Velazquez, Schumer announce thousands of NYC housing tenants will be exempt from the HUD rule
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced that after their push earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be exempting New York City from the agency’s new Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAMFR) rule for Section 8 voucher holders. Under HUD’s original proposal, New York City housing experts estimated that rental assistance payments under the Section 8 program would decrease for more than 55,000 voucher holders across New York City. Under HUD’s revision of the rule, metropolitan areas with a vacancy rate of 4 percent or lower will be exempted, including New York City, which has a vacancy rate of 3.45 percent.
“This plan was a terrible fit for New York City all along and I am pleased we worked with the secretary to find a solution,” Velázquez said. “More New Yorkers are going to be able to stay in their homes because of this exemption and that’s no small victory for working families in our city.”