Renters in New York will have protection from evictions until at least Jan. 15, 2022, after New York state lawmakers voted to extend an eviction moratorium.
New York's protections are now some of the most expansive in the nation, where many people are struggling to keep their homes amid a disrupted pandemic economy and ongoing health threats from the coronavirus.
Renters have been sporadically covered by a patchwork of protections since the pandemic began, many of which have expired, been reupped, and worked their way through court challenges.
New York puts the new eviction protections in place shortly after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's temporary eviction ban on Aug. 26.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered an extraordinary session of the state's legislature to address the eviction crisis, calling the Supreme Court's decision "heartless."
"Under my watch, here in the State of New York we are not going to exacerbate what is already a crisis," she said. "We are not going to abandon our neighbors in need, especially since the State of New York failed in its responsibility to get the money that was allocated by Congress out to the people in need earlier this summer."
Renters behind on rent should have another form of assistance to stay in their homes: Federal aid — but the distribution has been spotty in some places.
This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.