Let’s Keep People in Their Homes
Assembly member Andrew Hevesi is continuing his fight in Albany to pass the Home Stability Support (HSS) Legislation, something that he spoke about at our 2018 Homeless Personsโ Memorial Day. Care for the Homeless and our client leaders, have been advocating for this legislation to raise the housing subsidy available to New Yorkers receiving public assistance up to 85% of the average fair market rent established by the federal Department of Urban Development (HUD), for a community based on family size.
HSS is a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits as well as for those facing eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions.
There are currently 171,000 households in New York receiving the public assistance โshelter allowanceโ, but the allowance has not kept up with rising rents. Prior to 1975, the rents of households on public assistance were eligible for the full payment of rent. However, over the past 40 years the failure to regularly increase the benefit to keep up with the rising costs of rent has made it less and less valuable.
For example, the household allowance for a family of three in the state currently ranges from $264 a month to $447 a month, based on location and other considerations. The actual average market cost for a 2-bedroom apartment in New York State, according to HUD, should be between $760 and $1,907.
This is a huge difference that puts many people at risk of homelessness.
The cost of the updated home stability support allowance is estimated at $450 million in state funding. In New York City, it is estimated that the new home stability support allowance would cost about $11,224 on average for a family of three, while city shelter cost for the same family is on average $38,460.
That is a savings of $27,236 per household every year. Keeping low-income families or those in deep poverty in their apartments, and avoiding homelessness, would save the state millions of dollars.
In this budget cycle we hope that Assembly member Hevesi, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the many legislators who support the program will keep at this effort. If you are committed to fighting homelessness you can help, too!