Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the state of New York has so far disbursed only a portion of the billions of dollars in federal and state aid intended to help renters and landlords who have struggled financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released August 16, by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office. The comptroller determined that only $108.8 million out of a total of more than $2 billion has been paid out under the Emergency Rental Assistance Fund, as of August 12. “There are billions in federal aid to help renters who fell behind on payments in the pandemic, but this money isn’t getting to them,” DiNapoli said. The report faulted poor management of the program and its implementation by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. In many instances aid has not reached low-income people and people of color, especially in New York City. The report also comes as lawmakers are being urged to return to Albany for a special legislative session and to strengthen the state's eviction moratorium, which is set to expire at the end of the month. The state is lagging behind the rest of the country in providing aid. New York and South Carolina are the only two states to have not distributed any money through the month of June, DiNapoli said. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.