New York was the last state in the country to send rental assistance money to needy tenants. 

But a report released Monday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office found there has been improvement in the distribution of federal and state money under the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which has been considered a lifeline for struggling households during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The program as of May 2023 has sent more than $3 billion out the door to about 250,000 applicants in New York statewide, DiNapoli's report found. The bulk of that money went to New York City households, followed by people in Suffolk, Westchester and Erie counties. 

Nevertheless, the burden of housing costs for tenants remains, DiNapoli said. As of May, households in the New York City Housing Authority units have not received funding under the program. The report found zip codes containing NYCHA housing represented nearly 79% of unpaid rental assistance requests under the program. 

“The Emergency Rental Assistance Program got off to a slow start in New York, at a time of great urgency,” DiNapoli said. “Two years later, funds have flowed to many of the households in need. Still, rent burdens continue to plague many amid relatively high inflation and housing costs. Officials must continue to prioritize keeping people in their homes and avoiding evictions as New York City manages its record-level shelter population and localities across the state deal with a housing affordability crisis and rising eviction actions. An added $356 million in funding from the state will help those who live in public housing and still waiting for assistance.”

More broadly, state officials have debated how to address housing costs in New York, though proposals from Gov. Kathy Hochul in the state budget this year faltered. 

Hochul last week unveiled a series of executive actions to address housing costs, including money for local governments in New York to boost infrastructure in exchange for making it easier to build.