By Yehudit Garmaise

 

As New York’s eviction ban expires on Jan. 15, the state Office of Temporary Disability Assistance will open its application portal on 10 pm on Tuesday, however Gov. Hochul revealed yesterday that the state does not have much money for those who apply.

Applicants can, however, potentially receive protection from eviction while the state reviews their cases.

The state has received $1 billion worth of claims from struggling New Yorkers, however Gov. Hochul found out this week that she will only be receiving from the federal government: $27 million, which falls far short of what New Yorkers claim they need.

“That [amount] is not going to get us over the finish line,” said Gov. Hochul, who revealed that she that she had requested $978 million. “As everyone knows, this [relief] had to be shut down at a time when the money ran out.”

Gov. Hochul added that she didn’t want to offer “false hope” to applicants whose landlords will not receive rent relief without a deluge of financial aid from Washington, DC.

Last week, a state judge ordered New York to reopen the application portal, while the court considers a lawsuit filed by tenants and the Legal Aid Society, who argue, along with tenant advocates that the state government should not leave thousands of still-struggling New Yorkers without eviction protections.

Landlords, or course, argue that they should be paid, like any other businesspeople who provide goods and services. 

Yesterday, Gov. Hochul, along other governors, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) of California wrote the federal government to ask them “to replenish the coffers,” as if federal money arrives in an unceasing supply.

Like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once famously said about “the problem with other people’s money,” is that “it eventually runs out.”

New York has already spent approximately half of the $2.4 billion the US federal government has already provided for emergency rent relief, however, much of what has not been used has not yet reached landlords because the state is having trouble contacting both landlords and tenants.

Existing state law allows tenants to argue in court that they cannot pay rent because of COVID-19 financial hardships, however, Joseph Strasburg, the president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 owners and managers housing over 2.5 million people in New York City, told 1010 WINS, “It’s time to…put an end to tenants skipping the rent because there are no repercussions for not paying.” 

New York lawmakers are now considering ways make it much harder for property owners to evict tenants, as a form of tenant protection.

Photo: Flickr