New York City has an emergency rental assistance program to help New Yorkers avoid homelessness that’s funded by your tax dollars.

A new survey, however, found that some people in the program are missing out on housing opportunities due to mismanagement.

Program participants report application delays, late payments

The nonprofit Unlock NYC recently surveyed people who get assistance from the city’s Human Resources Administration (HRA), which provides rental assistance and broker fees to help New Yorkers move out of homeless shelters.

Their new report says 42% of the people surveyed said the agency doesn’t respond when they need help. Half said they lost housing opportunities due to application delays, and 25% said they were at risk of eviction due to a late HRA payment to their landlord.

The city would not agree to an interview on the Unlock NYC report but said in a statement it “connected a record number of New Yorkers to permanent homes” over the last year, adding, “We also remain committed to looking into and addressing any cases where New Yorkers may be facing issues accessing critical services.”

While a spokesperson accused Unlock of using a small and selective sample, Unlock says it interviewed nearly 200 New Yorkers for the report.

Those aren’t the only challenges for New Yorkers on rental assistance. 

An Emmy-winning CBS News New York investigation in 2023 revealed how some landlords and realtors turn people away illegally.

“It’s very dysfunctional”

Realtor Paris Dickey overcame homelessness, and now his work helping others do the same earns praise not just from clients but from City Hall. But today, he’s criticizing the HRA

“There are wonderful people that work at HRA, but at the same time, it’s very dysfunctional,” he said. “Nobody’s doing their job, you know? I’m not gonna say nobody, but for the most part, a lot of people are falling by the wayside.”

A separate audit from the city comptroller’s office earlier this year found that, before the pandemic, the HRA processed applications for emergency rental assistance much faster – 30 to 60 days, compared to 10 to 12 months now. The comptroller says the program needs more staffing.

“It’s been a horrible experience all around, and there’s no one that’s paying any attention to these people because they’re marginalized,” Dickey said.