A
state audit has criticized New York City's program providing housing vouchers for the homeless, citing numerous problems and delays. The City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement offers tenants vouchers covering 70% of their rent, but households often wait 10 months to become eligible. Other issues include late payments to landlords, delayed documentation, and incorrect classification of housing status.

    The audit was conducted by the New York State Comptroller's office and found that as of Monday, over 117,000 people relied on the city's shelter system, including nearly 60,000 asylum seekers. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli called for improved management of the program, but the Department of Social Services disputed the findings.

    The department argued that the audit failed to acknowledge the complexities of the housing ecosystem and highlighted anomalies rather than typical outcomes. They pointed to efforts to streamline documentation and payment processing, as well as a new initiative using vouchers to finance affordable housing construction.

    Despite these claims, the program's cost has sparked controversy between Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council. The program's price tag grew from under $200 million in 2020 to $819.4 million in 2024, leading to a dispute over expansion plans. Last year, the City Council voted to expand the program but was blocked by the administration, which is now being sued by the council.