ALBANY COUNTY — On Friday, the United States Department of Agriculture extended, through Sept. 30, the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA.

“Actions like the one we’re announcing today are part of President Biden’s strategy to ensure a stable and equitable recovery from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and will provide continued protection for thousands of individuals and families in rural America,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson in a statement, making the announcement.

Beyond Sept. 30, the USDA will continue to support homeowners experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic by making loss mitigation options available to help keep them in their homes. Homeowners and renters can visit www.consumerfinance.gov/housing for information on their relief options, protections, and key deadlines from federal agencies.

The USDA reminded servicers on Friday that the Single Family foreclosure moratorium will expire on July 31. After that, no new foreclosure filings should occur until homeowners are reviewed for new options to reduce their payments and stay in their homes.

While the eviction moratorium for renters was set to end on July 31, the New York State Legislature extended the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020 through Aug. 31, 2021. It prohibits evictions and puts various tenant protections in place.

On Friday evening, the secretaries of the USDA, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Treasury together issued a statement, saying the foreclosure-related eviction moratoria have been extended until Sept. 30, 2021.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium is in place until July 31st, but the Supreme Court’s ruling made clear that CDC cannot extend the moratorium past its current expiration date,” said the joint statement. “In light of that decision, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking steps to protect renters at risk of eviction.”

The statement instructs the owners and operators of federally-assisted and financed rental housing to “make every effort to access Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) resources to avoid evicting a tenant for non-payment of rent. These resources are available in every state, and many counties and cities are also running local programs.”

The statement goes on, “Owners and operators of federally-assisted housing are stewards of important public resources and should access rental assistance both to prevent unnecessary human suffering and to protect the public investment in affordable housing.”

In Albany County, 15 percent of tenants are behind on rent with the average rent owed of $3,303, according to a New York Times analysis.

The Albany County Department of Social Services continues to host informational sessions to educate residents, check their eligibility, and help them sign up for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

The federally funded program is for renters who have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will be available to New Yorkers for up to one year of back rent, three months of future rental assistance and up to one year of owed utility payments.

All allocations will be sent directly to landlords or property owners on behalf of the tenants. There are no immigration status requirements to qualify for the program. Households eligible for rental arrears may also be eligible for help paying utility arrears at the same rental unit.

An informational session is scheduled for the Hilltowns on Monday, Aug. 2, at 2:30 p.m. at the Berne-Knox-Westerlo school at 1738 Helderberg Trail in Berne.

Boosting child care

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that New York State will administer nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding directly to child-care providers to help stabilize the industry and enable more parents to return to the workplace fulltime.

The funding — available through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act — will provide direct support to child-care programs and help replenish losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services will manage the grant funding. Funding applications will open Wednesday, Aug. 4.

“The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the critical role child care plays in supporting children, families, and businesses,” said Children and Family Services Commissioner Sheila Poole in a statement. “Throughout the pandemic, some child-care programs remained open to serve the families of essential workers who could not stay home. As more people return to work, child care is foundational to reopening our state’s economy.”

OCFS will award more than $10 million in technical assistance funds to 35 child-care resource and referral agencies and other key stakeholders to support child care providers in accessing and implementing the stabilization grants.

County’s infection rate hits 3.1%

The Capital Region continues to have the worst infection rate of the state’s 10 regions, at 3.21 percent as a seven-day average, as of Thursday.

Statewide, the rate is 2.28 percent. The region with the lowest rate is the North Country, at 1.77 percent.

The infection rate for Albany County, as of Thursday as a seven-day rolling average, was 3.1 percent, according to the state’s dashboard.

“Given the growing COVID infection rates in Albany County, the Capital Region, and New York State, I want to remind residents that they should continue to get tested if they’re experiencing flu-like symptoms or if they think they may have been exposed, and they should stay home when possible,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy in a statement on Thursday.

“We still haven’t beaten the coronavirus, and there are still too many people who haven’t been vaccinated, which is allowing the virus to spread and mutate,” he said.

As of Thursday, 66.4 percent of Albany County’s 307,311 residents had received at least a first dose of vaccine, and 62 percent had been fully vaccinated. Also, 77.2 percent of county residents 18 or older have received at least one dose.

Statewide, percent of New Yorkers have received at least one dose while percent of New Yorkers 18 and older have, according to the state’s vaccine tracker. At the same time 56.8 percent of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated as are 68.3 percent of New Yorkers 18 and older.

On Friday morning, McCoy announced 31 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county’s tally to 24,707.

Among the new cases, 13 had close contact with someone infected with the virus, 14 did not have a clear source of infection identified, two traveled out of state, and two are health-care workers or residents of congregate living settings.

There are now 139 active cases in Albany County, up from 122 on Thursday.

The number of Albany County residents under quarantine is now up to 243 from 225. 

McCoy also reported one new hospitalization since Thursday and eight county residents remain hospitalized with the virus.

Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 388.