The federal government recently extended a national pandemic-inspired eviction moratorium another month to give tenants and landlords more time to work things out. And while New York state has even stronger protections in place to prevent people from being forced out of their homes, these efforts alone won't be enough to solve a problem that's a lot more complex than COVID-19 economics.
New York has been working with a $2 billion fund to help pay overdue rent and utilities for people who can show that the pandemic had a direct effect on their ability to pay their bills. On the face of it, it's a good plan. But compiling the documentation needed to apply for aid is a big ask for a lot of people, the state needs four to six weeks to process a completed application. Also, the $2 billion isn't going to go nearly far enough to cover everyone's costs.
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We believe that New York is making a good-faith effort to address evictions. Landlords can't be expected to keep paying for upkeep, repairs — and property taxes — if they aren't recouping their costs. At the same time, we can't fathom the thought of thousands of New York families being forcibly put out of their homes.
As the economy continues to recover and companies are hiring again, some estimate that one in five New York households are still behind on rent. But even if every landlord could be made whole regarding overdue rent, there will continue to be too many families with insufficient income to stay on top of their basic living expenses. It is an unsustainable situation and it can't all be blamed on the pandemic.
Intervening in this emergency situation is absolutely the right thing to do, but a comprehensive plan involving multiple state agencies is going to be required to find people the help they need to avoid falling behind next year and the year after that.
мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ editorial board includes publisher Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.