One-third of New Yorkers with children are struggling to pay rent

About one-third of people with children in the New York metropolitan area have reported that they’ve missed or deferred rent payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to census data from April through July.

The analysis from the Citizens Committee for Children and the Family Homelessness Coalition found that two-thirds of renters with children and earning less than $25,000 had little to no confidence that they would make their next rent payment. Nearly half of respondents earning between $29,000 and $49,999 felt the same.

About 31,000 people already have been living in New York City’s family shelters. “As the end of the eviction ban looms, thousands more vulnerable women and children of color are at risk of experiencing the trauma of homelessness,” the report reads.

Housing advocates have long feared that the pandemic and economic downturn will precipitate an eviction crisis across New York. Even though an eviction moratorium is in place, landlords are still able to file complaints in Housing Court to begin the legal process. More than 16,000 private eviction filing have been submitted since June 20, according to Documented. Corona, Queens, which is heavily populated by immigrants and has been hard-hit by the pandemic, saw the greatest number of filings.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of people living in New York City's family shelters.