CIVIC CENTER — New Yorkers applying for temporary housing after being displaced from their homes will face more stringent rules if new city regulations are approved, sparking concerns from lawyers who advocate for tenants.
The Department of Housing and Preservation Development has proposed major changes to its policy on relocating people who are forced out of their apartments after fires or because of poor living conditions, according to a new version of the rules posted online.
The city currently offers displaced tenants three housing options, but under the new regulations they would only get one choice, and if they refused it, they would not receive any assistance, documents show.
The current rules also offer exceptions for people with "physical incapacity or illness" who cannot meet the obligations set out by the city, including actively looking for a new place to live. The new rules do not offer any exceptions, documents show.
Another new rule is that tenants would have to seek assistance within 30 days of being displaced, or else they would be ineligible.
That regulation would unfairly punish tenants who initially stay with family or friends in the hopes of returning to their apartment quickly, said Edward Josephson, an attorney with Legal Services NYC, a firm that represents low-income New Yorkers in housing court.
Josephson said HPD's new rules are "out of step" with Mayor Bill de Blasio's goals of increasing affordable housing and decreasing homelessness in New York City.
"It doesn’t seem like they’re really thinking about the experience that’s being lived through by these families," Josephson said. He added that the rules prioritize HPD's "administrative convenience" over the "urgent needs of displaced families."
A spokesman for HPD said the agency "will take into consideration all comments and concerns that are submitted prior to publishing the final rules."
The deadline for public comment is 10 a.m. Friday, when a hearing on the rules is being held at HPD's 100 Gold St. office in Manhattan.
