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New York State Homes and Community Renewal(HCR)

COVID Rent Relief Program Deadline Extended to August 6th 2020.

Overview & Eligibility

The COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance. The Covid Rent Relief Program is not first come, first served. Applications will be accepted throughout the two-week application period. HCR 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.

Eligible households must meet the following criteria:

  • Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, household income must have been below 80% of the area median income, adjusted for household size. You can find what the 80% AMI limit for your county and household size is here: www.hcr.ny.gov/eligible-income-limits-80-ami-county
  • Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, the household must have been paying more than 30% of gross monthly income towards rent.  Gross income includes wages as well as any cash grants, child support, social security, unemployment benefits, etc.)
  • Applicants have less monthly income in any month between April 2020 and July 2020 than they did prior to March 1, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • See our FAQs below for more information.

To apply see the application section of this page below.

HCR has created a dedicated call center to provide residents with help Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Call the COVID Rent Relief Program Call Center at 1-833-499-0318 or email at covidrentrelief@hcr.ny.gov

The Application period which started on Thursday, July 16th and ran for 2 weeks, HAS BEEN EXTENDED until August 6th 2020.

In order to qualify, applicants must have:
1. Primary residence in NYS;
2. Income below 80% Area Median Income;
3. Experienced a rent burden, defined as paying more than 30% of gross monthly income towards rent;
4. Lost income during any period between April 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020;
5. Rent not greater than 125% of Fair Market Rent; and,
6. At least one household member must be a U.S. Citizen or meet one of the immigration criteria found at https://hcr.ny.gov/prwora-immigration-status-eligibility-and-common-documents.
Households living in public housing or in receipt of Section 8 housing assistance are not eligible for RRP.

To apply and for more information, visit https://hcr.ny.gov/RRP or call the SBCO office for assistance applying for this program at 718 435 1300.

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The HOME Program is a group of local neighborhood agencies providing vital housing related services. HOME is an acronym for Home Options Made Easy – a collaborative effort in which member housing agencies have joined forces to provide a full menu of housing services to the public. HOME associates include HUD certified housing counselors who offer counseling services which meet the National Industry Standards for Home-ownership Education and Counseling. Services are provided in a friendly, welcoming environment which guarantees the client’s privacy when discussing sensitive information. The HOME network of agencies is YOUR network. We live in YOUR community, we share YOUR ethnic diversity and cultural make-up, we experience the same challenges as YOU and work with hand-in-hand with YOU to find satisfactory advice for YOUR situation.Services include:

Mortgage Counseling – Guides potential homeowners through the home purchase process including pre- and post- purchase counseling; review of financial readiness to become a homeowner including review of finances, income and expenses; helping obtain a mortgage; applying for downpayment assistance grants.

Foreclosure Counseling – Assists homeowners facing or about to face the foreclosure process, including applying for loan modification from the financial institution.

Housing Relocation – Matches tenants looking for housing with landlords who have vacant units available.

SCRIE/DRIE – Also known as the Rent Freeze Program, qualifying applicants can receive assistance from a member of the NYC Department of Finance Task Force to have their rent frozen at the current level and be exempt from most future increases.