Anyone with a CityFHEPS voucher can confirm, the voucher payment standard is insultingly low for those expected to use the program to find housing and exit the shelter system. At the current rates it is practically impossible to find an apartment that is affordable with CityFHEPS. The apartments that are affordable are often in bad condition, in isolated parts of the City or are too small for the number of people in the family.

Housing justice is racial justice. Black and brown communities have been systematically denied access to capital and housing, and have been discriminated against for centuries, leading to higher rates of homelessness. CityFHEPS vouchers are a continuation of this neglect. Giving a family of 3 or 4 a voucher for $1580 in New York City's housing market is setting that family up for failure. While the City will spend thousands of dollars a month to keep someone in temporary shelter where their lives are constantly destabilized, they will refuse to invest even a fraction of the cost in that person's future by giving them a voucher that will actually pay the rent for permanent housing.

We, current CityFHEPS voucher recipients and our supporters, demand that the City increases CityFHEPS vouchers so they will be competitive with the current housing market. There is a bill proposed by City Council, Intro 146, that if passed into law would increase CityFHEPS to fair market rent, similar to what Section 8 pays. If Intro 146 passed, CityFHEPS rates would increase on average $500 for each household size to fair market rent.

We are tired of politicians saying that they want to end homelessness and even more tired of Mayor deBlasio claiming he has done so much to help those who are homeless. We are still homeless and see no help in sight. We demand meaningful action, starting with Intro 146 which will give us a real chance to get ourselves out of shelter and move on with our lives.