On Wednesday, September 18, Policy and Advocacy Associate Juan Diaz submitted testimony to the NYC Council Committee on Public Housing Oversight for a hearing on rental arrears and evictions. On behalf of CCC, the testimony addresses the significant underfunding of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) in the FY’25 City Budget which has continued to put stress on the city’s shelter system and undermine family housing stability. The testimony provides recommendations for polices, legislation, and investments that can alleviate arrears backlog and evictions that align with priorities from the Family Homelessness Coalition, of which CCC is a steering committee leader.

Read the Testimony Below

Testimony of Juan Diaz
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York
Submitted to The New York City Council Committee on Public Housing Oversight
Rent Arrears and Evictions (Resulting from Underfunding ERAP) September 18, 2024

Thank you, Chair Banks and all the members of the Committee on Public Housing, for holding this oversight hearing on rental arrears and evictions at public housing units as a result of underfunding from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).

Since 1944, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York has served as an independent, multi- issue child advocacy organization. CCC does not accept or receive public resources, provide direct services, or represent a sector or workforce; our priority is improving outcomes for children and families through civic engagement, research, and advocacy. We document the facts, engage, and mobilize New Yorkers, and advocate for solutions to ensure that every New York child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe.

CCC is a steering committee member of the Family Homeless Coalition (FHC), a coalition comprised of 20 organizations representing service and housing providers, children’s advocacy organizations, and people with lived experience with family homelessness. We are united by the goal of preventing family homelessness, improving the well-being of children and families in shelter, and supporting the long-term stability of families with children who leave shelter.

Housing providers, homeless service organizations, and those providing prevention services agree that there is a severe rental arrears crisis among low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. While much of this crisis was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many families continue to struggle in our city. The “recovery” from the economic fallout of COVID-19 has significantly and disproportionately impacted families with children of color. The recently published CCC’s Keeping Track of New York City’s Children: 2024 data book revealed that Black and Latino renter households face higher than average severe rent then the rest of the city population.

Furthermore, marshal evictions continue to rise after the eviction moratorium expired in January 2022, with 12,000 in 2023

Additionally, families in public housing, along with those in affordable housing, were initially deprioritized in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Though more money was eventually allocated in the FY24 NY State Enacted Budget to assist with arrears of families in public and affordable housing, the amount has been insufficient, and many families have been in arrears beyond the limited period that ERAP covers. The persistence of this issue threatens the housing stability of thousands of families who face possible eviction, and risks further burdening our shelter system. It is also incredibly damaging for the mission-driven operators of affordable housing, including many longtime nonprofit organizations.

CCC and FHC partners are continuing to strategize and advocate around these core problems, with a focus on budgetary, legislative and process reforms, a few of which we want to bring to the Committee’s attention today:

More Support for Prevention and Aftercare Services

Homelessness prevention and aftercare services for those placed in permanent housing have largely been centralized through Homebase providers’ work. As more and more work has fallen under the purview of Homebase, and the need has increased due to the global factors we discussed, those providers have become overburdened. This has resulted in gaps and delays in delivery of these services.

There remains a need for upstream solutions, so that families who fall behind can relate to resources like One Shot Deals and CityFHEPS before arrears grow and the problem becomes unmanageable.

We recommend a major emphasis on the current system around prevention and aftercare services, with more dedicated resources for Homebase providers and additional pathways for help outside of the Homebase network to help facilitate assistance and reduce the burden on a handful of organizations.

CityFHEPS Reforms

As the legal process carries on with respect to CityFHEPS expansion, we stress the importance of expanding this critical resource. The City Council should consider alternate pathways to achieving some of the goals of the package of CityFHEPS legislation to reduce administrative delays and help get the voucher into the hands of families who need it.

Adequate Staffing and Benefits Processing

We applaud the emphasis in the last year on important priorities like reducing the backlog of One-Shot Deal cash assistance. This type of assistance must remain readily available to those who need it and who qualify, requiring vigilance on the part of administering agencies to ensure timelines are met and staffing levels are adequate.

Thank you for your time and consideration.