On Tuesday, September 13, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Justice Judith J. Gische ruled that, due to the State’s elimination of funding, the City could terminate the Advantage rental assistance program. In her findings, the judge stated that neither the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) nor the Human Resources Administration (HRA) had any “ongoing obligation, contractual or otherwise,” to continue the program. In light of this decision, DHS would like to reiterate its commitment to employing a variety of innovative homelessness prevention strategies, which aim to help New Yorkers avoid shelter and remain in their homes. If you are a current Advantage tenant, please be advised that your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to housing court. Should this happen, please contact the DHS Prevention Helpline at 212-607-6200, or call 311. A Helpline operator will tell you about services in your community that may help you avoid eviction.

“With the recent elimination of the City’s only rental subsidy for shelter clients, DHS remains focused on upholding prevention services as a cornerstone of agency ideals,” said DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond. “Shelter should only be utilized as a last resort, and we want everyone to know that the termination of Advantage is not an automatic termination of their lease.”

DHS has an extensive network of services to prevent homelessness, with nearly 50 offices in communities across the City. As the storefront office of the City’s prevention efforts, Homebase has served more than 34,000 households and works to identify suitable housing alternatives to New Yorkers on the brink of shelter. Homebase remains one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind nationwide and offers an array of services in a single location, including eviction prevention, short-term emergency funding and assistance obtaining employment and public benefits.

Over the years, DHS’ prevention network has expanded to include the Homelessness Prevention Law Project and the Housing Help program, which provide free legal services to those who are at-risk of eviction, operating out of 35 centers Citywide and in Housing Court.

Years ago, in New York and other locales across the country, shelter remained the main option for individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis. Since that time, Homebase has proven that this is not the case. Prevention efforts are not only in the best interests of the households they serve, but also benefit the City as a whole, as it seeks to preserve shelter as a temporary, emergency resource to those with no housing options available to them.