The housing authority says it has identified roughly 61,500 households with rent debt that may qualify for the new relief funds, who will be able to apply by filling out a consent form in NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal.
At a recent City Council hearing, NYCHA shared that more than 70,000 households still owe rent, due in large part to being put at the back of the line for state pandemic rent relief.
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
The class action lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of New York City public housing tenants left out of the state’s rental assistance program during the height of the pandemic, alleges the state’s distribution of the funds—for which these tenants received low priority—amounts to discrimination.
After Superstorm Sandy-related reconstruction knocked out the gas line to several Red Hook West buildings in January, some tenants are seeking compensation for the disruption.
A hearing held by the City Council’s public housing committee Tuesday explored various aspects of NYCHA’s finances, as the authority struggles with declining rent revenue and an uptick in vacant apartments.
Tenants and advocates say the funding would repair 40,000 apartments and help cover outstanding rent arrears accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team, which will have two attorneys and three paralegals, plans to provide legal support for public housing matters, including for tenants who have already converted—or are in the process of converting—to new funding models.
“You think about a $106 billion budget—we’re asking for $400 million with an M,” Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa said at Thursday’s rally. “NYCHA tenants deserve more and we’re going to continue to stand with you until we see a budget that reflects the dignity that you have long deserved.”
While the total won’t be clear until remaining applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) are processed, a majority of the $391 in aid will likely go to the housing authority and other public housing tenants, with $35 million specifically earmarked for NYCHA. Still, thousands of New Yorkers living in public or subsidized housing did not apply for ERAP but continue to struggle with mounting debt.
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