Trump's “Able Bodied” Public Housing Limits Could Displace Over 300,000 New Yorkers

President Trump’s proposal to set a two-year limit on housing assistance for what he calls “able-bodied” people could eliminate federal housing support for over 300,000 people in New York City alone, reports Greg B. Smith in The City.

The cuts are part of a proposed 43 percent reduction in all federal rental assistance, including Section 8 housing vouchers. Based on the “vague description” of able-bodied adults provided in the proposed budget, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) that 316,000 residents would be impacted, or 61 percent of all tenants the agency serves.

The cuts would not only displace residents but destabilize housing agencies and nonprofits that depend on federal subsidies to provide low-cost housing, Smith notes. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-The Bronx) warned that “Trump’s plan to drastically cut federal rental assistance and impose the ‘able-bodied adult’ time limits would ‘remove or radically restrict rental assistance for the most vulnerable households’” and could “trigger prolonged housing court litigation, widespread non-payment of rent, and a cascade of loan delinquencies throughout the multi-family housing market.”