Gov. Hochul to hold special session on extending eviction ban Wednesday

Kevin Duffy-Greaves of Legal Services NYC recommends applying for the state’s Rental Assistance Program, which could place a tenant’s eviction case on hold until their applications are decided.

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2021, 1:06 AM

Updated 1,131 days ago

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Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are at risk of losing their homes now that the state’s eviction moratorium expired.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling a special session Wednesday to discuss an extension to the eviction ban.
Kevin Duffy-Greaves of Legal Services NYC says while the eviction ban expired, New Yorkers should not worry about losing their homes immediately as the eviction process could take time between court hearings and tenants being served eviction notices.
He says that tenants facing eviction should look into resources that could help them delay the process.
“...Just don’t ignore notices from the court when you have a court date. You need to at least call in, otherwise your case might proceed," Duffy-Greaves says.
He also recommends applying for the state’s Rental Assistance Program, which could place a tenant’s eviction case on hold until their applications are decided.
Duffy-Greaves says there is still money available in the program -- only a tenth of the money in New York has gone out.
“They’re still taking applications and eventually if we don’t get enough applications, the state might have to give the money back to the federal government."
The governor says expanding the Emergency Rental Assistance Program will also be up for discussion.