Evictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thousands of renters in New York City currently are protected by the State moratorium or CDC guidance to halt evictions are facing the impending end of the moratorium on May 1, 2021.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that over 30 million Americans may be at risk of losing their homes in the new year if no new action is taken.
In New York City, many renters were already in a precarious position prior to the pandemic, with many low-income households putting a significant portion of their income towards their rent and lack sufficient savings or emergency funds to carry them through missed work or lost wages.
There are currently 14,000 active eviction warrants posed to move forward following the lifting of the moratorium. Thousands of New Yorkers may be in need of assistance who are facing eviction, losing their housing and entering the shelter system.
The Committee seeks a plan from the Department of Social Services for the upcoming lifting of the moratorium and potentially significant influx of clients.
Unemployment in NYC
Unemployment Rate Change
Unemployment rates in 2020 started below 2019 rates. Once a New York State stay-in-place measures began in March 2020, unemployment increased to 15% in April, peaking to 20% in June and still remaining high with 12% in November.
Eviction Trends in NYC
Eviction and housing loss are demonstrated to be particularly threatening to individual and public health during a pandemic, as evictions are likely to increase COVID-19 infection rates because it can contribute to overcrowding in living arrangements and doubling up, as well as transiency, and a decreased ability to comply with public health guidance like social distancing.
Efforts have been made at the federal, state, and local level to help tenants and prevent evictions.
The eviction moratoriums and the subsequent extensions demonstrate the priority of keeping people in their homes as a strategy to mitigate both the economic and public health devastation of the pandemic
Residential Evictions
Evictions have been decreasing since 2017 and continued to do so through 2019 and up to March of 2020 when the New York State eviction moratorium began.
There were 1,511 evictions in February 2019, while 1,051 evictions in February 2020, a 30% decrease.
Eviction Filings
Since the New York State Eviction Moratorium came into effect on March 20, 2020 over 41,000 eviction filings have been submitted to the courts in NYC.
The filings are most concentrated in neighborhoods in the Bronx as well as Corona, Queens where individual zip codes each have over 1000 filings.
Tenant Harassment
In 2017, New York City had a vacancy rate of 3.63 %, which has led to a continuation of the decades-long declaration of a housing emergency in our City.
Unfortunately, there is concern that landlords may be bringing frivolous eviction lawsuits in order to create more vacant apartments.
This is particularly true where the tenant resides in a rent-regulated apartment and has actually paid rent or intentionally withheld rent because the landlord failed to make necessary repairs.
Landlords sometimes use construction to remove tenants by doing renovations in occupied buildings, creating hazards to make apartments uninhabitable, and forcing tenants to choose between protecting their health and staying in their homes. This practice, also known as “construction as harassment”.
Bronx: 5,850 Evictions (34%)
Brooklyn: 4,886 Evictions (29%)
Manhattan: 2,292 Evictions (14%)
Queens: 3,350 Evictions (20%)
Staten Island: 597 Evictions (3%)
Total: 16,975 Evictions
Eviction Rate
Some boroughs have more residential units than others.
The Bronx has the highest rate of evictions.
Though Brooklyn experiences a lot of evictions, the borough also has a large number of residential units, so the rate of eviction is less.
Bronx: 1 Eviction per 79 Units.
Brooklyn: 1 Eviction per 166 Units.
Manhattan: 1 Eviction per 311 Units.
Queens: 1 Eviction per 195 Units.
Staten Island: 1 Eviction per 237 Units.
Total: 16,975 Evictions
Poverty & Severe Rent Burden
According to the 2019 Census PUMS microdata – the most recent data available – many New Yorkers were already struggling with burdensome rent prices.
Those who pay more than 50 percent of their household income for housing are considered to be living in severely rent-burdened households.
While information has been removed under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has previously stated that those who pay more than 30 percent of their household income for housing are considered to be living in rent-burdened households.
Data Source: American Community Survey
Note: Rent-burdened Household percentages combine rent-burdened and severely rent-burdened households
Homelessness in NYC
The average daily population of people in shelter at Department of Homeless Services Shelters, as of September 2020 was 54,365, the lowest it has been since January 2014.
The decrease in the overall population is due to the families leaving/not entering shelter. However, the number of single adults continues to increase.
Homeless in NYC
As of October 2020, the majority of individuals in shelter are from the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Community Boards in the Bronx (1, 3, and 6) have the most severe per capita homelessness situations.
Community Board 3 (Morrisania / Crotona Park East) has almost 2200 individuals in shelter per 100,000 residents.
NYC Homeless Shelter Population, by Age
When looking at the daily homeless shelter population by age, families with children, specifically the children, are driving the shelter population down.
There has been a steady increase in the single adult population in homeless shelters, with a small dip in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Shelter entrants aged between 45-64 make up the majority of the single adult population, while those 65 and over make the least.
NYC Homeless Shelter Population, by Race
In the current fiscal year to date (FY2021), Black people make the majority of the homeless population in shelters with 56% of heads of households, followed by Hispanics with 31%.
In addition, Black people make up close to 60% within the single adult population in shelters.
Newly Homeless in NYC
Between May 2020 and October 2020, the majority of Community Boards in NYC experienced a decrease in individuals entering shelter compared to 2019.
For example, Community Board 5 in Brooklyn (East New York / Starrett City) had an average of 476 fewer homeless individuals (-18%) compared to 2019.
Data Sources and Info
All data shown is from the most recently available sources as of January 2021.
Unemployment
Rent Burden
Evictions
- NYC Evictions
Executed evictions data is available at the zipcode level and daily from January 2017 to the present. Due to the moratorium, there has been a halt to evictions starting in March 2020.
- NYC Housing Court Filings
Eviction Filing data is also available at the zipcode level and daily from January 2016 to the present.
Homelessness
For feedback, comments, and questions please email Data@council.nyc.gov.
Created by the NYC City Council Data Team.