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LAS Breaks Down Rent Relief Funding on Capital Tonight

Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Law Reform Unit, appeared on Spectrum News’ Capital Tonight to discuss developments in New York State’s rent relief program, which received a federal infusion of $1.3 billion from Congress last month.

While the increased funding is welcome news to many New Yorkers, concerns remain over the restrictions that govern the application process, which accounted for the inability of the state to fully disburse its 2020 funds to struggling tenants. It’s been widely reported that only $40 million of that $100 million was spent.

“[They] made the requirements so narrow that even though we know that there are so many people out of there, hundreds of thousands of families who cannot afford to pay their rent and did not get access to this money,” Goldiner said. “I am really going to beg them not to do a program that’s frankly this stupid. Just, don’t be stupid.”

Watch the full segment here.