CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org 

VOCAL-NY SLAMS MAYOR MAMDANI FOR BACKPEDALING ON CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO IMPLEMENT 2023 CITYFHEPS EXPANSION REFORMS

Homeless New Yorkers Dismayed at Mayor Mamdani’s Decision to Balance the Budget on the Backs of Homeless and Rent-Burdened New Yorkers 

NEW YORK — Yesterday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani filed an appeal to a decision ordering the City to implement the CityFHEPS Expansion and Reform laws, officially taking on a fight that began under former Mayor Eric Adams’ refusal to follow the law. In response, VOCAL-NY’s Homelessness Union released the following statement:

“Mayor Mamdani broke his promise to homeless and rent-burdened New Yorkers. Unfortunately, the Mayor has opted to follow the same playbook as previous administrations: manage the crisis instead of developing and executing a bold plan to permanently end mass homelessness in our city.

For homeless New Yorkers, a politician failing to deliver on a campaign promise is nothing new, but we had high hope things would be different. But once more, budgets are being balanced on the backs of homeless New Yorkers. Failing to fully expand will leave hundreds of thousands without a concrete path forward as evictions and rents continue to rise. To quote Zohran Mamdani from July 14, 2025, regarding this litigation, ‘what a ridiculous waste of time during a housing crisis.’

There has been no shortage of plans shared with the administration that outline an interrelated approach that invests in rental assistance programs, affordable and supportive housing, and expanded housing-first programs. The commitments this administration is rescinding are the very ones that led us to believe the Mayor understood the steps necessary to reach the north star goal of ending housing insecurity and mass homelessness. 

To regain the trust of homeless New Yorkers, the Mayor and his team must produce a plan, informed by people with lived experience of homelessness, that will get us to full expansion.”

BACKGROUND:

Mayor Mamdani, while running for office, pledged to drop the lawsuit and implement and expand the 2023 CityFHEPS reforms. Homeless New Yorkers are deeply disappointed in the Mayor’s reversal and abandonment of campaign promises. The expansion and implementation of CityFHEPS are crucial tools in realizing Mayor Mamdani’s goal of a more affordable New York for working-class and low-income New Yorkers. 

The 2023 CityFHEPS reforms expanded the program to households at risk of eviction in the community, increased the income limit for homeless households, removed work requirements, and extended eligibility to homeless households in non-DHS shelters. 

VOCAL-NY, alongside coalition partners, organized to pass these reforms, overrode Mayor Adams’ veto, and supported the Council and the Legal Aid Society in their 2-year-long litigation for implementation. 

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