NYC Rental Assistance Is Cutting Off Disabled Tenants After a Social Security COLA

Disabled New Yorkers on Social Security disability are losing their rental assistance. Every year they get a cost of living increase, a COLA. If it pushes their income over the eligibility limit, even by ten or twenty dollars, they lose the assistance. The 30% cap on their rent goes with it, and they can end up paying 80% or more.

With this new wave, this blue wave in the midterm elections, I think it was time for me to speak up and let people know what’s going on. As of November 14, The Associated Press shows Democrats with 256 House seats won and Republicans with 169 (3:51am ET). In the Senate, AP shows Democrats at 55 seats and Republicans at 44 (3:51am ET). These numbers can still change.

What’s happening here in NYC to our community, the people who are vulnerable, wouldn’t happen to someone on SSI. Their cash amounts are rarely high enough to go over the eligibility limit. People on Social Security disability get a higher amount, so they’re the ones at risk of going over it.

The law was put in place to protect people. Now an eligibility test kicks them out and the 30% cap isn’t applied. The agencies have put their hands up, even knowing this is happening to our community.

Someone who has lived in their home for twelve years or longer, paying 30% of their income toward rent, is now left paying 80% or more. The average Social Security disability payment is about $1,630 a month. The typical rent in a stabilized apartment is $1,411 to $1,437. That’s about 87 to 88% of that income. If they have to move, the median rent in NYC is $3,785. Living in New York is one of the hardest places to live financially, and doing this to someone on disability is heartbreaking to me.

The agencies are creating more unstable lives and risking people’s housing, because they’re unwilling to fix something that is broken.

People who are vulnerable and need government assistance shouldn’t be penalized for a yearly COLA increase that can cost them their homes if they can’t afford the rent. We already have an affordability issue. We have a housing issue, and this is one of the main issues on the agency radar, but they won’t do anything. That is distressing.

I know people in this situation, and it leaves me in despair. They’re worried about homes they’ve lived in for years, and they can’t keep up the life they’ve sustained for decades. Because of this COLA, they’ve been left close to financial instability, because rent has to be paid. They haven’t had to face this for years, until recently. And if they pay the rent, every other part of their life becomes unstable.

The protections that were set up to help them, the cost of living increase to deal with inflation combined with no rent increase on rent stabilized apartments, have caused more harm than good in this situation. Now they’re left with no rental assistance because they don’t meet the eligibility test. They can be over by ten or twenty dollars and get kicked off, with no recourse. There’s no other help. That to me is scary.

I’ve written to the DSS about this, and their response was that they’re aware of it. Getting that response from one of the leaders in this agency is disheartening. It comes across as an “I don’t care” attitude when people are at risk of becoming homeless or ending up in housing court. This was their only income, and they’re on disability for a reason.

I’ve also written to the mayor and to senators, and I brought it to the attention of a councilman. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office was the only one that reached out and asked to talk with me. Her director of outreach spoke with me on the phone, and I’m grateful for that. Nobody else has shown interest, and that has me screaming. Why do we vote? Why are we putting these people into positions when they’re not listening to the constituents who vote for them, and when we have a true argument, they turn their back? That’s how I feel personally. I didn’t want this to happen to a community that needs this help. I know other people who have been in this situation, and I felt someone with a voice should speak up. I’ve been fighting for justice, and I wanted to put this out in writing so it’s brought to the attention of our community.

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