A new investment from the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program is lending a hand to New York City Housing Authority tenants who are behind on their rent.  

The city says 73,000 households in the NYCHA system are behind on rent, totaling $533 million. Many of those behind on rent are still feeling the economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“We were definitely hit hard with food insecurity, with people that lost their jobs, people that couldn’t afford to stay afloat,” said Norma Saunders, president of the tenant’s association at the Bronx River Houses.  

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program is giving $95 million in relief for NYCHA tenants. That money is already being distributed to 15,000 households for funds they weren’t eligible for at the peak of COVID-19.  

The Legal Aid Society released a statement saying that NYCHA residents should have never been denied the critical funds from the state’s rental assistance program.  

The city says that over $350 million is being invested in public housing and Section 8 housing from city, state, and federal government.