On Wednesday, Assemblyman Matt Simpson (R,C,I-Horicon) joined his Minority Conference colleagues in the Assembly and Senate to call on the governor to release $1.3 billion in rent relief funds. The $1.3 billion was allocated to New York state back in December 2020 with the intent of helping renters while simultaneously protecting property owners. If these funds are not distributed by September 30, 2021, they will be returned to Washington D.C., and New York renters/landlords will be left to struggle with mounting bills. Many believe these funds should already have been released, as residents are struggling to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In a more normal year, this hold-up of funding would-be front-page news,” said Simpson. “It is inexplicable that this federally-allocated money is still being held up by the governor. Sending this money back to Washington D.C. is beneficial to no one. It needs to be given to those who are truly suffering from the economic downfall of the pandemic.

“I have heard from countless landlords who are being forced to sell their property because they can no longer maintain the facility due to a lack of rental payments. As a matter of fact, 37% of all landlords are unable to make capital investments to meet the obligations of even bringing a rental unit to market. It is an urgent matter to release this $1.3 billion to steady the housing market, if this market is not steadied, we will face an unnecessary economic downturn,” concluded Simpson.