Despite Looming Evictions, NYC’s Rent Relief Program Has Yet to Pay Out

By: Hellen Zaboulani

New York has yet to process and payout relief from the federal rent relief program, although evictions loom.

Governor Cuomo’s administration is under fire for the state’s beleaguered rent relief program.  Though the governor had promised two weeks ago to address the problems, the program website still needs repair, and applications and payouts are still unprocessed.  As reported by the NY Post, critics say the website is plagued by bugs, broken links and error messages and sends e-mails saying applications are incomplete after they’ve already been submitted.

“Little has changed, because the biggest problems — such as application processing time, and Internet and tech issues– are still rampant,” said Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association.   Strasburg, one of the programs’ outspoken decriers, will testify on Tuesday before three state Assembly committees on the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

On July 21, New York was the only state in the country that hadn’t paid out any of the $2.4 billion allocated to it for relief in April by Congress.  By July 27, the state had unveiled a new application process for the federal program, which is supposed to pay back-rent and utilities for tenants at risk of eviction due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.  The state stands to forfeit its billions of dollars in federally allocated relief to other vicinities if it doesn’t use 65 percent of the funding by Sept. 30.

Sen. Chuck Schumer was among those who led the charge last month, slamming Cuomo for distributing only 1 percent of the funds since June. 1.  On Aug. 5, Schumer wrote Michael Hein, commissioner of the state’s Office of Temporary Disability Assistance which oversees the program, on behalf of New York’s 18-member Democratic congressional delegation.  The members expressed “dire concern” over the “lack of significant disbursements” and listed some of the technical difficulties cited by Strasburg.

“The need to fix these errors and streamline the application process is even more dire as New York state’s eviction moratorium is scheduled to expire August 31st and recently extended national protections will also soon expire,” Schumer and other Democrats wrote.  “We, therefore, urge the OTDA to work swiftly to disburse these critical funds with all due speed.  “Delaying these funds any longer could result in a massive wave of preventable evictions,” the letter warned.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the governor did not return the Post’s message seeking comment.