NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York state’s rent relief program intended to help cash-strapped families battered by the coronavirus pandemic has reached a small portion of residents in need, according to a new audit.
With the threat of mass evictions looming, the beleaguered program has helped just 7,072 struggling households, doling out $108.8 million — or about 4 percent — of the $2.6 billion in federal aid available, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found in a report published Monday.
The 7,072 households receiving funds also reflect just 4 percent of the 168,321 applications for relief received through Aug. 12. And those applications account for fewer than 15 percent of the 1.2 million low-income rental households in New York City, DiNapoli said.
“The state can and must do a better job getting this aid into the hands of New Yorkers that could face evictions,” DiNapoli said in a statement.
“New York’s Congressional delegation has pushed for more efficient distribution of funds, while lawmakers have rightly proposed extending the state’s eviction moratorium," he added. "We must make sure that we don’t lose these critical funds, and that the renters most in need of help don’t get left behind.”
The state risks losing access to the billions of federal funds available if the money isn’t spent by Sept. 30.
The report comes after US Supreme Court last week blocked crucial element of the state’s evictions moratorium, dealing a blow to tenants who haven’t been able to pay rent.
DiNapoli said there were a host of issues hampering the program, including strict eligibility guidelines; language barriers due to few multilingual options; poor promotion of the program; and lack of internet or computer access.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is resigning in disgrace over sexual harassment allegations, has faced widespread criticism for the state’s handling of the program. New York was the only state to fail to distribute any rent relief money through June, according to DiNapoli's office
“We are running out of time,” said Ellen Davidson, staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society, in testimony to the state Assembly last week.
“We must right this ship and start providing rent relief,” Davidson added. “Tenants and landlords are relying on this money. The legislature designed a fair and equitable program. Now is the time to ensure that the promise of the legislation is realized, ensuring that tenants can remain in their homes.”
DiNapoli warned that the poorest families in the state could end up representing a disproportionately low number of successful applications unless elected officials step in.
Six state lawmakers, all members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), issued a statement Monday calling for state legislators to convene an emergency session to pass a new eviction moratorium.
“Rent relief distribution thus far has been inadequate, and COVID-19 continues to spread at an exponential rate,” reads the statement, signed by Sens. Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport as well Assembly members Zohran Mamdani, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Marcela Mitaynes and Emily Gallagher.
"We are therefore certain that allowing these tenant protections to lapse will threaten the safety and security of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” they added.