Gothamist, David Brand, Jan 22, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams laid out an ambitious goal in his State of the City speech last year: For the first time in more than a decade, New York City would begin accepting new applications from New Yorkers seeking a coveted rental assistance voucher under the federal Section 8 housing program. Adams promised his administration would aim to issue 1,000 of those vouchers each month.

But one year later, data obtained by Gothamist shows the city has so far fallen short of that goal. The New York City Housing Authority, which administers the Section 8 voucher program in the five boroughs, has only been issuing about 250 vouchers per month since it established a new waitlist in August. The list has 200,000 households selected from a pool of more than 600,000 applicants.

Just 134 of the 1,513 households who received a voucher since August have actually used them to rent an apartment amid the city’s serious housing shortage. Tenants with Section 8 vouchers typically pay 30% of their income toward rent for an apartment on the private market, while the federal government covers the remainder.

Agency data also shows the city was issuing far more vouchers overall before the start of the new waitlist. It distributed 4,708 between January 2024 and when it finalized the new list of applicants in August last year.

NYCHA officials told Gothamist that additional paperwork requirements were slowing down voucher distribution. The agency is prioritizing people with mobility impairments, like those who use wheelchairs, under Section 8 rules that give preference to people with disabilities and accessibility needs. Those applicants must submit proof that they have a disability — another step in the process.

By contrast, people still on the previous waitlist last year only had to demonstrate they met income requirements, making it easier for the agency to issue vouchers.

Read More: Gothamist