How Long Does CityFHEPS Take in Shelter? Times by Stage
Quick answerIn New York City, as of October 7, 2026, no agency publishes how long it takes to get a CityFHEPS voucher in the shelter from start to finish. DSS told the City Council on September 22, 2026 that approval averages 28 days from a complete package. The State Comptroller's 2024 audit found an average of 292 days from first Shopping Letter to shelter exit in 52 sampled cases. A Shopping Letter is valid for 120 days.
Last checked: October 7, 2026, against HRA forms DSS-7n, DSS-7r, DSS-8j, DSS-10k, DSS-34, DSS-7y, DSS-8h and DSS-8f, the CityFHEPS Road Map, 68 RCNY Chapter 10 Subchapter A, DSS testimony of January 27, 2025, December 3, 2025 and September 22, 2026, the City Council's June 2025 report, Int. 98, 100, 101 and 641 of 2026, Local Law 145 of 2023, State Comptroller audit 2023-N-1 and the Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report.
- 120 dayshow long a Shopping Letter is valid (HRA, DSS-7r)
- 3 to 5 dayspreclearance results after submission (HRA, DSS-10k)
- Up to 3 weeksthe State rent data match (HRA, DSS-34)
- 28 daysDSS's stated average, complete package to approval (September 22, 2026)
- 292 daysState Comptroller's sample average, first Shopping Letter to shelter exit (2024 audit)
- 4 monthsafter the lease date, monthly payments begin (HRA, DSS-7y)
How long does it take to get a CityFHEPS voucher in the shelter?
No time is published for the whole path, and the City's rule sets no deadline for any step of it. Three numbers exist, and they measure different stretches.
- The letterHRA's FAQ says the Shopping Letter "is valid for 120 days. The expiration date is listed on the Shopping Letter" (DSS-7r, 01/23/2026). That is the search window before the letter must be renewed, not a processing time.
- The reviewDSS Commissioner Erin Dalton testified on September 22, 2026 that "our average processing time for CityFHEPS, defined as the time of the submission of the complete package to the approval, is 28 days, which has improved over the last month to 24.8 days" (DSS testimony). That is a reported average, not a promise for one case.
- The whole paththe New York State Comptroller's October 2024 audit found an average of 292 days, "almost 10 months," from the first Shopping Letter to approval and shelter exit, in a judgmental sample of 52 cases (audit 2023-N-1, page 10). That is the Comptroller's finding about past cases, not HRA's estimate.
How soon a Shopping Letter comes after a household enters shelter is also unpublished. The rule says only that when a household meets the requirements, "the Commissioner shall issue such household a shopping letter" (68 RCNY 10-04(b)). In the Comptroller's sample, issuance took from 10 to 133 days in the examples the audit lists.
Key pointPeople say "voucher," but in shelter the first paper is a Shopping Letter. HRA's shelter FAQ says the letters mean a household is "potentially eligible," and eligibility "will only be determined" once a unit is found and the package is submitted (DSS-7n, 01/13/2026).
The timeline at a glance
HRA prints a time at four of the ten steps below, DSS has stated an average for one more, and for the other five no time is published.
- 1Shopping Letter and Household Share LetterDSS issues them and the housing specialist or case manager hands them over. Time to issue: none published. Published time: the letter is valid for 120 days.
- 2Apartment searchthe household looks for a unit, with the shelter's help. None published.
- 3Unit registeredthe landlord or the case worker enters the unit on the DSS Offer Registration site. None published.
- 4PreclearanceDSS checks for serious violations and confirms ownership. Published time: results emailed 3 to 5 days after submission.
- 5Rent review, alongsideDSS matches the rent against State records or comparable rents. Published time: the State data match "can take up to 3 weeks."
- 6WalkthroughDSS or provider staff review the unit, in person or virtually. None published for scheduling or for a second walkthrough.
- 7Lease, landlord package and client documentsthe landlord and the household give their documents to the shelter, which adds them to DSS's Current system. None published.
- 8DHS and HRA reviewPublished time: none in HRA's forms. DSS-stated average: 28 days from a complete package to approval, 24.8 days in the latest month (September 22, 2026).
- 9Checks and key exchangeHRA issues the checks, the shelter picks them up and schedules the key exchange. None published.
- 10Move-outthe household leaves shelter. Published time: monthly rental assistance begins four months after the lease date.
What it means: the steps with no published time (the search, the walkthrough and the wait for checks) are the ones nobody can forecast from a City document. HPD set-aside and lottery units follow a different track on the Road Map.
Sources: CityFHEPS Road Map, DHS process for a market apartment; DSS-7r; DSS-10k; DSS-34; DSS-7y; DSS testimony, September 22, 2026. Compiled by VoucherMatch.
| What is measured | Figure | Who says it | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopping Letter validity | 120 days | HRA | DSS-7r, 01/23/2026 |
| Letter regenerated when the client stays eligible | 15 days before expiration | DSS, in its reply to the audit | State Comptroller audit, page 29, October 2024 |
| Preclearance results | 3 to 5 days after submission | HRA | DSS-10k, 01/13/2025 |
| State rent data match | Up to 3 weeks | HRA | DSS-34, 04/17/2026 |
| Complete package to approval, average | 28 days; 24.8 days "over the last month" | DSS Commissioner | Testimony, September 22, 2026 |
| Completed application to decision, average | 23 days, down from a high of 33 during 2024 | DSS | Testimony, December 3, 2025 |
| Submission to move-out, average | About 24 days | DSS Commissioner, spoken | Unofficial hearing transcript, January 27, 2025 |
| First Shopping Letter to approval and shelter exit, average | 292 days, 52 sampled cases | State Comptroller | Audit 2023-N-1, October 2024 |
| Review restarted after a correction | "At least two weeks" added | City Council | Council report, June 2025 |
| Monthly payments on a new unit | Begin four months after the lease date | HRA | DSS-7y, 06/23/2025 |
| Average stay in DHS shelter, Fiscal 2026 | 372 days single adults; 340 adult families; 415 families with children | Mayor's Office of Operations | Mayor's Management Report, DHS, September 2026 |
What it means: only the rows marked HRA are printed in program documents. The DSS averages were given in testimony, the 292 days is an auditor's sample from July 2019 to May 2023, and the shelter-stay figures cover every DHS client, with or without a voucher.
Source: each document linked in the row. Compiled by VoucherMatch.
The Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report has no CityFHEPS processing-time indicator; its HRA chapter reports the caseload and the average subsidy. No DSS processing-time dashboard was found.
Stage 1: the Shopping Letter clock
The Shopping Letter is valid for 120 days and the expiration date is printed on it. The rule itself gives no number; it says the letter "will include an expiration date" and depends on the household staying eligible until approval (68 RCNY 10-04(b)).
- HRA's FAQsDSS-7r gives the 120 days. The shelter FAQ, DSS-7n, gives no term or renewal steps.
- DSS, replying to the State Comptroller"When clients remain in eligible status, the Shopping Letter is regenerated automatically fifteen days prior to expiration." When a letter does not renew, "that is typically an indication that the household is not currently eligible," and DHS staff can issue one manually (audit, page 29).
- The Comptroller's findingone sampled household waited 29 days and then 10 days for re-issued letters while its Cash Assistance case stayed open (audit, pages 11 and 12).
- The City Council's findingthe automatic renewal policy "is not formally documented" (June 2025 report, page 3).
Before the search starts, HRA tells residents to check the personal and income details on both letters with the case manager (DSS-7n, page 3). How the letter is issued, and what it lists, is in the Shopping Letter guide; who qualifies in shelter is in how to apply for CityFHEPS.
The apartment search
No time is published for the search, and it is where the Comptroller's 292 days mostly sits. Of 50,584 households issued Shopping Letters between July 1, 2019 and May 14, 2023, the audit found 10,529, about 21 percent, were approved.
ExampleVoucherMatch's arithmetic, from two sources that cover different years: DSS's 28-day review average is about one tenth of the Comptroller's 292-day average (28 divided by 292 is 9.6 percent). The rest of the time falls before a complete package reaches DSS.
The letter prints the maximum rent, which the payment standards guide lists by unit size. Current listings are on apartments that accept CityFHEPS. A landlord or broker who refuses the letter can be reported to the NYC Commission on Human Rights at 212-416-0197 (DSS-7n, page 8); the steps are in how to report voucher discrimination.
Stage 2: preclearance and walkthrough
Preclearance has a published time, 3 to 5 days, and the walkthrough has none. HRA's provider FAQ says "Rental units must pass two (2) checks before a lease is signed" (DSS-10k, 01/13/2025).
DSS emails the result to the Inspection Contact on the Offers form. A unit that fails for violations must be fixed and submitted again, and no time is published for that second pass. The walkthrough, done by DSS or contracted provider staff, needs a "Pass" on every Apartment Review Checklist question.
TipThe rent review does not hold up the walkthrough. HRA's instruction to providers is "Do not wait for the rent review result" (DSS-34, page 2). An application must still pass the rent review before it is submitted.
The Council's June 2025 report said inspections "are often difficult to schedule"; that is the Council's description. On September 22, 2026, DSS testified that a nine-month pilot lets landlords send photos to show a minor failure was fixed, uses virtual re-inspections, and will be ready "system wide in the first quarter of next year." What fails a walkthrough, item by item, is in why CityFHEPS apartments fail the walkthrough.
Stage 3: the packet, and why returns cost the most
Returned packages are the delay DSS itself names, and no published time covers assembling, submitting or correcting one. The shelter compiles the packet; the landlord's half is the Landlord Package and its attachments.
| Stage | Documents | Named in |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and search | Shopping Letter (DSS-7 or DSS-7b), Household Share Letter (DSS-7a or DSS-7c) | DSS-8h, DSS-7n |
| Unit checks | Offers form; proof of preclearance; Apartment Review Checklist (DSS-10a) | DSS-10k, DSS-8h |
| Landlord's half | Landlord Package (DSS-8f or DSS-8g), lease for 12 months, deed, W-9, Security Voucher (W-147N), Landlord Utility Information (DSS-8q), HPD registration or authorization if an agent signs | DSS-8h, DSS-7y |
| Client's half | Proof of the last 30 days of income for everyone 18 and older, Program Participant Agreement (DSS-7p), Request for Emergency Assistance (W-137A), Shelter Residency Letter, Tenant Contact Information (DSS-8b) | DSS-8h |
| If a broker was used | HRA-121 and the broker's license | DSS-8h |
| Sign-off | Supervisory review by a Director of Social Services or higher | DSS-8h, page 2 |
What it means: the cover sheet is the City's own completeness list. Each form, with its revision date, is in the landlord package checklist, and the Current system is covered in the portal guide.
Source: CityFHEPS Packet Cover Sheet, Shelter, DSS-8h (01/15/2025).
- DSS, in writing"when we have to return a CityFHEPS package to a shelter provider because documentation is missing or inaccurate, it adds time to that household's shelter stay" (testimony, January 27, 2025).
- DSS, spoken"the most common source of delay is when we return packages back to the provider" (Commissioner Park, unofficial transcript, January 27, 2025).
- The City Councilafter a correction, the review "frequently restarts from the beginning, adding at least two weeks" (June 2025 report, page 2). This is the Council's finding, not an HRA time.
- HRA's formsthe Landlord Package lists "common mistakes that may lead to application returns," including the wrong form and an owner name not written "exactly as written on the deed" (DSS-8f, page 2).
DSS has not published a return rate, or whether its 28-day average counts the days a package spends back with the provider. The average is defined from a "complete package."
Stage 4: approval, checks and move-in
DSS's stated average from a complete package to approval is 28 days, and no time is published for the steps after approval. In the Comptroller's flowchart, DHS checks the packet for completeness and HRA's Rental Assistance Program unit makes the final decision (audit, Exhibit A).
View the data table
| Date of statement | Average days |
|---|---|
| High during 2024 (stated December 3, 2025) | 33 |
| December 3, 2025 | 23 |
| September 22, 2026, average | 28 |
| September 22, 2026, "over the last month" | 24.8 |
What it means: DSS's own figure has moved between 23 and 33 days in two years, and the agency gave no period for the 28-day average. Treat about four weeks as what DSS reports, not as a date for one case.
Source: DSS testimony to the City Council Committee on General Welfare, December 3, 2025 and September 22, 2026. Comparison by VoucherMatch.
A denied application produces a CityFHEPS Notice of Denial (DSS-7m), sent to the shelter to give to the client (audit, Exhibit A).
- After approvalHRA issues the rent checks, and a broker's fee if one applies, to DHS. The shelter picks them up. Time: none published.
- Lease signing and key exchange"any time after the provider notifies you that the checks are ready." It is arranged with the shelter, not at HRA.
- At the exchangethe first month's rent in full, the rental assistance for up to 3 more months, and the security voucher. Eligible households get furniture funds on their EBT card.
- The month after the lease startsthe tenant's contribution begins.
- Four months after the lease datemonthly rental assistance payments begin.
What it means: a landlord sees no monthly HRA payment in months two to four because those months were paid at the exchange. The first checks are paper even for landlords who chose electronic payment (DSS-8f, page 8).
Sources: DSS-7y (06/23/2025); CityFHEPS Road Map; DSS-8j, page 3.
The move date changes what HRA pays at the start. This is the Leasing FAQ's table.
| Move date | HRA provides rent for |
|---|---|
| 1st through 3rd of the month | That month |
| 4th through 28th | That month, prorated by day, plus the next month |
| 29th through 31st | The next month |
What it means: ongoing payments "can only be made on the first day of the month." DSS testified in September 2026 that it issues each monthly payment on the 26th of the month before. What landlords agree to is in the landlord requirements guide.
Source: DSS-7y, which gives the example for January.
What is proposed, and what is law
No local law or City rule in force sets a CityFHEPS processing deadline or requires processing times to be reported. The 15-day figure in circulation comes from a Council recommendation and a pending bill.
| Measure | What it says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 68 RCNY Chapter 10, Subchapter A | No deadline for issuing a letter, a walkthrough, a review or checks | In force; last amended effective September 13, 2025 |
| Local Law 145 of 2023 | Quarterly report on whether recurring CityFHEPS payments to landlords were on time | Law. It does not cover application processing |
| Int. 101-2026 | DSS must tell the applicant within 15 days whether the application is approved, denied or needs correction | Hearing held and laid over, September 22, 2026 |
| Int. 100-2026 | DSS must report, in the Mayor's Management Report, the average time from voucher issuance to move-in | Laid over, September 22, 2026 |
| Int. 98-2026 and Int. 641-2026 | An inspection checklist with major and minor conditions; monthly payments at least 7 days before the first of the month | Laid over, September 22, 2026 |
| Council report, June 2025 | Recommends approvals "within 15 days of submission" and inspections "within seven days of request" | Recommendation only |
What it means: none of the 15-day or 7-day figures binds DSS today. DSS testified on September 22, 2026 that it is "able to report on the metric" in Int. 100.
Source: 68 RCNY 10-01 to 10-15, the Council's legislation pages and the Council's June 2025 report.
DSS also testified that "by the end of October" 2026 it will release an ACCESS HRA update where "CityFHEPS application statuses will be posted and available to clients." Whether it has launched could not be confirmed on October 7, 2026.
What a resident, a caseworker and a landlord can each do
Each list below contains only actions the City's own documents name.
- Check the personal and income information on both letters with the case manager (DSS-7n, page 3)
- Note the expiration date printed on the Shopping Letter (DSS-7r)
- Keep the Cash Assistance case open with correct income and every eligible family member on it (Road Map); clear any sanction at a Benefits Access Center (DSS-7n, page 3)
- Tell the housing specialist or case manager as soon as housing is found (DSS-7n, page 3)
- Give the shelter the Program Participant Agreement, the Shopping Letter, the tenant contact form and proof of income (Road Map)
- Ask the case manager to escalate a unit for review when there is a question about it (DSS-7n, page 6)
- Ask for the application status at the biweekly Independent Living Plan check-in (DSS testimony, September 22, 2026)
- Confirm the apartment number is listed on HPD Online before submitting the Offers form (DSS-10k, page 2)
- Fill in every Offers field: submissions "with missing or inaccurate information will require resubmission" (DSS-34, page 2)
- Schedule the walkthrough at 212-232-0560 once the violations check passes, without waiting for the rent review (DSS-10k, page 7; DSS-34)
- Send proof that a violation was fixed to apartmentoffers@dhs.nyc.gov when resubmitting (DSS-10k, page 3)
- Tick every mandatory item on the DSS-8h cover sheet and get the supervisory signature
- Call the DHS Rehousing Customer Service Call Center, 929-470-3052, with preclearance, walkthrough and rental assistance questions (DSS-10k, page 7)
- Give contact information on the Offers form: DHS uses it to schedule the walkthrough (DSS-10k, page 2)
- Use the right package and write the owner's name exactly as on the deed (DSS-8f, page 2)
- Sign and date a lease of at least one year showing the full address and unit number (DSS-8j, page 3; DSS-7y)
- After a failed rent review, email rentreview@hra.nyc.gov to accept the allowable rent or send the Rent Comparable Form, DSS-35 (DSS-34, page 3)
- Supply every document and "ensure it is submitted" (DSS-8j, page 3)
- Call 718-557-1399 with program and payment questions, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM (DSS-8j, page 3)
Landlords with a vacant unit can list it on VoucherMatch. Section 8 runs on separate agencies and clocks, set out in how long Section 8 approval takes in NYC.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the whole thing take, from Shopping Letter to keys?
No current official figure is published. The only measured one is the State Comptroller's: 292 days on average for 52 sampled cases from 2019 to 2023. DSS's 28-day average covers only a complete package to approval.
What is preclearance for CityFHEPS, and how long does it take?
Preclearance is DSS's online check of a unit for serious violations and ownership. HRA says results are emailed 3 to 5 days after submission (DSS-10k). A unit that fails must be fixed and resubmitted.
Is there still a minimum shelter stay before a family can get CityFHEPS?
No. The City's rule eliminating "the 90-day length of stay requirement for single adults and families" took effect November 16, 2023 (adopted rule). The income, Cash Assistance and other eligibility rules still apply.
Can a client move into the apartment they lived in before shelter?
Not if they lived there in the past year. DSS-7n says the household "must not have lived in the residence that you are now moving to at any time within the past year." The rule lets the Commissioner make exceptions in extraordinary circumstances (68 RCNY 10-04(c)(1)).
Who do I call when a packet seems stuck?
Residents: HRA says to speak with the case manager or housing specialist first (DSS-7n, page 8). Providers: the DHS Rehousing Customer Service Call Center, 929-470-3052 (DSS-10k). Landlords: 718-557-1399 (DSS-8j). No response time is published for any of them.
Is there a CityFHEPS FAQ from the City?
Yes, several: DSS-7n for shelter residents, DSS-7r for community applicants, DSS-8j for landlords and brokers, DSS-10k for preclearance and walkthroughs, DSS-34 for rent reviews and DSS-7y for leasing. All are on HRA's CityFHEPS documents page.
Does DSS have to answer within 15 days?
No. Int. 101-2026 would require a response within 15 days, and it was laid over in committee on September 22, 2026. Nothing in force sets a deadline.
Keeping the clock visible
The dates a case file can track are the ones the City prints: the Shopping Letter's expiration, the day the Offers form went in, and income proof covering the last 30 days.
Next step: write the Shopping Letter's expiration date and the preclearance submission date on the client's file, and count 3 to 5 days from the second. VoucherMatch for organizations keeps each client's documents and deadlines in one record and lets caseworkers apply to voucher-friendly listings for them. More guides and editable tools are in the caseworker resource library.
Sources for this article (25)
- DSS-7r, 01/23/2026 (nyc.gov)
- DSS testimony (nyc.gov)
- audit 2023-N-1, page 10 (osc.ny.gov)
- 68 RCNY 10-04(b) (codelibrary.amlegal.com)
- DSS-7n, 01/13/2026 (nyc.gov)
- CityFHEPS Road Map (nyc.gov)
- DSS-10k (nyc.gov)
- DSS-34 (nyc.gov)
- DSS-7y (nyc.gov)
- Testimony (nyc.gov)
- Unofficial hearing transcript (citymeetings.nyc)
- Council report (council.nyc.gov)
- Mayor's Management Report, DHS (nyc.gov)
- HRA chapter (nyc.gov)
- CityFHEPS Packet Cover Sheet, Shelter, DSS-8h (nyc.gov)
- testimony, January 27, 2025 (nyc.gov)
- DSS-8f, page 2 (nyc.gov)
- DSS-8j, page 3 (nyc.gov)
- Local Law 145 of 2023 (intro.nyc)
- Int. 101-2026 (intro.nyc)
- Int. 100-2026 (intro.nyc)
- Int. 98-2026 (intro.nyc)
- Int. 641-2026 (intro.nyc)
- adopted rule (rules.cityofnewyork.us)
- CityFHEPS documents page (nyc.gov)
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