NY’s Rent-Relief Fiasco

One week after The Post called out the state’s horrific delay in sending needy tenants the $2.4 billion in relief available under the federal CARES Act, Sen. Chuck Schumer followed up.

“Thousands and thousands of New York tenants could be deprived of critical rent relief checks if the state doesn’t move more quickly on getting this money out,” Schumer warned, demanding the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance “move heaven and earth to fix the mess, pick up the pace and get this federal money out the door

before it’s too late for tenants and landlords.”

Property owners need the rent payments to cover maintenance, property taxes and other expenses. Tenants, meanwhile, fear being kicked out when the state’s eviction moratorium expires at the end of August.

The CARES Act passed Congress in January, but the Legislature didn’t OK the state program until April, and it wasn’t until June 1 that OTDA opened the application process.

OTDA spokesman Anthony Farmer told The Post that $130,000 in test batch payouts went out July 19 and the rest will start rolling out “in the coming weeks.”

The clock is ticking.