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How to Find Housing With a Voucher in New York City
A guide for homeless and low-income New Yorkers facing red tape, shady landlords and agency mismanagement in their search for a place to live. This article originally appeared in The City. By Rachel Kahn NEW YORK - Housing vouchers are a central tool in the city’s efforts to solve the housing crisis. But for many New Yorkers, the problem isn’t applying for assistance, but what comes next: finding an apartment and securing the voucher. And it’s a real uphill climb. According to an audit published last week by the state comptroller’s office, it took people an average of 10 months to find an apartment and secure a CityFHEPS voucher, the biggest housing voucher program in the city. That’s a long time — especially when you have to reapply every 120 days to maintain your eligibility to search for housing. Advocates, tenants and real estate agents alike describe the process of acquiring CityFHEPS as frustrating and demoralizing. “A lot of these ...
