Albany, NY – In response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to extend New York’s eviction moratorium for an additional two months, but not cancel rent, Rebecca Garrard, Campaigns Manager for Housing Justice at Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement:
“New York’s tenants have been met with woefully inadequate responses to this crisis. At a time when millions are unemployed and federal stimulus packages have left so many people out, the Governor is refusing to take actions that will provide relief to those who need it most.
“Instead of looking for solutions that will help millions of tenants across the state, Governor Cuomo continues to make policy decisions that delay the inevitable: mass evictions when the moratorium ends. By August 20 – the moratorium’s new expiration date – tenants who were furloughed, laid off or had their work hours reduced will be responsible for months of back rent.
“While the Governor waived late fees for residential and commercial tenants, this is not a solution to the crisis. Instead, he should immediately cancel rents in order to prevent a catastrophic increase in the number of those already experiencing the abuse of homelessness. PowerPoint slides will not address the needs of his most impacted constituents during this pandemic.”