CityFHEPS housing voucher program ‘plagued with problems,’ audit says
- The state comptroller’s office found 'systemic inefficiencies and irregularities' in NYC-run CityFHEPS
- It took about 10 months on average for households to leave a shelter after receiving a shopping letter
The Department of Social Services needs to improve its management of the CityFHEPS housing voucher program, said New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
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Mismanagement and poor oversight of New York City’s main voucher program are causing serious delays in New Yorkers looking for housing with a voucher, according to a state audit.
The audit, released by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last week, found that data errors and “inadequate oversight,” in a review of 52 households who use the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program between 2019 and 2023. It slammed the NYC Department of Social Services for “not properly managing” the program.
“The city can control how well their program runs administratively, and they should do more to deal with some of the problems that cause some of these delays,” said Tina Kim, deputy controller for state government accountability for the Office of the New York State Comptroller.
For example, the audit found three cases where DSS’s case management system had incorrectly labeled a household as having left a shelter when they had not. These kinds of data errors could result in households being passed over for public benefits, and hamper policy that relies on incomplete information, Kim said.
“It means that you’re lost in the system,” Kim added.
The audit also found that eligible households faced delays in getting a shopping letter—the document that allows them to begin to look for an apartment—and that DSS paid landlords late or overpaid on rent. It calls on DSS to adopt better monitoring policies to cut down on delays, and identify and eliminate errors in its case management system.
DSS spokesperson Neha Sharma said the audit covered only a handful of cases that “are not representative of the majority” of outcomes for voucher holders, and said the audit “fails to acknowledge the monumental scope of the city’s efforts and fundamental challenges with the larger housing ecosystem.”
She noted that, amid a tight housing market, 18,500 households moved from shelter to housing in the 2024 fiscal year, a 24 percent increase from the year prior, according to the mayor’s office.
Delays and data problems
Still, any delay in securing housing can be “deeply damaging” to those using a CityFHEPS voucher, said Jenna Coudin, a supervising attorney at Manhattan Legal Services.
Coudin works with New Yorkers who are using a voucher to cover rent in their current apartment, and she said she’s seen the consequences that application delays or the city’s late rent payments have for voucher holders. The audit found that in seven cases, DSS, through the Human Resources Administration, did not pay its rent on time.
Tenants “end up in court in eviction proceedings because HRA delayed their payments, or they delayed their recertification,” Coudin said. “I’m talking about systemic issues. We’re seeing that all the time.”
What can I do as a CityFHEPS user?
The comptroller’s audit calls for DSS to develop better monitoring and policies to fix the “systemic inefficiencies and irregularities” in how the agency administers CityFHEPS. But for individual voucher holders, there are a few steps you can take to navigate the program.
When you meet with a housing specialist or case manager, make sure to ask them about your application process and the timeline, Kim said. That way, you know when to follow up with that person to complete additional steps in the process.
For example, a shopping letter typically expires in 120 days, but the comptroller’s audit found that it takes 292 days—or almost 10 months—for a CityFHEPS voucher holder to find an apartment. The audit also found delays in when a shopping letter was reissued after a previous letter had expired, so you may need to follow up with your case manager to ensure you get another letter.
If you can, keep copies of your application documents, communications with shelter providers and city agencies, and records of your rent payments—if you do pay a share of rent alongside your voucher, Coudin said. She also recommended getting legal help through nonprofits like Manhattan Legal Services.
“The overwhelming number of errors by DSS and HRA are the reason why we have dedicated government benefit units at legal services over all the boroughs,” Coudin said. “Their mistakes are the reason why we have a full time job.”
