The City of New York launched on June 16, 2020, the new NYC Housing Connect, New Yorkers’ central resource for finding and applying for affordable housing. Significant upgrades on the new portal make applying for affordable housing quicker and easier. The new system streamlines the application process, provides New Yorkers with a clear picture of the opportunities they can apply for and includes more types of housing than ever before.
With more than one million active users, NYC Housing Connect is one of the largest affordable housing resources in the nation. Now, applicants will be better able to search for the affordable housing opportunities that suit their household size, income, and needs, and can be matched to re-rental and resale opportunities in existing buildings. With the new site, users create an application profile based on guided, easy-to-answer questions, that generate a well-honed picture of the projects they qualify for.
HPD teamed with user-design experts and collected public feedback to make significant upgrades to Housing Connect, including:
• More affordable housing opportunities: In addition to new affordable rentals, the new website will also host homeownership opportunities and re-rentals of affordable homes that went through the lottery previously.
• Customizable search: Filter for the right opportunities directly on the website, searching by borough, income, household size, and more options like pet-friendliness.
• Enhanced application process: We’ll help you calculate your income accurately and help you determine up front what you’re eligible for.
• Streamlined selection process: Submit documents electronically, receive real-time alerts for important deadlines, and move through the process faster.
• Mobile-friendly design: Soon applicants can apply more easily from the convenience of a phone, tablet and other mobile devices.
Starting in July, all future affordable housing opportunities will appear on the new website, with nearly 2,500 affordable homes coming online this summer. New Yorkers are encouraged to sign up on the new website now to begin the application process and receive alerts on future vacancies. Explore the new NYC Housing Connect. The original Housing Connect website, created under the Bloomberg Administration, will be phased out after all the rental opportunities posted on it are filled.
New Yorkers in need of further application assistance can speak with an HPD Housing Ambassador who can provide support in several different languages. Housing Ambassadors are local community-based services providers in your community. Learn more about HPD’s Housing Ambassadors here.
Free legal advice and counseling, guidance on how to access city benefits or apply for assistance, and other resources are available to all New York City residential renters—regardless of ZIP code, income, or immigration status. If you need help with legal issues related to housing and tenancy, eviction or landlord-tenant dispute, call 311 and say “tenant helpline.”
You can also:
· Visit the new Housing Connect site at nyc.gov/housingconnect
· Visit nyc.gov/tenantprotections to access to the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants COVID-19 fact-sheet, or to get more information about the Tenant Helpline or to submit a question online.
· Visit nyc.gov/housing to learn more about and connect with the City’s many housing resources.
· Learn about the many city services available to all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status and ability to pay: NYC.gov/immigrants/coronavirus
Related Images:
