The housing authority says it has identified about 61,500 households with rental debt that may qualify for the new assistance funds, which they will be able to apply for by completing a consent form on NYCHA’s self-service portal.
Adi Talwar
June 19, 2023: NYCHA housing in Claremont Village, Bronx, NY.
This article was originally published in English on October 17. Translated by Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) will distribute up to $185 million to help pay rent owed to certain public housing households, thanks to an injection of funds from state governments and to help eradicate the hundreds of millions of dollars in back rent accumulated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The housing authority says it has identified approximately 61,500 households with rental debt that are eligible for the new relief funds, based on eligibility criteria that include earning less than or equal to 50 percent of the area’s median income (equivalent to $77,650 per year for a family of four).
According to NYCHA, these families have already begun to be informed by mail, home calls, robocalls, text messages and emails.
Residents will then have to apply for help by filling out a consent form at the NYCHA self-service portalwhich will allow the housing authority to request payment on your behalf. Tenants will only see an option to fill out the form in their online accounts—through an “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” label—if they have been deemed eligible by NYCHA.
“This opportunity will help many households take a load off their shoulders and get their lives back to normal,” Daniel Barber, a NYCHA Jackson Houses resident who chairs the Citywide Council of Presidents, said in a statement Thursday. of the entire city.
The $185 million comes from two separate initiatives: $35 million allocated by New York State through its COVID-19 Rental Assistance (CRA) program, and up to $150 million awarded by the Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the federal HOME American Rescue Plan Program, or HOME-ARP.
Households selected for CRA state aid can receive funds to cover up to 12 months of unpaid rent accrued between March 2020 and May 2023, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The federal HOME-ARP aid, by contrast, will cover up to six months of rental debt starting in March 2020, a NYCHA spokesperson said.
Not all households that request it will ultimately receive aid, due to a shortage of funds. Households that qualify for both programs will be able to receive funding from both, although they will not receive help twice for the same month. according to a list of FAQ included on NYCHA website.
The rental debt has other implications: Rent payments fund a third of NYCHA’s operating budget, and losses impact its ability to maintain properties and make repairs, officials say.
“We have fought tirelessly for our NYCHA residents to get their fair share of rental assistance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am delighted that these two new programs complement the help that came through ERAP,” she said Thursday. NYCHA Executive Director Lisa Bova-Hiatt said in a statement.
For more information about CRA and HOME-ARP aid, visit NYCHA’s website here.
To contact the reporter for this story, email [email protected].
