PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kate Goldmann, Housing and Planning Analyst from Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)
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Kate Goldmann, representing the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), testified on the administration of the CityFHEPS rental assistance program. She highlighted the program's flaws and proposed legislative fixes to improve its efficiency and effectiveness in helping voucher holders secure permanent housing.
- REBNY identified administrative delays as a major issue, with application processing taking an average of 10 months
- Proposed fixes include: 15-day limit for application approval, 7-day requirement for inspections and walk-throughs, and 5-day deadline for rental assistance payments to landlords
- REBNY emphasized the need to put voucher holders on an equitable playing field with other apartment seekers
Kate Goldmann
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Good morning.
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My name is Kate Goldman, and I am testifying today on behalf of the Real Estate Board of
Molly Wasow Park
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New York.
Kate Goldmann
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Rebney thanks the committee for the opportunity to provide testimony at today's oversight hearing on the administration of the city FAP's rental assistance program.
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Housing vouchers are pivotal in mitigating homelessness, increasing housing stability, and improving long term health, social, and economic outcomes.
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New York City's City Fabs rental assistance program intends to help New Yorkers living in shelters or at risk of homelessness secure permanent housing.
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In practical application, however, the program is flawed and voucher holders find their opportunities limited.
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Revenue frequently hears from members, owners, and agents that the process of proving cumbersome, lengthy, and convoluted.
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In 2024, Remedy and Winn authored Housing More New Yorkers, a policy paper outlining the challenges facing the city's voucher programs and the subsequent legislative fixes.
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Remedy and Wind share a common goal, improving the voucher process and helping voucher holders find stable housing.
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Today, Remedy intends to call attention to administrative delays within the city of FEPPS program and our proposed fixes.
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Application processing times are particularly problematic.
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A 2024 audit executed by the state comptroller found that it took an average of 10 months from when households received a shopping letter to when they were approved for city faps.
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In comparison, the lease signing process typically takes a matter of days for all other apartment seekers, enabling them to move into a given unit within 1 month.
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Therefore, the council should pass a local law requiring that the administering agency of a rental assistance application informs the applicant of the determination of approval no more than 15 days after submission.
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Similarly, inspection and apartment walk throughs walk through times are a pain point.
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After taking several weeks to schedule, case managers often delay or cancel inspections.
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All the while, voucher holders remain languishing in shelter while property owners keep units open for unreasonable amounts of time.
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To address these challenges, we urge the council to pass a local law requiring the pre clearance and walk through to be conducted within 7 days of locating the housing unit.
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Owners and agents also regularly fail to receive payments, particularly the city's share of rent in a reasonable amount of time.
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Remedy believes that voucher holders and all other apartment seekers should be on an equitable playing field.
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Under New York state law, a payment is late if received more than 5 days after the scheduled payment date.
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To that end, we urge the council to pass a local law requiring the administering agency to provide landlords with rental assistant payments within 5 days of the scheduled payment date.
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We are submitting our complete comments, and we look forward to working with the council to address these challenges.
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Thank you.