Money for the Emergency Rental Assistance program is drying up, and New York State is requesting more funding.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is asking the federal government for almost $1 billion in additional funds to meet ongoing demand of renters who are struggling to pay their rents due to Covid.
But while the state waits to hear back from Washington, the City of Buffalo is helping eligible tenants with rental assistance through the relaunch of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency's STAND-UP Buffalo program. It will provide at least an additional $2 million in assistance to income-eligible renters who owe six months or less of unpaid rent due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Individuals can begin the application process by calling 211. After the initial intake call, they will be referred to one of the following community partners to compile the required documentation and formally submit their application:
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- Heart of the City Neighborhoods
- Old First Ward Community Center
- University District Community Development Association
- Belmont Housing Resources
- Buffalo Urban League
- Catholic Charities of Western New York
- The Center for Elder Law and Justice
- The Belle Center
- Harvest House Buffalo
- Matt Urban Hope Center
- Metro Community Development Center
- Neighborhood Legal Services
- Restoration Society
“My administration is committed to using every resource available to continue helping struggling residents who need rental assistance as a result of the disruptions in our work and economic lives directly or indirectly related to the pandemic,” said Mayor Byron Brown. “The rising number of COVID cases in Western New York is only the latest demonstration that this pandemic is not over yet. That is why the city is re-launching its STAND-UP Buffalo rental assistance services because no family should have to begin the holiday season in danger of being evicted.”
STAND-UP Buffalo started in February to address housing and small business needs resulting from the pandemic. A series of direct-assistance grants and programs were made available. Buffalo received $11 million from the federal CARES Act and other funding sources to fund STAND-UP Buffalo.
Buffalo partnered with the state’s Office of Temporary Disability for distribution of ERAP funds. The program has provided rental assistance to more than 2,600 residents and disbursed approximately $17.4 million in aid to tenants in Buffalo, Brown said.
Hochul announced Nov. 12 that ERAP requests statewide exceed available funding and requested an additional $996 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Since June 1, when the state's ERAP program began accepting applications, the state has almost fully obligated its $2.4 million in federal funding, covering some 165,000 applications, including more than 81,000 direct payments to landlords.
In October, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance warned the program's federal funding was almost entirely committed, except in limited areas where allocations have not yet been exhausted. Tenants in Niagara, Dutchess, Nassau, Oneida, Saratoga, Suffolk and Westchester counties can apply until the money runs out in those locations.
