Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Use of housing vouchers to increase affordable housing in Manhattan
1:43:19
·
114 sec
Council Member Brewer expresses interest in using vouchers to increase affordable housing in Manhattan, particularly for projects that already have some affordable units. Commissioner Tigani explains the current approach and challenges.
- HPD routinely asks owners if they want to volunteer units for the formerly homeless set-aside program
- They work with Veteran Affairs to connect VASH vouchers
- Federal funding for Section 8 vouchers is currently uncertain
- HPD would work with DSS to match individuals with vouchers to apartments where the payment standard meets the rent
Gale A. Brewer
1:43:19
Okay.
1:43:19
Just a number of vouchers.
1:43:21
I have the unfortunate, have to deal with the ABC site.
1:43:26
They left, Xtel purchased it.
1:43:28
I'm trying to get more affordable units into that location.
1:43:31
So in Manhattan, I know you're, low sometimes to use vouchers.
1:43:35
You want them to go to The Bronx or elsewhere.
1:43:38
I want vouchers in Manhattan.
1:43:39
So if you already have, say, 25% of a project that is affordable, can you add vouchers to it?
Ahmed Tigani
1:43:47
I mean, we actually routinely ask owners if they, There's two things.
1:43:52
One, we'll routinely ask owners who are using our programs four twenty one a, four eighty five x in the future whether they want volunteer units to our formerly homeless set aside program.
1:44:05
And many of those individuals do come with vouchers.
1:44:07
Additionally, where vouchers are available, we may connect them with veteran affairs because we do a lot of work trying to connect our VASH vouchers.
1:44:16
That being said, this is the moment where I will say that we are in a question about the federal funding situation with Section eight vouchers.
1:44:25
So we're monitoring that.
1:44:27
Right now, people know about the Emergency Housing Voucher Program and we're trying to make clear that this is one of the things where people have vouchers.
1:44:34
They can go into buildings, but These buildings aren't built At end of day, we need the funding available to do it, and so we're making sure the federal government gives us that funding.
Gale A. Brewer
1:44:43
Okay.
1:44:43
These buildings aren't built in yet.
1:44:44
What I'm saying is you got x number of affordable, I'm trying to get more, and you can do that with vouchers.
1:44:49
You say to the owner, that HPD will supply, I'm making this up, another 50 vouchers if you build the apartment.
Ahmed Tigani
1:44:58
So I would say that what we would do is we would work with our colleagues at DSS.
1:45:02
We would work to figure out a way to see if individuals and vouchers whose payment standard meets the rent for the apartment
Gale A. Brewer
1:45:11
Okay.
Ahmed Tigani
1:45:11
And connect them with those units.
Gale A. Brewer
1:45:12
Okay.