Notify Struggling Tenants of Rent Relief Program

The DHCR is currently administering a COVID Rent Relief Program that will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the owner. Applicants won’t need to repay this assistance. Applications will be accepted from July 16 through July 30.

The program is not first come, first served. The DHCR will prioritize eligible households with “greatest economic and social need,” accounting for income, rent burden, percent of income lost, and risk of homelessness. The rental assistance payment will cover the difference between the household’s rent burden on March 1, 2020, and the increase in rent burden for the months the households is applying for assistance. Households can apply for up to four months in rental assistance.

If your tenants might meet the eligibility criteria, you should notify them about the application process. Eligible tenants must meet the following criteria:

• Before March 1, 2020, and at the time of application, a tenant’s household income must have been below 80 percent of the area median income, adjusted for household size. Applicants can find their county’s area median income, based on their household size, at www.hcr.ny.gov/eligible-income-limits-80-ami-county.
• Before March 1, 2020, and at the time of application, the tenant must have been paying more than 30 percent of gross monthly income towards rent. Gross income includes wages, as well as any cash grants, such as child support, Social Security, unemployment benefits, etc.
• Applicants must have lost income during the period of April 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020.

The application and an FAQ with more information can be found at https://hcr.ny.gov/RRP. The FAQ is available in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Haitian Creole, and Bengali.