The Threat of Evictions for N.Y. Renters

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It’s Friday.

Weather: A gorgeous end of the week — breezy and mostly sunny today, with a high in the low 80s. Sunny and close to 80 over the weekend, though a storm could show up late Sunday.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until Aug. 15 (Feast of the Assumption).

Credit…Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The threat of evictions is looming larger for struggling renters.

For more than a year, tenants who were unable to make payments during the pandemic were shielded by protections against the practice. But the national moratorium on evictions is set to expire on Saturday.

In New York, however, the timeline is slightly longer: The state’s eviction moratorium is not set to expire until the end of August. Still, as the ban’s expiration date grows closer, worries have mounted for many of those who owe months of unpaid rent and could face homelessness.

[Read more from my colleague Matthew Haag on what will happen when the ban lapses.]

Here are a few things to know:

What’s the timetable?

The state eviction moratorium was extended several times throughout the worst months of the pandemic. But state officials have not indicated that its expiration will be pushed back again.

President Biden pushed Congress this week for a one-month extension of the federal moratorium — which would bring it to the end of August — though congressional aides said the last-minute timing of the effort makes it unlikely to succeed.

What resources are available for those who are struggling?

The state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program began accepting applications last month and could cover up to a year’s worth of unpaid rent, as well as a year’s worth of unpaid utilities.

There are qualifications to meet to be eligible, and the program has faced challenges and gotten off to a slow start (as my colleague Mihir Zaveri has reported). But applicants can call a state hotline at 844-691-7368 for assistance, and many local organizations are also helping to navigate the process and hurdles.

How many eviction cases are pending in court?

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 62,000 eviction cases have been filed in New York City Housing Court, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. One analysis suggests that renters who have been sued in housing court owe an average of $8,150 in unpaid rent, though the actual amount is likely to be even higher.

Even though courts have allowed cases to be filed during the pandemic, nearly all of the cases have been on pause until after moratorium lapses.

But not all areas of the city are facing the issue on the same level: The Bronx, for example, holds eight of the 10 ZIP codes with the highest rates of eviction cases filed during the pandemic.

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Want more news? Check out our full coverage.

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

A bus crash in the Bronx left more than a dozen people injured, with at least one taken to the hospital in critical condition. [Daily News]

A Wegmans store is set to open at the former site of the Astor Place Kmart in Manhattan — making it the second in New York City. [Gothamist]

What we’re watching: The Times’s Metro reporter Andy Newman discusses the battles over moving homeless people in New York from hotels into shelters on “The New York Times Close Up With Sam Roberts.” The show airs on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. [CUNY TV]

And finally: Your social weekend

The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:

While people are still connecting through virtual events and programs, with the summer season here and more people getting vaccinated, venues and organizations are holding in-person events. Here are suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend:

In-person: Tall Sam Trio

On Friday at 5 p.m., watch a performance by Tall Sam at Washington Street in Dumbo, as part of the “Daily Dose of Dumbo” series.

Visit the event page for more info.

Virtual: Ella Fitzgerald & the Gershwins

Learn about the lives and legacy of Ella Fitzgerald and George and Ira Gershwin, and their collaborative work, on “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book” on Friday at 7 p.m.

Purchase tickets ($10) on the event page.

In-person or virtual: History of Immigration in Queens

On Saturday at 2:30 p.m., visit Kingsland Homestead in Queens for a talk about how the borough’s immigration history shaped it.

Purchase tickets ($5) on the event page.

It’s Friday — learn something new.

Metropolitan Diary: Staten Island Ferry

Dear Diary:

In 1969 I was 21 and visiting New York from Vancouver, British Columbia. I had never been away from home, and had been lured to the city by Broadway and every old movie from the 1930s and ’40s.

My first night in Manhattan, I was excited to get on the Staten Island Ferry. I was hoping that someone would sing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” à la Astaire and Rogers.

Wondering which side of the boat had the best view of Manhattan, I asked a deckhand where I should go to see something beautiful.

“Florida,” he said.

— Verna Hall

Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Read more Metropolitan Diary here.

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