City Council approves bills giving New Yorkers rental vouchers
Supporters of the bill say these would help clear space in city shelters.
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The city council has approved a series of bills that aims to get New Yorkers out of shelters and into more permanent homes, but not everybody is happy about that.
Mayor Eric Adams is one of the individuals who spoke out against the bills, saying that they will both cost taxpayers too much money and hurt the city's ability to use its resources to help people in need.
The bills will get rid of the current rule, which requires people stay in the shelter system for 90 days before they can get rental vouchers from the city. They will also allow people to apply for vouchers if they've gotten a written demand to pay their rent from their landlords, while at the same time, making it harder for those vouchers to get denied.
Supporters of the bill say these are going to help clear space in city shelters, which are already running out of room, especially with all of the immigrant families coming into the city.
As for the money, they say it'll even out, since the city won't be spending as much on people in the shelters including reductions in how much law enforcement and health care are needed there.
However as rent goes up, the vouchers cost the city more and more and the mayor's office thinks the increased demand could also back the system up.
According to reports, Adams' office called city council members asking them to vote against it.
