The Legal Aid Society called on the Hochul Administration to allocate the $2 billion in pandemic recovery funding announced yesterday at her executive budget proposal briefing to homeless prevention initiatives, as reported by Law360.

Legal Aid is asking the Governor to fund the Homeless Access Voucher Program (HAVP), pending legislation that would provide housing vouchers to the homeless and those facing an imminent risk of homelessness.

“Now that the statewide eviction moratorium has expired, New Yorkers across the state who are behind on their rent face likely homelessness,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-In-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

“New York’s homelessness crisis was a crisis prior to the pandemic, and that crisis has only exacerbated since March 2020,” she continued. “Legal Aid calls on Governor Hochul to ensure that these funds are used to secure passage of HAVP to connect homeless New Yorkers to safe, affordable, and long-term housing.”

This past Saturday, New York’s eviction moratorium expired and Albany lawmakers failed to enact long-term, meaningful solutions – including HAVP and Good Cause eviction legislation – to keep tenants protected in their homes. New Yorkers behind on their rent across the state are now at risk of eviction. HAVP would enable New Yorkers to transition out of shelters or unsustainable housing situations into stable housing. HAVP also enables local housing agencies to avert evictions for non-payment of rent and other causes of displacement.