With New York housing prices rising, advocates are eager for the Housing Access Voucher pilot program to start.
Using $50 million, the four-year program provides rental assistance for people who are or are at risk of becoming homeless. A bill in the state Legislature would have made the program permanent, but Gov. Kathy Hochul opposed it, saying it was too expensive.
Juan Diaz, policy manager for the Children’s Defense Fund of New York, said the program is a good first step, but must be more inclusive.
“Oftentimes, a 200% poverty level for some vouchers, or even with HAVP, a 50% AMI (area median income),” Diaz outlined. “It’s good, but we know oftentimes, households are left out of vouchers because of their income.”
The pilot program comes as Department of Housing and Urban Development cuts will leave more people rent-burdened. Congress is developing a HUD budget which includes multibillion-dollar cuts to rental assistance programs. Meanwhile, the White House’s 2026 budget proposal calls for a 46% cut for New York’s federal rental assistance funds.
Feedback on the program has been positive, although advocates like Diaz wanted to see it become permanent. Estimates show the program outlined in the state Legislature bill would aid the 78% of state renters spending more than one third of their income on housing. However, being able to afford rent might mean not being able to afford groceries or other necessities.
Diaz said the hard choices can severely affect how kids grow up.
“When children of low-income communities and even times moderate-income; when we talk about housing affordability, it’s not just low income, it’s moderate affordability,” Diaz explained. “When children grow up in income difficulties, studies have shown it builds on their educational attainment (and) self-confidence.”
New York City has seen the number of homeless students and those living in temporary housing grow in the last decade, hitting a record high in the 2024-2025 school year. The study noted one in eight students living in a shelter dropped out of high school, more than three times the dropout rate of permanently housed students.
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