Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams Announce $95 Million in State Funding Distributed for 15,000 NYCHA Households Through New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program has started distributing nearly $95 million to cover rental arrears for nearly 15,000 New York City Housing Authority residents. This milestone was achieved within the first six months after this funding was passed in the FY24 Enacted Budget. The $95 million for New York City Housing Authority tenants is part of the more than $350 million investment in public housing and Section 8 residents secured by Governor Hochul and the Legislature in the FY24 Enacted Budget.

“Tenants who live in public or subsidized housing deserve safe, livable and affordable homes," Governor Hochul said. "This major investment in public housing is helping 15,000 households stay in their homes, and I'm committed to working with NYCHA to ensure every eligible tenant gets the support they need."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “I grew up on the verge of homelessness, so I know how important affordable housing is to New Yorkers. When COVID first put our economy in free fall, and businesses were shutting down and laying people off, NYCHA residents were effectively excluded from emergency rental assistance available to other New Yorkers. For months, our administration partnered with residents and elected officials to advocate for the support they needed, and I’m proud that we are delivering for them today. Our teams sat down and built a process that will get struggling families up to a full year of financial relief — and we have already submitted $128 million worth of applications on behalf of 33,000 New York City households. I want to thank Governor Hochul, our partners in the Senate and Assembly, and everyone in our administration who figured out how to get this done and fast-track it so we can get support to those who need it as quickly as possible. The investments we are making today through Emergency Rental Assistance Program are not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do because investing in New Yorkers today, will pay dividends tomorrow.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “Over the past several years, we have fought to get critical rental assistance and aid to families in our state that have struggled to make ends meet since the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. The funding that we secured in this year’s budget was a lifeline for NYCHA and public housing residents. This ERAP funding has given thousands of New Yorkers the rental relief they desperately needed, and given NYCHA the ability to cover operational costs. We will continue working to help New Yorkers stay in their homes and to have access to safe, affordable housing.”

Governor Hochul and the Legislature secured over $1.15 Billion to supplement federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funding in the FY 2023 and 2024 Enacted Budgets, including $391 Million towards rental arrears assistance, with $350 Million of that amount supporting New York State’s ERAP for public and subsidized housing residents, including NYCHA, and $35 million specifically to pay New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) tenant arrears in addition to the ERAP funding.

The state legislation authorizing ERAP required that tenants of subsidized housing could not be paid until all other applications had been considered. The FY2024 Budget specified that the more than $350 million in additional state funding is for applications including those from tenants of public housing and other publicly subsidized housing. Receipt of these state ERAP payments positively impacts NYCHA’s ability to provide critical services to residents.

To date, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has received payments totaling $94.8 million on behalf of 14,863 households. In an effort to connect as many households as possible to ERAP funds, New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA) partnered with NYCHA to establish a process that provided up to 12 months of financial relief to households that accumulated rent arrears at the height of the pandemic.

Governor Hochul previously signed legislation creating the New York Public Housing Preservation Trust, aimed at addressing overdue repairs, rehabilitation, and modernization of the 25,000 NYCHA apartments. The Preservation Trust will enable billions in federal funding to support needed repairs and improvements. Governor Hochul has signed multiple laws to support tenants in New York, most recently signing legislation requiring NYCHA to quickly inform residents if water is unsafe for drinking or cooking.

Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the state has provided $1.25 billion in vital capital dollars for NYCHA, in addition to $135 million in FY24.

New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Acting Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “OTDA is grateful to Governor Hochuland the legislature for providing the necessary funding to ensure that ERAP could assist NYCHA residents and other tenants of subsidized housing who suffered negative economic consequences of the pandemic and fell behind on their rent. The Governor has championed this program from the start of her tenure and New York was quickly recognized as a national leader in delivering this rental assistance with over 275,000 payments to help New Yorkers remain stably housed.”

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Providing relief to tenants, especially residents of affordable and public housing who struggled to pay rent during the Covid pandemic, is a critical step in addressing the housing crisis. Today, nearly 15,000 households are now able to catch up on rent payments and NYCHA will have the resources it needs to provide vital services to its residents. I am grateful to the Governor and the Legislature for their support of NYCHA residents and commitment to public housing.”

New York City Housing Authority CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt said, “NYCHA again expresses its gratitude to everyone who made this important rent relief possible, including Governor Kathy Hochul, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie, New York State Housing Chairs Senator Brian Kavanagh, and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal — in addition to Mayor Eric Adams and our City partners who provided steadfast support, and of course, the residents themselves, who fiercely advocated for this emergency funding. In securing these funds and ensuring program equity for public housing and subsidized tenants, New York State has demonstrated true leadership — and we are thrilled this much needed aid has started to be to see this aid be applied to resident accounts.”

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “During the Covid crisis, I fought for, and passed, billions of dollars in historic rental assistance for Americans at risk of eviction. Of the more than $46 billion in federal funding we secured, over $2.4 billion was allocated to New York. However, NYCHA residents still had significant need. I applaud Governor Hochul and the state legislature for continuing to protect New Yorkers from eviction by passing this critical funding and making sure NYCHA is able to continue to serve its residents. I also want to thank Leader Jeffries, Senator Gillibrand, Representative Velazquez, Speaker Heastie, Leader Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Kavanaugh and Assemblymembers Weinstein, Rosenthal, and Cymbrowitz for their work on this issue.”

Representative Nydia M. Velázquez said, “During the height of the pandemic, I worked diligently to secure federal rental assistance to ensure that working-class families and individuals could stay in their homes during an unprecedented crisis. Today, I’m proud that New York is continuing to deliver that aid by providing more than $350 million for public and affordable housing residents across New York, with $95 million directed to NYCHA tenants directly. This money, made possible by the federal government’s ERAP program, will help more than 15,000 NYCHA tenants and families with their back-dated rent. I want to thank Governor Hochuland the state legislature for their work to supplement federal ERAP funds and ensure that NYCHA residents can stay in their homes.”

Representative Gregory W. Meeks said, “The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program plays a vital role in safeguarding the well-being of individuals and families facing housing instability. Oftentimes, people experience unforeseen circumstances such as job loss, unexpected medical expenses or other financial challenges that can cause a devastating domino effect into homelessness. However, the $95 million in state funding provides families with the critical support they need to secure affordable housing. The NYS ERAP was created after Congress provided initial federal funding for emergency rental assistance and I am elated that the funding has continued at the state level. In Congress, I am a staunch advocate for housing security among underrepresented communities. I champion legislation that ensures New Yorkers have access to resources that lead them to housing security and homeownership. The funding allocation will go a long way in protecting against homelessness and fostering community stability.”

Representative Dan Goldman said, “I applaud Governor Kathy Hochul for working with the State Legislature to include $391 million for ERAP funding to support public housing residents. Many residents have been left with large sums of rent arrears since the COVID-19 pandemic which have caused them to live in fear of eviction. Although NYCHA committed to working with residents, the agency was left in a shortfall in their rent collection, forcing them and other PHAs to consider cutting services and staff, as they rely on rental payments to balance their budgets. However, thanks to the leadership of my colleagues Assemblymember Grace Lee and Senator Brian Kavanagh, the State is introducing this crucial safety net for residents and the housing authority. It is now Congress's turn to make sure we do the same for public housing residents nationwide.”

State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, “Since March 2020 when COVID-19 first hit New York, I have fought to provide emergency rental assistance—along with a 22-month eviction moratorium—to keep New Yorkers from being pushed out of their homes or being burdened by unpaid rent that accumulated when they lost jobs and income due to public health restrictions. I have been pleased to work closely with Governor Kathy Hochul and my colleagues in the legislature to fully fund the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and particularly to secure this final round of funding to cover residents of public housing, who applied and were eligible for ERAP but were relegated to the lowest priority due to an unjust provision deprioritizing these New Yorkers’ applications. Overall, we allocated nearly $4 billion in ERAP assistance, including more than $1 billion in State funds, a far larger state commitment than any other state. I thank the many tenant leaders, residents, public housing officials, and advocates who joined the fight for this critical funding, as well as Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie, Assembly Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, and Assemblymember Grace Lee. And I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and her ongoing commitment to ensuring that New Yorkers get the relief and support they need.”

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, “While the Emergency Rental Assistance Program provided a lifeline for tens of thousands of families, NYCHA residents were last on line for funding and initially received not a penny. I am proud to have been a leader in the effort to right that wrong by successfully fighting to add millions of dollars in ERAP funding specifically for NYCHA in the New York State budget. Working with Governor Hochul we ensured that NYCHA received a fair share of funding. I know that the $95 million in initial payments to NYCHA have proved to be critical, providing a tremendous sense of relief to many families and helping NYCHA to maintain adequate reserves and services to its residents."

Assemblymember Grace Lee said, “As the proud representative for thirteen NYCHA developments across Lower Manhattan, I saw firsthand how public and subsidized housing residents suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. The financial challenges they faced were immense, and I personally know many residents who had to make the unthinkable decision between paying their rent or burying their loved ones, putting food on the table for their families, or paying medical bills. Despite needing support the most, public and subsidized housing residents were deprioritized for emergency rent relief and denied access to the resources all other New Yorkers were given. The $391 million we secured to fund ERAP in this year’s state budget is life-changing relief for these residents and will allow thousands of families across New York State to stay in their homes. I thank the residents, my colleagues in the legislature, and Governor Hochul for fighting for this cause, and I look forward to continuing our work to provide safe, affordable, dignified housing to all New Yorkers.”

New York State Public Housing Authority Directors Association Executive Director and Syracuse Housing Authority President of William Simmons said, “The New York State Public Housing Authorities Directors association is very grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul, Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority leader Andrew Stewart Cousins and all of our partners in the state legislature for setting aside $391 Million ERAP Funding in this year’s state budget. For three years public housing authorities and our tenants have suffered financially from the pandemic and this funding will finally relieve the debt hanging over our heads. Public housing authorities were initially last on the list of ERAP eligibility, and thanks to Governor Hochul and our legislative leaders we are addressing this crisis.”

New York Housing Conference Executive Director Rachel Fee said, “We are grateful to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for this important support to provide housing stability for tenants in public housing. NYHCA is a vital affordable housing stock and public housing residents impacted by the pandemic, like other renters, need support to maintain their housing.”

The Community Preservation Corporation CEO Rafael E. Cestero said, “The fallout from the COVID pandemic is still a reality for many of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of public housing residents. The State’s ERAP funding will provide critical support to the Housing Authority, and will bring relief and stability to NYCHA households across the city. I applaud Governor Hochul, Senator Kavanagh, and Assemblymember Lee for their work to ensure that NYCHA residents get their fair share of the COVID relief resources needed for an equitable recovery from the pandemic for all New Yorkers."