New York State expulsion moratorium extension follows Bronx rally

A housing rally hosted by Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) at Hunts Point on August 3 achieved the desired result: an extension of the moratorium on state evictions. In addition, the state moratorium offers greater protections than its federal counterpart, which is also fortunate because, in the meantime, the extension of the federal moratorium has been overturned by the United States Supreme Court.

Torres was joined at the August 3 rally, held at 1231 Lafayette Avenue, by New York City Council member Vanessa Gibson (CD 16) and advocates for Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), the Supportive Housing Network of New York, the New York Housing Conference and the Legal Aid Society. Together, they called for an extension of the moratorium on evictions at the national and federal levels, as the country and state continue to grapple with the effects of the Delta variant amid slow COVID-19 vaccination rates.

A previous federal moratorium on evictions expired on July 31, and the New York state moratorium was due to expire a month later, on August 31. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on August 3 that the federal moratorium would be extended until October. .3 for areas with substantial or high levels of community transmission of COVID-19.

Responding to the CDC’s announcement, Torres said, “While the CDC has extended the moratorium on evictions, we need the New York State government to act. New York must speed up rental assistance for tenants in crisis and extend the state’s moratorium. He added, “We cannot allow a single New Yorker to become homeless during the current pandemic and public health emergency.”

The congressman said letting the federal housing moratorium expire in the first place had been a failure on the part of all parties and branches of government. He specifically called on New York state officials for, in his view, a lack of action during the pandemic, citing that New York was one of only two states that had not provided rental assistance at the end of June.

Torres also pointed out that less than 1 percent of [federal] the rent aid had been distributed at the end of July. “New York State has been the most incompetent in administering the rent assistance program,” he said, adding that 24% of Bronx households owed retroactive rent and half a million New Yorkers were at risk of deportation.

“Don’t evict people from their homes,” he warned. “Give them the opportunity to pay their rent and keep their housing with emergency rent assistance. Families at risk of losing their homes should not be blamed for federal and state incompetence, ”he added.

Gibson, who is set to become the next Bronx Borough President if she wins the November general election, reiterated Torres’ message, pointing to thousands of Bronxites who were having rent problems and could be threatened with expulsion. “We know there are a lot of families who are falling behind on their rent,” she said.

The adviser said expanding the moratorium on evictions would give families the stability they need. “Everyone deserves to have a strong roof over their heads, as the ripple effect of an eviction affects not only that head of the household, but also their children and the whole community, which is mainly made up of immigrants from New York and New York of color, ”she said. noted.

For their part, CASA officials said the Bronx continues to be heavily affected by the pandemic as it is one of the poorest areas in the city. They said CASA saw firsthand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Bronx residents and they knew people who were not getting the money they needed.

Laura Mascuch, executive director of the Supportive Housing Network in New York City, said 74% of people in the homeless system were people of color, even though they only made up 24% of the population. She added that the moratorium on evictions had helped reduce homelessness by more than 25% since March 2020.

“We need a prolonged moratorium on evictions to ensure that the housing court is not inundated with eviction proceedings, and the system of shelters and streets with what may be thousands of people. The human and economic costs are far too high, ”she said.

Meanwhile, Jessica Bellinder, a supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, said Norwood News she feared that without the extension of the moratorium there would be a wave of evictions because many people were unaware of their rights or the resources available to prevent such evictions.

“It is reprehensible that we, in the midst of this huge health crisis, are forcing this extra stress and anxiety on people that they could lose their homes because that is the kind of stress that spills over into the whole family and it causes countless consequences, ”Bellinder said.

Torres stressed that at the end of the day, a moratorium on evictions was not a permanent solution to the housing crisis. Quoting the “Ending Homelessness ActA federal bill he sponsored, as a systemic solution to the housing problem, explaining that he would establish a program of universal vouchers to ensure that all eligible households can receive rental assistance.

The congressman said that even before the pandemic, more than 580,000 people were homeless on any given night, and 10.5 million households were paying more than 50% of their income in rent.

Bellinder agreed with Torres, saying that a long-term solution would be rents that match people’s incomes.

On August 27, CNN reported that in an unsigned eight-page opinion, the United States Supreme Court challenged the CDC’s authority to extend the federal moratorium on evictions until October 3, insisting that Congress had been told that a further extension would almost surely require new legislation and point out that Congress had not acted in the weeks leading up to the expiration date of the federal moratorium.

The Supreme Court also overturned part of New York’s eviction moratorium, as the tenant’s hardship declaration form did not allow landlords to challenge it.

On September 2, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul enacted a new state evictions moratorium on COVID-related residential and business evictions, in effect until January 15, 2022. The news The law also extends the state’s rental assistance program and accompanying eviction. protections for localities which had previously chosen not to participate in the program.

Hochul said the pandemic has created unimaginable anxiety for families and business owners who have lost income and are struggling to pay rent each month. “To help address the cruel Supreme Court rulings overturning New York and the Biden administration’s moratoriums on evictions, we are enacting a new moratorium on residential and commercial evictions and extending Safe Harbor Act protections from New York until January 15. These measures will help alleviate the crisis facing vulnerable New Yorkers who are suffering through no fault of their own. “

The law also enacts foreclosure protections for homeowners and landlords. New York now has the strongest eviction protections in the country for people facing hardship due to COVID-19.

The new governor has urged New Yorkers to apply for the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). State officials have confirmed that applicants for the program are automatically protected from deportation while their applications are pending and that they will receive a year of deportation protection if they are eligible for the program. aid. To apply, go to: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/.

State officials also confirmed that as of August 31, more than $ 1.2 billion in funding had been committed or distributed through the ERAP, including more than $ 300 million in direct payments to more than 23,000 owners.

MP Jeffrey Dinowitz (AD 81) said the state’s new moratorium on evictions was as much a health policy as it was an economic policy. “We have to do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe in the midst of an increase in the Delta variant,” he said. “This law will help thousands of families keep a roof over their heads and doors open for small businesses as the state strives to improve and streamline the ERAP program and we all work together on a recovery after this deadly pandemic. ”

* Síle Moloney contributed to this story.