Attorneys at The Legal Aid Society are urging state lawmakers to extend its current eviction moratorium policy past its May 1 expiration date – a move that would protect thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers who are counting on the assistance promised by New York’s $2.4 billion rent relief program.

Two weeks after lawmakers finalized requirements for the program – and only days from the moratorium expiration – the program has yet to launch, putting tens of thousands of New Yorkers at risk of losing their homes.

Ellen Davidson, an attorney with The Legal Aid Society, told Law360 that she would be less concerned with the rent relief launch timeline if longer-term eviction protections were certain.

“If it weren’t for the worry that we will be without an eviction moratorium after April 30, I would say that while I want [the rent relief program] to open, it’s more important for it to open well,” she said.