Press Release
New York State Must Extend Eviction Moratorium
New York State is about to put more than one million tenants at risk of eviction during a pandemic. In December of 2020, the state passed an eviction moratorium, which halted eviction proceedings for any tenant who declared that they had faced hardships due to the pandemic and recession. This month, the state budget agreed upon by the legislature and the governor created a $2.4 billion rental assistance program to repay landlords whose tenants had fallen behind on rent during the course of the pandemic and in the coming months.
That program, however, is not yet up and running, but the state’s moratorium is set to expire in just five days. Allowing the moratorium to expire without a rent relief program fully in place and operational is a guarantee that tenants who have been unable to pay rent - due to no fault of their own - will lose their housing, facing unsafe conditions, overcrowding, and even homelessness. This would be a human, economic and public health disaster caused by the state’s inaction.
The answer is simple: the state must take immediate action to extend the eviction moratorium currently in place. This simple action would go a long way toward ensuring stability for New York’s tenants and neighborhoods.