The Legal Aid Society called on Governor Andrew Cuomo and other leaders in Albany to extend New York’s eviction moratorium which is set to expire in just a few weeks on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, as reported by the Norwood News.

A new COVID-19 spike coupled with the sluggish distribution of rent relief funds makes it essential that Albany extend tenant protections to prevent widespread evictions and homelessness.

“Without action, thousands of families from across the state will face inevitable eviction come September, losing their homes just as we experience a surge in Delta variant COVID-19 cases,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

“New York State’s Emergency Rent Relief Program has not acted quickly enough to get money into the hands of tenants and landlords who need it,” she continued. “Fewer than 5,000 applications out of 160,000 have been processed in the past two months. Less than half of 1% of over $2 billion dollars in available aid has been paid. The moratorium must be extended to allow time for those funds to be distributed. We call on Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to act at once.”