New York reverses HIV/AIDS housing rent increase

The recently appointed New York state commissioner of temporary and disability assistance, David Hansall, on Tuesday reversed a state-ordered rent increase for HIV-positive people living in subsidized housing in New York City, the New York Times reports (Chan, New York Times, 2/28).

City officials in October 2006 said that people living in the housing would be charged more for rent after the state required that changes be made to the payment formula.

The nearly 2,200 HIV-positive people living in the housing pay 30% of their income, which comes from federal assistance, for rent. The new formula was not based on a percentage.

Instead, people in the housing would have paid all but $330 of their monthly incomes, which for many is more than half of what they receive in federal assistance.

The HIV/AIDS advocacy group Housing Works on the tenants' behalf filed a lawsuit challenging the increase, which was scheduled to take effect in November 2006.

Federal District Court Judge Frederic Block in October 2006 issued a preliminary injunction blocking the increase and told the state it had 45 days to make its case for the increase (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/1/06).