How Does the FHEPS Program Work: Two Tracks, Eligibility, and Rent

The FEPS program, properly called the Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS), is a New York City rent supplement run by the Human Resources Administration that helps families with children stay in their apartment or find a new one after losing housing. It pays part or all of the monthly rent directly to the landlord, and it can clear up to $20,000 in back rent for families trying to stay put.¹ To qualify, your family must be receiving Cash Assistance and facing an active housing problem such as eviction, domestic violence, or unsafe conditions.²

The Two Tracks: FHEPS to Stay and FHEPS to Move

FHEPS runs on two separate tracks, and figuring out which one fits your situation shapes everything that follows.

FHEPS to Stay is for families still in their apartment who owe back rent. It clears arrears to prevent eviction, and the case does not need to have reached housing court yet. Landlords can receive up to $20,000 in accrued arrears once the tenant is approved.¹ Start at your local Cash Assistance center, or through a legal services provider if you already have a housing court case.

FHEPS to Move is for families evicted in the past 12 months, or who cannot stay in their apartment because the building was condemned, is in foreclosure, or is otherwise uninhabitable. The landlord of the new apartment receives the first month’s rent in full, the next three months of the supplement upfront, and a security deposit voucher.¹ To apply, contact a Homebase provider, the community organization HRA contracts with to handle FHEPS to Move applications.²

Who Qualifies

Your household has to include at least one child under 18, a child under 19 enrolled full-time in high school or a vocational program, or a pregnant person.³ That last category matters: you can qualify while pregnant even without any children currently living with you.⁴

Beyond household makeup, three conditions have to be met.

You need an open Cash Assistance case with HRA. If you are currently in shelter, you may qualify based on being eligible for CA once you leave.³

You need a qualifying housing threat. That means at least one of the following: you are being evicted or received a rent demand from your landlord, you were evicted within the past 12 months, you lost housing due to domestic violence, you left because of health or safety problems in the unit, or you are currently in shelter.²

Your household income has to be within program limits. Income determines both eligibility and how much of the rent you personally have to pay. If someone in your household earns income, expect to cover a share of the rent directly.³ For lower-income families, the CA shelter allowance combined with the FHEPS supplement often covers the entire rent, and the out-of-pocket share is zero.⁴

Sanctions Reduce Your Supplement

If a household member gets sanctioned for failing to meet an HRA requirement, both your CA grant and your FHEPS supplement drop by the amount of the sanction. You become personally responsible for paying the landlord the difference for as long as the sanction lasts.³ That gap can create the exact arrears the program was meant to prevent, so keeping up with work requirements and appointments matters.

How Much Rent FHEPS Covers

Payment standards cap the maximum monthly rent the program will cover based on the number of bedrooms. These figures assume utilities are included in the lease; if the tenant pays utilities separately, a utility allowance is subtracted. The amounts below are effective April 1, 2026:⁵

SRO: $1,953
Studio: $2,604
1 bedroom: $2,734
2 bedrooms: $2,997
3 bedrooms: $3,753
4 bedrooms: $4,077
5 bedrooms: $4,689

If the rent on your apartment goes above the standard for its size, you cover the difference. Payments go straight to the landlord each month, not to the tenant.

How to Apply

Several doors lead into a FHEPS application. You can go through a community-based organization or legal services provider in your borough, visit your public assistance center, work with the Housing Court Liaison if you already have a court case, or apply at an HRA job center. FHEPS to Move applications go through a Homebase provider.²

The core form is HRA-146a, the FHEPS A and B Application.⁶ Along with it, you should bring:

Your Cash Assistance case number and recent benefit letters
Evidence of the housing threat: a rent demand letter, a court petition and notice of petition, or a marshal’s notice if the eviction is that far along
A rent breakdown from your landlord showing what you owe, including arrears
A lease of at least one year with rent at or below the FHEPS payment level, or proof of rent regulation

Forms are available in more than a dozen languages on the HRA website. For domestic violence situations, HRA uses a separate action form.²

After You Submit

Your application goes to the Homeless Diversion Unit at your center. HRA reviews eligibility and may ask for more documents along the way. If approved, you get a written notice stating the monthly supplement amount and your household’s share of the rent, both set based on household size and income at the time of approval.¹ Under FHEPS to Stay, the first payment resolves the arrears and starts the ongoing monthly schedule. Under FHEPS to Move, the landlord of the new apartment receives the bundled upfront payment.

How Long FHEPS Lasts and What You Must Report

Eligible families can receive FHEPS for up to five years, and you can apply for an extension if you still need help after that.³ Staying on the program means reporting anything that could change your supplement:

A change in household income
Someone moving in or out
A rent increase

Report changes through the ACCESS HRA website or mobile app by selecting “submit a case change,” or handle it in person, by mail, or by fax at a Benefits Access Center.² HRA sends a notice explaining what the change does to your case. The supplement ends entirely if your household no longer includes a child under 18, or a child under 19 enrolled full-time in school.³

If Your Application Is Denied

If HRA denies your FHEPS application, you can request a fair hearing through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. You have 60 days from the denial notice to file the request.⁷ The denial letter itself includes instructions and forms.

You can request the hearing online through the OTDA portal, by fax to (518) 473-6735, by mail to the Office of Administrative Hearings in Albany, or in person at 5 Beaver Street in Manhattan. An administrative law judge decides whether HRA applied the eligibility rules correctly. Bring any documents that show the denial was based on incorrect information.

Landlords Cannot Refuse You for Using FHEPS

Some landlords try to refuse tenants paying with government vouchers or supplements. In New York City, that refusal is illegal. The NYC Commission on Human Rights enforces source-of-income protections that cover tenants using FHEPS, CityFHEPS, and similar subsidies. A landlord, property owner, or broker cannot refuse to rent to you, treat you differently during the application, or impose different terms because you are paying with a government supplement. If it happens, you can file a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights.

1
NYC.gov. Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) Fact Sheet for Landlords
2
NYC Human Resources Administration. FHEPS – HRA
3
NYC.gov. Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) Fact Sheet
4
ACCESS NYC. Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS)
5
NYC Human Resources Administration. DSS CityFHEPS Payment Standards
6
NYC.gov. Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement A and B (FHEPS A and B) Application HRA-146a
7
NYC.gov. Public Benefit Fair Hearing