A Manhattan appellate panel ruled that the New York City Council has the legal authority to expand and fund the CityFHEPS rental-assistance program, rejecting Mayor Eric Adams’s claim that state law pre-empts local legislation. The unanimous decision by the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, First Department, instructs City Hall to implement council-backed reforms enacted in 2023 that widen eligibility for housing vouchers and remove several administrative barriers. The court said nothing in New York’s Social Services Law bars municipalities from using their own money to supplement rental support, clearing the way for the council’s plan to reach more tenants facing eviction or homelessness. Adams must now enforce the measures, which housing advocates say will help keep residents in their homes and move others out of shelters. The mayor’s office has not yet indicated whether it will appeal to the state’s highest court.