New York City in brief

A new poll commissioned by No Kid Hungry New York finds 67% of city residents, and nearly three-quarters of families with children, have lately chosen between paying rent or eating decently—hardly the urban lifestyle we were promised. Food costs have pushed over half into debt, while reported physical and mental health woes hint that New York’s appetite for resilience may, for now, face something tougher than a bagel.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appealed a court order requiring New York City to expand its costly rental assistance scheme, CityFHEPS, thus mirroring his predecessor Eric Adams’ reticence and irritating housing advocates who recall a breezier campaign promise. With a projected $5 billion deficit and Council-mayoral relations resembling less a unified front than a tug-of-war, we might expect more legal skirmishing before anyone hangs new curtains.

New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has briskly backpedalled on a key pledge, opting to pursue a legal appeal against City Council laws expanding CityFHEPS rental vouchers—a pivot from prior vows to drop the suit. The administration cites ballooning costs, about $10 billion over five years, and an impasse with council and advocates; affordable housing in the Big Apple, it seems, remains more mirage than miracle.

Braving its coldest winter in decades, New York City found itself shivering not just from the weather but from a 25% surge in National Grid’s average winter gas bills, up to $290 monthly, while Con Edison’s electricity charges climbed by 37% over five years. Wholesale price spikes, modest incomes, and looming new rate hikes suggest that for many, warmth is becoming a well-earned luxury—woolens, alas, not included.

Thousands in New York face possible eviction after learning that funding for Emergency Housing Vouchers—launched in 2021 for COVID-era renters—will run dry by year’s end, with no regular Section 8 support to replace it. City officials say they’re searching for a fix, but with 6,000 local households soon at risk, we await a housing miracle—or perhaps just a workable Plan B.