The decision by a New York appeals court was a win for the City Council and a loss for Mayor Eric Adams, who had opposed the expansion, citing budget concerns.
The decision by a New York appeals court was a win for the City Council and a loss for Mayor Eric Adams, who had opposed the expansion, citing budget concerns.
The decision by a New York appeals court was a win for the City Council and a loss for Mayor Eric Adams, who had opposed the expansion, citing budget concerns.
Mayor Eric Adams’s administration must put into effect several laws to significantly expand New York City’s housing voucher program, a state appeals court ruled on Thursday, dealing a loss to Mr. Adams, who had opposed the measures over their potential cost.
The city spent more than $1 billion last year on the vouchers, which help tens of thousands of low-income New Yorkers pay rent and stay out of shelters. Through the program, tenants put about 30 percent of their income toward rent and the city covers the rest, making the vouchers a lifeline in one of the most expensive places to live in the nation.
But the vouchers also led to a feud between Mr. Adams and the City Council, which passed a package of bills in 2023 to expand the program.
The bills include one that removed a requirement that people spend time in shelters in order to be eligible for vouchers. Another made people eligible for vouchers if they had received written demands from their landlords for rent owed. A third raised the income level for voucher eligibility.
Mr. Adams vetoed the legislation, saying it would be too costly and would not actually address homelessness because there were not enough apartments to rent in the first place. The Council overrode his veto. Then, tenants sued last year to force the city to carry out the laws.
A lower court sided with Mr. Adams. But on Thursday, the appeals court overturned that ruling and said the administration must move forward with the voucher expansions. The first step is to get approval for the changes from a state agency, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.