More than 12,000 New Yorkers could face homelessness by the end of the year as emergency housing vouchers created during the pandemic begin disappearing, leaving vulnerable families scrambling for answers in an already impossible housing market.
Among them is LaShawn Smith, a New York City mother who says the looming loss of her housing voucher has left her emotionally exhausted and terrified about what comes next.
“It’s emotionally draining,” Smith said in an interview with ABC 7 Eyewitness News. “And this is just going to make it worse for us if we don’t have somewhere to live.”
According to nonprofit advocates with the New York Housing Conference, more than 5,200 families across the city are losing Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs), a federal rental assistance program established by Congress in 2021 to help individuals and families at risk of homelessness.
Housing advocates warn the consequences could be devastating.
A map created by the organization reportedly shows families affected in every borough and neighborhood across the city, with particularly severe impacts expected in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx.
“These are some of the most at-risk families in New York,” one housing advocate said. “Without the assistance, many of these people might end up homeless.”
The crisis stems from federal funding cuts that are ending the program four years earlier than originally anticipated, leaving local officials and housing organizations racing to find alternatives.
For families like Smith’s, the uncertainty reflects a much larger problem unfolding across New York City: soaring rents, a historic housing shortage, and a shrinking safety net for low-income residents.
New York City’s rental vacancy rate has reportedly dropped to historic lows, making it increasingly difficult for voucher holders to secure housing even before the cuts take effect.
“And then you tell them you have Section 8,” Smith said, describing her struggles searching for housing, “they ghost you.”
Advocates say voucher discrimination, long public housing waitlists, and limited affordable housing options are trapping many families in a cycle of instability.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which administers the voucher program locally, has instructed voucher holders to apply for public housing through a rolling application process this summer. But housing advocates note there is no guarantee families will receive placements due to already-overwhelmed waitlists.
“What that means, though, is that the state and the city need to come up with a solution,” one advocate said.
Newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged the growing crisis and told Eyewitness News that city officials are exploring options to prevent mass displacement.
“We’re looking to take every step that we can to ensure that even as these programs are under attack from the federal level, we can do everything we can to step up,” Mamdani said.
But for families already living paycheck to paycheck, advocates warn time is running out.
Landlords have reportedly already been notified that the voucher program is ending, intensifying fears among recipients who say they are running out of options.
Smith delivered an emotional plea directed at political leaders.
“What if it was you, Mr. Mayor? What if it was you, everybody in Congress?” she asked. “What if it was you?”
Housing experts say the unfolding situation highlights broader systemic issues tied to affordable housing shortages, federal disinvestment, and the vulnerability of low-income families who rely on temporary emergency programs to remain housed.
Without intervention, advocates fear thousands of children, seniors, and working families could soon enter New York City’s already-strained shelter system.
