829 Residents Applied for Pandemic-Related Rental Aid Thanks to A&E Staff’s Dedicated Outreach and Support

A&E Real Estate Assists Hundreds of Residents Throughout NYC Obtain Emergency Rental Assistance

A&E Real Estate today announced that it has successfully assisted 829 residents across its portfolio in obtaining, completing and submitting their applications to New York State’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which was created to help New Yorkers impacted by the pandemic, despite many challenges facing program applicants.

As of October 31, 829 A&E residents have applied to ERAP, including 249 in Manhattan, 49 in Brooklyn, 483 in Queens and 48 in the Bronx. To date, the State has approved 536 of these. New York State also launched the Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) on October 7, which permitted A&E to begin applying directly for funds on behalf of residents. A&E has submitted ERAP or LRAP applications for 100% of residents who meet the State’s criteria.

“We did not want a single resident to fall through the cracks. We knew there would be challenges navigating the process, so we put the resources and people in place to walk residents through every step, no matter what language they speak. Even if it meant bringing residents to our offices to fill out an application with a dedicated specialist right next to them, that’s what we did,” said James Patchett, CEO of A&E Real Estate. “I’m proud of our team, who have worked tirelessly over the past few months to support our residents just when they needed us most. We’re hopeful that when all is said and done, all of our residents will be awarded the rental assistance they deserve.”

A&E’s professional team has instituted an ongoing and sustained campaign to reach and assist residents in need of support, since ERAP launched on June 1. A&E’s outreach included email notifications, placing fliers in all of its multifamily buildings, and hundreds of personal phone calls to residents facing hardship during the pandemic. A&E offered all residents personalized assistance completing their application. A&E also delivered two subsequent rounds of fliers to residents, as well as follow-up emails and phone calls to residents who still had not applied for rental assistance by July.

A&E has had a dedicated team posted at its Midtown Manhattan headquarters and multiple satellite offices to field incoming helpline calls and in-person visits from residents with questions about the program, including helping residents fill out the complex application online. All staff members who participated in the resident outreach received training on the application process to ensure residents were getting the most helpful and accurate assistance possible. A&E also made Spanish-language support available to all residents who required it. A&E estimates that it has received more than 3,000 ERAP-related calls since June.

A&E continued email, phone and door-knocking outreach to those eligible residents who had not yet applied for emergency assistance up until the launch of the State’s Landlord Rental Assistance Program on October 7th.

“When Covid hit, I lost my income, struggled to pay rent and was forced to drain my savings,” said Kim Cea, a longtime resident of A&E’s Glenn Gardens apartment building on the Upper West Side. “I considered moving back to Pittsburgh before A&E staff reached out with information about ERAP. As I filled out my application, A&E was available to me 24/7 to answer questions and help get it submitted. Words cannot explain the relief I felt when I saw that I had been approved. I have lived in Manhattan for 33 years, and I’ve never had a support system like the one I’ve found in A&E. I feel so blessed to live in a building that is run by a company with both a heart and a soul.”

Founded in 2011 by Douglas Eisenberg, John Arrillaga, Jr., and Wendy Eisenberg, A&E has grown from a single 49-unit building in Fort Greene to more than 15,000 Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens apartments currently under management. A&E has successfully expanded its portfolio in large part through acquisitions of apartment buildings and portfolios from legacy owners who lacked the resources and operations to properly invest in and manage their properties in the 21st century.

In just 10 years of operations, A&E has built a fully integrated real estate platform with in-house asset and property management, leasing and construction capabilities. The firm owns and manages both rent-stabilized and market-rate apartments, with a specific focus on quality workforce housing for teachers, first responders and other essential workers. Its extensive multifamily portfolio ranges from 10-unit rentals in Brooklyn to 1,200-apartment communities in Kew Gardens Hills and Harlem’s Riverton Square.

About A&E Real Estate

A&E Real Estate was founded in 2011 to invest in multifamily properties in the New York City Metropolitan area with a primary focus on workforce housing. With more than 15,000 apartments, A&E performs direct asset management, property management, and construction management for its entire portfolio, with a belief that no third-party manager will bring the same degree of focus and attention to detail.

A&E’s commitment to provide a high level of service to its residents reflects the philosophy that both owner and resident have a mutual long-term interest in preserving the city’s multifamily residential stock. The residents of A&E’s properties comprise the backbone of New York City’s economy. Police and fire personnel, train and bus drivers, hospital workers, teachers and banquet managers are all included among the residents of A&E’s properties.