Bill to Create New Housing Voucher For Homeless New Yorkers Gains Traction in Albany

A proposal for the new rent subsidy, dubbed the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP), may emerge as a bargaining chip amid high-profile legislative battles in Albany. “There is no substitute for the rapid change we could realize by dramatically expanding rental assistance,” said the bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh.

A proposal for a new rent subsidy designed to help homeless New Yorkers secure permanent housing is gaining steam in Albany, where it may emerge as a bargaining chip amid high-profile legislative battles, according to lawmakers and others familiar with the negotiations.

The Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) would create a new subsidy for New Yorkers experiencing or at-risk of homelessness at values pegged to fair market rent levels. HAVP vouchers would function like the federal Section 8 program, considered the gold standard of rental subsidies, with tenants covering a portion of the rent up to 30 percent of household income. New Yorkers would qualify regardless of their immigration status.