Governor Cuomo recently announced, COVID Rent Relief Program, a new rental assistance program that will help low income families keep their homes.  This program provides aid to families whose income has been directly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to lighten the financial burden of New York’s most vulnerable families in their time of need.

The rental assistance program will directly remit a one-time payment to landlords/housing providers on behalf of qualifying applicants. Applicants can request up to four months in rental assistance for the months of April through July. Tenants are not being asked to repay the assistance. To apply, tenants must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be a renter with a primary residence in New York State.
  • Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, household income (including unemployment benefits) must be below 80 percent of the Area Median Income, adjusted for household size. Applicants can find the Area Median Income for their county, based on household size, on HCR’s website here.
  • Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, the household must have been “rent burdened,” which is defined as paying more than 30 percent of gross monthly income towards rent.
  • Applicants must have lost income during any period between April 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020.
  • The application period will be open for two weeks. Residents can apply any time during the two-week period.

The application became available on July 16, 2020 and can be found here. Please note the application period ends on July 30, 2020. More information about the COVID Rent Relief Program, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available here.