Lawmakers, residents press for extension of eviction moratorium
BY JASON COHEN
With 40% of New York state’s eviction
cases that were put on hold because
of COVID-19 involving Bronx tenants
before the eviction moratorium expired
on Jan. 15, there is concern that the
housing courts will soon be fl ooded and
many residents could become homeless.
At a press briefi ng on Tuesday, Jan.
12, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced
what had been expected for
weeks — that she didn’t plan to extend
the statewide ban on evictions that had
been in place since late 2020.
Rigaud Noel, executive director of
the nonprofi t Bronx New Settlement,
told the Bronx Times a big reason many
people are still struggling is the lack of
Emergency Rental Assistance Program
(ERAP) monies received. ERAP was designed
to provide pandemic rental aid
and temporary protection from eviction.
New York began taking ERAP
applications June 1, 2021, and applicants
are asked to attest that on or after
March 13, 2020, a member of the household
received unemployment benefi ts or
experienced a reduction in household
income, incurred signifi cant costs or
experienced other fi nancial hardship,
directly or indirectly, due to the COVID
19 pandemic.
The portal initially closed for New
York in November 2021 because the $2.4
billion in federal relief fueling the program
had run out. In December 2021,
the Legal Aid Society fi led a lawsuit,
Bronx residents rally to extend the eviction moratorium in December. Photo Adrian Childress
and on Jan. 11, ERAP reopened as the
U.S. Treasury approved $27 million in
additional relief funds for the program
— Hochul had requested $996 million
for the state.
Jim Urso, a spokesman for Hochul,
said more than $2 billion in rent relief
has been paid or obligated, including
more than 100,000 payments to landlords
totaling roughly $1.25 billion.
“Governor Hochul is committed to
addressing housing issues, both immediate
and systemic, during the 2022
legislative session,” Urso said. “From
day one, the governor has prioritized
helping tenants and landlords suffering
economic hardship wrought by the
pandemic — paying or obligating more
than $2 billion in federal rent relief
funding, making $100 million in rent
supplements available for localities to
distribute to those experiencing or on
the brink of homelessness, and investing
$25 million for free legal services
for tenants in underserved counties outside
of New York City.”
According to Noel, $2 billion who
believes more is needed to adequately
fund ERAP for New Yorkers, the state
must fi nd this money and extend the
moratorium until June. With an 11.2%
unemployment rate before COVID-19,
Bronxites need help, Noel said.
“That’s part of the issue, people
aren’t getting what they need,” he said.
“I think it is a mistake to let the eviction
moratorium expire as the amount
of people that could eventually be
evicted in the city is so high.”
Not only will the pending 225,000
eviction cases in New York state now
start to work their way into court, but
it is unclear how many additional cases
were fi led following the Jan. 15. expiration
date.
There is also fear that many landlords
will tell tenants to leave without
them knowing their rights that they
can’t be evicted without going to court.
“It’s too early for us to pull the fl oor
from underneath folks,” said Noel
about the expiration of the eviction
moratorium. “Our community members
are worried and scared.”
Democrat state Assemblyman Jeffrey
Dinowitz, a Democrat, wrote the
COVID-19 Emergency Eviction & Foreclosure
Act in December 2020, which
suspended eviction and foreclosure
proceedings and gave renters and
homeowners the opportunity to submit
a hardship declaration. The bill was extended
in February, June and September
of 2021.
Dinowitz, like Noel, thinks the moratorium
should have been extended
again. In his district of the northwest
Bronx many people are hurting fi nancially
and now that the moratorium has
expired, who knows how many more
will be affected, he said.
“We have to protect residents from
being kicked out on the streets,” Dinowitz
said.
While Dinowitz never thought the
moratorium would last this long, COVID
19 has continued to wreak havoc
on New York City, forcing many to
lose their jobs. The lawmaker said he
was not surprised there was such a
high number of eviction fi lings for the
Bronx, which is all more of a reason to
have extended the moratorium.
City Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez,
a progressive who represents
the 15th District in the west Bronx,
has seen her constituents struggle before
the pandemic and are now hurting
even more. Sanchez told the Bronx
Times that NYC has had more than
81,000 evictions fi led during COVID-19
and nearly a half a million people owe
arrears.
These numbers did not happen overnight,
she said. According to Sanchez,
prior to the pandemic, there was a
deep inequality in increasing housing
prices, household income was stagnant
and 70% of the homes in the Bronx were
one income setback away from eviction.
“COVID was that income shock for a
lot of households,” she said.
The councilwoman said there not
only needs to be enough ERAP money
available, but residents must know
landlords cannot directly evict them,
cannot change their locks without their
permission and harassment by landlords
is illegal.
“Getting a notice from a landlord
means nothing,” she said. “No one can
take you out of your home except the
court. Getting the court date is not the
same as eviction. Do not panic. It’s just
a court paper.”
Marble Hill resident Hazel Albertorio,
who has yet to receive any ERAP
funding, said while she is only a couple
months behind on rent, she has a friend
whose landlord has been sending her
eviction letters for months.
“A lot of people don’t know the law,”
she said. “I’m scared for myself because
I’ll probably end up going to court.”
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 16 JAN. 21-27, 2022 BTR
Mark B.
Class of 2021
B.S. in Business
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