Brian Lear on WNYC, and yes, you know that affordable housing was a hallmark of the Mamdani for mayor campaign.

So you may be surprised to learn that the Mamdani administration is now facing some sharp criticism from housing advocates on an apparent reversal in one of his campaign promises on housing.

Yesterday was the deadline for the Mamdani administration to settle its legal challenge to the city FEPPS expansion.

FEPs F-H-E-P-S is the city fighting homelessness and eviction prevention supplement,

which helps low-income New Yorkers pay rent and stay out of the shelter system.

But instead of settling,

meaning withdrawing from the lawsuit more or less, or coming to a compromise, the city filed an

appeal, meaning they're continuing a court fight that Mayor Mamdani had promised to end during his campaign, a fight that started under Adams.

The administration says it can't afford the full expansion, citing a $7 billion budget deficit,

but advocates are not satisfied with this argument, and it affects a lot of people.

If this already sounds like in the weeds, we're going to get

to the human element here. In a press release yesterday, Wynn, the city's largest provider of shelter

and supportive housing for families described the reversal as, quote, nothing short of a

betrayal. Well, who's the CEO of when? It's Christine Quinn, also known as former New York City Council Speaker.

Chris Quinn, always good to have you on the show.

Welcome back to WNYC.

Thank you very much.

Would you describe a little more to the uninitiated about what city FEPS is and does?

Right, aside from the worst acronym ever. It is a voucher program. So if you're in

shelter, right, you are short on resources. You're incredibly low income. You couldn't, you had to leave your

home, maybe domestic violence, or you couldn't afford it. You got evicted. We want to move you out of shelter.

The most effective way to move people out of shelter is to give them, let's think of it

...