities.
The Council also overrode the mayor’s veto of a bill establishing an office of contract services.
“Let me be clear: There is no New York without working people,” Speaker Adams said. “It is our responsibility as government to ensure that all New Yorkers can lead lives with dignity, opportunity and safety. That requires affordable rents, pay equity for people of color and women and city contracting functions effectively to focus on nonprofits serving New Yorkers.”
“These four bills are nothing but an attempt by the City Council to undermine any future mayor’s authority, burden businesses with unenforceable requirements, and encroach upon the state’s jurisdiction around social services," First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said in a statement. "As we round out the year, we hope that the City Council will work with us on meaningful changes to make New York City a safer and more affordable place to live.”
This story has been updated to include comment from the Adams administration.
