POUGHKEEPSIE – A report by NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli indicates that the state is withholding federal funds earmarked for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, as president of the New York State County Executives Association, is using the report to demand that the state release the funds to help tenants stave off evictions.
In a letter to the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), Molinaro said, “As noted in the recent report issued by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, OTDA did not distribute ERAP assistance to any households in June 2021, making New York State the only state in the nation to not distribute these funds. In that same period, Monroe County, Onondaga County, and the Town of Islip aided hundreds of households through their own stand-alone rental assistance program.”
DiNapoli’s critical report says in part, “Last year, New York State provided $100 million in federal aid through the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) under its COVID Rent Relief Program. It awarded about half of the funding in subsidies to households that applied, largely because of strict eligibility guidelines that required renters to prove they had been low-income and rent-burdened before March 1, 2020, leaving the other half of funds untouched for aiding renters with direct relief.”
Both Comptroller DiNapoli and County Executive Molinaro, joined by county executives across the state are calling for the state to change the relief process prior to the August 31 expiration of the eviction moratorium.
Molinaro said, “Since June, the distribution has continued to trail the rest of the nation. Technical glitches and lack of available data from OTDA have only exacerbated this issue while the end of the New York State Eviction Moratorium on August 31st rapidly approaches. Due to this colossal failure on the part of OTDA, New York State may be at risk of having its federal rental assistance reallocated to other jurisdictions and will forfeit the opportunity to receive additional funds through the reallocation of funds from other states and localities.”
