NYC Pledges Assistance To Renters Amid Eviction Ban Fears

NEW YORK CITY — New York City will contact and offer assistance to 14,000 renters at-risk of getting kicked out of their homes if an eviction ban's lapse, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The moratorium got a last-minute renewal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as de Blasio and city officials pledged to help New York City renters going forward.

De Blasio on Thursday said ending the moratorium would be a "huge problem" that needs to be addressed by the state amid a coronavirus pandemic that caused 1.3 million New Yorkers to file for unemployment.

"If you don’t have a source of income, how the hell are you going to pay the rent?" he said.

The eviction moratorium was due to end Wednesday night but Cuomo gave it a reprieve. A new state law does protect New Yorkers who couldn't pay rent because of the pandemic, but it doesn't cover those facing eviction from before the coronavirus crisis.

That translates to roughly 14,000 New York City households who could be kicked out of their homes.

No actual evictions will forward because of a local court order, said Steve Banks, the city's Department of Social Services commissioner.

But the city still moved forward and contacted the 14,000 at-risk renters with offers of assistance, he said.

De Blasio said attorneys are looking into whether state law allows the city to order marshals not to carry out evictions. He said New York lawmakers should also pass a bill that allows tenants who missed rent to pay back landlords what is owed on an installment plan.