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State to increase rent subsidy to NYC families facing eviction
Four women had sued the state in 2015
The state is about to dramatically increase the rent subsidies it provides to certain low-income families facing eviction in the city.
In a lawsuit settlement, the state agreed to increase the subsidies provided to families with children through the Family Eviction Prevention Supplement, the New York Times reported.
For example, a family of three, which would have previously received $850 per month, will now be eligible for $1,515. Four single mothers had filed the lawsuit in December 2015 and were represented Legal Aid Society and Hughes Hubbard & Reed. The women alleged that the assistance program was “grossly inadequate.”
“I feel happy that it’s going to help other women with children,” Daniela Tejada, one of the plaintiffs, told the Times. “It’s really hard out here. All these rents are superhigh.”
The settlement also expands eligibility for the program to domestic violence victims. Previously, only families with minor children who were sued by their landlord were permitted into the program. [NYT] — Kathryn Brenzel