Housing isn’t supposed to be a luxury or a privilege, yet so many of us have been made to feel that it is. Housing is a basic necessity and right for every person. New Yorkers deserve safe, dignified housing no matter what circumstances led them to be unhoused.
I know this because I was in the shelter system for three years. During my stay at the Clark Thomas Men’s Shelter on Wards Island, I experienced crowded and unsafe conditions.
Three hundred men were put into a congregate environment with no walls, making sleep nearly impossible and privacy nonexistent. There was no AC during hot summers, there were maggots in the shower, and the food constantly made us sick. I had over $1,500 worth of items stolen because there was no security for personal belongings.
I wanted to be in a safer, more stable environment. When I obtained my apartment with a CityFHEPS voucher in September 2021, I was elated that a long battle with homelessness was finally over.
What I experienced is the reality for tens of thousands of New Yorkers navigating a system that delays, denies, or devalues their basic need for a home.
The problem is not that New York City lacks the resources to get people housed. It’s that there has not been enough political will, by prior Mayors or this Mayor, to connect people with the housing and rental assistance they need.
The City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) is a rental assistance program that helps people experiencing homelessness or housing instability secure and keep permanent housing.
As a member of Safety Net Activists, a group of currently and formerly homeless New Yorkers fighting for homes for all, I was at City Hall when the City Council voted to expand the law in 2023. Those laws passed with a veto-proof majority and are ready to go. What’s missing is action.
During his campaign, Mayor Mamdani promised to implement these laws. However, he is now betraying so many of us who have experienced homelessness by failing to follow through.
Last month, Mayor Mamdani filed an appeal to block that expansion. Now, one month later, thousands of New Yorkers remain in shelters or at risk of eviction, still waiting for action that was already approved by the City Council. Instead of moving forward, his administration has chosen to fight the expansion in court, denying housing access to homeless and rent-burdened New Yorkers who have already been waiting for years.
That is why I am calling on Mayor Mamdani to immediately drop the appeal in the CityFHEPS lawsuit and fully implement the 2023 CityFHEPS expansion laws without delay.
While the administration has pointed to budget constraints, we cannot balance the city’s books on the backs of its poorest residents. This is a matter of life and death.
Living on the street, or in a shelter, can shave years off of a person’s life. Without stable housing, it’s almost impossible to manage physical and mental health.
I live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic condition that results in a severely compromised immune system. I put my life at risk by being in the shelter system. I was fortunate to survive.
We cannot continue to wonder how many more must die before action is taken. We are not expendable.
Fully implementing the CityFHEPS expansion laws would save lives. CityFHEPS opened up a world of permanent housing for me that was not accessible. It’s not just the compassionate choice – it is also the most cost effective. It costs the city far more to keep someone in shelter for years on end than to help them live in an apartment.
Mayor Mamdani has said he wants to be a mayor for all New Yorkers. That includes those of us whose lives depend on programs like CityFHEPS.
Mayor Mamdani has the power to save lives. Now he must use it.
Calvin Michael is a member of the Safety Net Activists group of the Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center.