New York Has $2.7 Billion for Rent Relief. Many Have Yet to Receive Aid.

The program, designed to prevent mass evictions, has gotten off to a slow start, advocates said. And the end of the state’s eviction moratorium looms.

When New York launched a sweeping rent relief program in June, the aim was to safeguard the state’s recovery from the pandemic by keeping tens of thousands of people who fell behind on rent out of financial ruin and in their homes. The state set aside about $2.7 billion, the vast majority from federal pandemic relief packages, with New York providing some funding. But after nearly two months and despite the staggering need, New York has been among the slowest states in distributing help. In fact, federal figures showed that by the end of June, New York was one of only two states where no aid had been sent out, even though the state’s eviction moratorium is set to expire in just a few weeks.