New Proposed Housing Rules Might Hurt Displaced New Yorkers
Friday, January 16, 2015
Housing Stock (Nadege Nau/WNYC)
New rules from the Department of Housing and Preservation could make it more difficult for displaced New Yorkers to find temporary housing.
The proposed regulations would put stricter limits on services. Notable changes include providing just one choice of housing, doing away with accommodations for those who cannot actively seek a new place to live, and limiting the aid window to 30 days after people's initial displacement.
The department held a hearing today where several formerly displaced New Yorkers worried that the rules could make it challenging for the newly displaced to get back on their feet.
"If the proposed rule were in effect at that time [that I lost my housing], I would have been made homeless and might still be homeless," said formerly displaced New Yorker Darryl Herring.
Attorney Tanya Kessler attended the hearing, and said the new rules would put people at an unfair and unnecessary disadvantage.
"For people who have been placed in crisis, who've lost their home on a moment's notice, the city should be more flexible,” she said, “not creating more barriers to accessing very needed services.”
A spokesperson for the department did not return a request for comment.
