NEW YORK CITY — A coronavirus-related rent relief program will be resurrected with revamped rules for who will get a slice of $60 million of remaining aid, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
Cuomo said Thursday he’ll issue an executive order tweaking a legislature-passed rent assistance bill that promised help, but ultimately shut out many New Yorkers in need.
The bill’s stringent income requirements meant only $40 million of $100 million set aside for rental aid actually went out, Cuomo said.https://675eb2b96e29336d5031d662b1231d3b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
“By executive order I’m going to change the law,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the legislative leaders about this — reopen the application window, extend the eligibility requirements to help more New Yorkers.”
Cuomo didn’t provide details on what exactly the requirements would be.Subscribe
Many advocates for renters hard hit by the coronavirus crisis reacted to the announcement with a mix of optimism and trepidation.
Judith Goldiner, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, said in a statement that she welcomed the news.
“However, the devil is in the details, and Albany has just weeks to recalibrate this program to ensure that $60 million in resources reaches New Yorkers facing eviction and homelessness,” she said. “This crisis was wholly self-made, the result of Albany waiting until the last second to act and then doing so only in the face of headlines and public pressure. We await the exact language of the executive order and will continue to monitor this situation on behalf of our clients and the communities we serve.
