Program aims to help renters

Subsidies available for some who lost income during pandemic

Tenants struggling to pay rent in New York will soon be able to access relief.

Starting Thursday, renters who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic can apply for rental assistance from $100 million in federal funds that have been set aside.

Under the program, eligible households will receive a onetime rental subsidy paid directly to landlords and housing providers, which tenants won’t have to pay back.

The program will be administered through the state’s Homes and Community Renewal, which will prioritize households with the greatest need, considering income, rent burden, lost income and the risk of homelessness. Applications will be available for two weeks.

To qualify for the program, a person must be a renter with a primary residence in New York and must live in a household with at least one person who has U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. They must meet the following criteria prior to March 1 and at the time of the application:

■ Household income, including unemployment benefits, must be below 80 percent of the area median income, adjusted for household size. Applicants can find the area median income for their county, based on household size, on HCR’S website, https://hcr.ny.gov/.

■ The household must have been “rent burdened,” which is defined as paying more than 30 percent of gross monthly income towards rent.

■ Applicants must have lost income during any period between April 1 and July 31.

The assistance will cover the difference between a household’s rent burden on March 1 and the increase in rent burden during the period when the household is applying for assistance. Those seeking relief can apply for up to four months of assistance for April through July. The program covers payments for renters in apartments, single-family homes, manufactured homes and manufactured home lots.

Renters who receive Section 8 or live in public housing are not eligible for the assistance.

To apply for the program, visit https://hcr.ny.gov/rrp.