![\"housing](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/20230831CityLimitsRentStabilized-4584Dim1920X1280-1024x683.jpg\")
A rent-stabilized building in the Bronx. (Adi Talwar\/City Limits)<\/p>\nCity lawmakers passed a bill that boosts the income eligibility threshold for SCRIE and DRIE, a program that freezes rents for tenants in rent-regulated apartments who are seniors or have disabilities. <\/p>\n
A rent-stabilized building in the Bronx. (Adi Talwar\/City Limits)<\/p>\n
The city is expanding eligibility for programs that freeze the rent for senior tenants and those with disabilities. <\/p>\n
The City Council voted Thursday to approve changes to the Senior and Disability Rent Increase Exemptions (known as SCRIE and DRIE, respectively), which freeze rents for qualifying tenants who live in rent-stabilized apartments, offsetting the cost difference by giving a tax credit to their landlords. <\/p>\n
Households earning up to $75,000 annually will now be eligible, up from a previous income cap of $50,000. Advocates say the increase is long overdue\u2014the city last updated the programs\u2019 income threshold more than a decade ago, in 2014\u2014and will help thousands of additional New Yorkers who are struggling to stay housed amid ever-rising rents. <\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot overstate the importance of the SCRIE and DRIE programs for New Yorkers living on a fixed income,\u201d State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, who sponsored a bill passed by the State Legislature earlier this year that raised income eligibility at the state level (the city had to opt into the change, which is what Thursday\u2019s vote did).<\/p>\n
\u201cThese benefits not only keep people in their homes and out of our shelters, but they also allow people to live financially independent lives as they age in place,\u201d Rosenthal added. <\/p>\n
In addition to meeting the income requirements and living in a rent regulated apartment, applicants must be<\/a> 62 and older (for SCRIE), receive Federal Disability Assistance (for DRIE), and be considered \u201crent burdened,\u201d meaning they spend at least a third of their monthly income on rent. <\/p>\n \u201cOur older adults and people with disabilities should not have to choose between paying their rent and affording other basic necessities,\u201d said\u00a0Councilmember Farah Louis, who sponsored the city bill to increase the income cap to $75,000, said in a statement Thursday. <\/p>\n The change will take place retroactively as of July, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor seniors and people with disabilities, the difference between qualifying for SCRIE or DRIE and being turned away can come down to a few thousand dollars in annual income, even when they\u2019re spending an enormous portion of that income on rent,\u201d Andrea Shapiro, director of programs and advocacy at Met Council on Housing, said in a statement Thursday. <\/p>\n \u201cExpanding eligibility to $75,000 means we can finally tell more of these tenants that help is available,\u201d Shapiro added. \u201cThe next challenge is making sure people know they\u2019re eligible and can actually access the program.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, officials say both SCRIE and DRIE are widely underutilized. A prior city report<\/a> estimated that only 42 percent of households eligible for the rent freezes were taking advantage of them in 2023, down from 56 percent in 2019. <\/p>\n Around 67,677 households across the five boroughs benefitted from SCRIE and DRIE in 2024, according to city data. <\/p>\n With even more New Yorkers now eligible, getting the word out is critical. Rosenthal, who chairs the Assembly\u2019s Committee on Housing, sponsored another bill passed earlier this year that requires landlords to notify eligible tenants about SCRIE an DRIE when signing or renewing leases, among other times. <\/p>\n \u201cWe must continue to expand these critical benefits to ensure that more New Yorkers are financially able to call the Big Apple home,\u201d the assemblymember said. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s what else happened this week in housing\u2014<\/p>\n ICYMI, in City Limits: <\/p>\n ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:<\/p>\n Emergency room visits declined in zip codes where tenants facing eviction are eligible for free legal assistance in housing court, the City Reporter reports. <\/a><\/p>\n A trial is getting underway for Eric Ulrich, the former buildings commissioner under Mayor Eric Adams who is accused of taking bribes, according to Gothamist<\/a>. <\/p>\n Councilmembers held a hearing to probe Department of Homeless Services\u2019 officials over what some are calling \u201cinhumane\u201d conditions at a veterans shelter in Long Island City, QNS reports. <\/a><\/p>\n To reach the editor, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n Want to republish this story? Find City Limits\u2019 reprint policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \tWe want to hear from you!<\/p>\n Take a short anonymous survey to help us deliver content to empower our community.<\/p>\n