In the News

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to improve the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program using financial incentives for landlords and cash assistance for tenants. 

The bill, dubbed the Choice in Affordable Housing Act, would create a $500 million fund to help voucher holders find secure apartments across the country.  

Under the new bill, landlords in low-poverty areas will get signing bonuses for offering units to Section 8 voucher holders. The $500 million will also be used to help tenants pay for security deposits, as well as help pay for landlord liaison positions at local public housing authorities.

The number of landlords accepting vouchers has declined in recent years, according to New York Congressman Mike Lawler.

The bill was first introduced in 2022, and reintroduced in the Senate in 2023. Lawler and Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver introduced the bill in the House of Representatives last week. 

“In New York, especially in the Hudson Valley, skyrocketing housing costs have made it harder for working families to find affordable housing,” Lawler said. “This bill takes a common-sense approach — cutting red tape, giving landlords more incentive to participate, and expanding housing options for those who need it most.”

In New York City, demand for Section 8 housing is high. Over the summer, the city opened the Section 8 waitlist for the first time since 2009, which drew over 600,000 applicants. Only 200,000 made it onto the waitlist.

Since they closed the waitlist in August, NYCHA has handed out 2,437 vouchers, a spokesperson told PIX11 News. The current waitlist will need to be cleared before applications can open again. 

In recent months, Section 8 payments have been delayed, Gothamist reported. Two New York City elected officials attributed the delays to federal layoffs. 

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