A resident urged Newark leaders to examine whether housing vouchers are producing the intended benefits or contributing to higher rents.

Brandon Myers told the council that policy should be assessed against measurable outcomes. He cited an example he said involved San Francisco spending $5 million on a program he described as "wet housing" and argued the city should consider whether similar approaches here would help people or simply raise housing prices. Myers said there are roughly 18,000 rental units in Newark and that about "10 to 12%" of those are supported by some form of voucher; he argued that if voucher holders can offer higher rents, landlords may push market rents up, making entry-level housing more expensive.

Myers framed his remarks as a call for measurement and accountability: "if we say we're helping, then we should be able to look back and say whether this help actually gave this metric," he said. He asked the community to "step back" and assess programs' long-term impact on affordability.

Council response in the meeting noted limits on local authority over some homelessness and voucher programs; one councilmember said that much of the system is outside municipal control and that the council's role is to support appropriate nonprofits and ensure funds are not spent on activities that would increase housing costs.

The council did not take action on vouchers at the meeting; the comments were recorded in the public-comment portion of the session.