NYC Government subsidized affordable Housing

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/buyers/lotteries.shtml

So often, I read on Brooklynian about how people are unable to find affordable housing in NYC.

As you are aware, you need to meet extensive criteria in order to qualify for affordable rental and ownership housing in NYC, and even then the process is very arduous. That said, here are some resources:

AFFORDABLE CONDOS, COOPERATIVES AND HOMES FOR SALE THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY

If you are looking for an affordable home in New York City, please check out the many homeownership opportunities that are available on this website:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/buyers/lotteries.shtml

Mitchell-Lama Developments also allow the opportunity to own their home, and here is a list of the Open Waiting Lists:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/downloads/pdf/ML-waiting-Lists-Status.pdf

In the past, HRA and other agencies were able to provide renters with Section 8 Vouchers, which could then be used throughout the city. However, the city is no longer issuing these vouchers, and many landlords have decided that they will no longer participate in the program. As a result, prospective renters looking for an affordable apartment to rent are best off if they can qualify for an apartment created via Tax Credits:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml

Basic questions, re: affordable housing can be asked below, and I will attempt to answer them.

NYU Launches Subsidized Housing

Information Project

An new interactive database with extensive information on nearly 235,000 units of privately-owned subsidized rental housing in New York city has been launched by NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy and its Institute for Affordable Housing Policy. The Subsidized Housing Information Project (SHIP) gives local nonprofits and advocates a valuable new tool in their efforts to preserve affordable housing in their communities. SHIP consolidates information from 50 separate public and private data sources into one searchable website, now available at: www.furmancenter.org/data/search.

The new resource is the result of an ongoing, multi-year partnership with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Additionally, with support from the New York City Council, community-based organizations will be trained on how to effectively use the database in preservation efforts.

"The launch of this critical new tool demonstrates the extraordinary commitment of all the involved agencies to affordable housing preservation,” said Vicki Been, faculty director of the Furman Center. "SHIP will arm policy makers with the information they need to create effective and fair preservation policies to protect the more than 171,000 low- and moderate-income New York City households that rely on these subsidy programs for quality, affordable housing.”

SHIP allows government agencies, housing and community advocates, the media, and the public to access extensive information on every privately-owned, publicly-subsidized affordable property developed with four key government programs: HUD financing and insurance, HUD project-based rental assistance, the New York City and New York State Mitchell-Lama programs, or Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). The Furman Center's Institute for Affordable Housing Policy has also released a set of online resources to help users navigate the SHIP database, including a Directory of New York City's Affordable Housing Programs.

One vital function of the database is to track subsidized housing units that are at risk of expiring out of regulatory agreements. The Institute for Affordable Housing Policy's accompanying report, State of New York City's Subsidized Housing: 2011, uses SHIP data to identify 227 properties throughout the city that are at-risk of expiring out of affordability programs by the end of 2015. While many, if not most, property owners are unlikely to opt out of their subsidy programs, 34 properties containing more than 10,300 units are in non-renewable programs, indicating that new subsidies will likely be required in order to maintain affordability.

"Preservation has been a clear priority for the Bloomberg Administration, and through the Mayor's housing plan we have already preserved more than 81,300 units of affordable housing,” said HPD Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua. "The SHIP has given us a valuable new tool to help carry on our preservation efforts.”

"The SHIP database will help us better pinpoint properties that could benefit from the access to capital HDC can provide,” said HDC President Marc Jahr. "The ability to use the data as an advance warning system will help us make the most of these preservation investment opportunities, and serve as one of the best tools we have to recapture or extend affordability."

The New York City Council supported the SHIP to ensure that tenants, advocates and Council Members can proactively develop timely preservation strategies that will protect affordable housing units at-risk of expiring. "The Subsidized Housing Information Project is an invaluable tool that will serve as a red alert system for affordable housing by making tenants aware of when their protections are set to run out,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn.

The SHIP was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the F.B. Heron Foundation, NYU Law Alumnus Herbert Z. Gold ('40) and the New York City Council.

Source: New York Nonprofit Press

government should get the !@#$ out of the game.

unless they are incapable of work. most people are able bodied. they should get rid of all government housing and replace it with some sort of voucher system.

Here's a chart that seems to have some validity:

It looks like a lot more people are going to have to split their apartments....

"It looks like a lot more people are going to have to split their apartments...."

...............or leave NY

p.s. According to your chart rents went up a total of about 8% since 2007 ($1000 per month vs around $1080). As a landlord my expenses went up much higher then that in those 6 years.

True.

But I'm betting we will see a lot more splitting than leaving.

whynot - I believe your right

The media is starting to write articles evaluating how Bloomberg did on creating and maintaining affordable housing:

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2013/jul/09/new-york-remade-city-more-desirable-ever-also-too-expensive-many/

Publications like Crain's are writing articles that every advocate for affordable housing needs to understand, but few will even read:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130811/REAL_ESTATE/308119970

Here's another:

http://observer.com/2013/08/return-of-rent-control-brad-lander-and-candidates-push-for-mandatory-inclusionary-zoning/

And another:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/nyregion/report-finds-a-city-incentive-is-not-producing-enough-affordable-housing.html?_r=0

This quote is key:

Some lawyers said it could be challenged by developers because the value of the affordable units might be less than their construction cost.

If you do not understand that quote, do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

A surprisingly well written article on the topic as it pertains to the present City Council race in Prospect Heights and Fort Greene:

http://gothamgazette.com/index.php/gotham-votes/4510-housing-woes-in-the-new-brooklyn

Also, here is a piece that seems to state that merely tweaking the zoning code to allow smaller apartments is not going to make them affordable, given the current demand for apartments of all sizes:

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/08/15/nycs-affordable-micro-apartments-are-a-little-too-pricey/

A similarly good piece:

What can the next mayor do about affordable housing that Bloomberg didn't? | Capital New York -

Can’t afford that $2,500-a-month two-bedroom at an "undisclosed address" in Bedford-Stuyvesant or the $2,500 one-bedroom in the South Slope with backyard and something called a "spa bathroom"? The candidates running for mayor are here to help.

The NYT asked a bunch of professionals in the field their opinions on the issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/16/housing-thats-not-a-luxury/strengthen-rent-regulations

Pro-tip: Just because 8 out of 10 New Yorkers want something and elect DeBlasio because he says he will give them what they want, doesn't mean it is going to happen.

Apartments available through Section 8 are tied to household size.

When a household shrinks, the city must require the tenants to move to a smaller apartment in order to retain the federal share of the funding. Until recently, the feds have looked the other way, and the city has not been under much pressure to enforce the rules.

Things have changed.

Now, the feds need to cut costs, and the city needs large apartments for families languishing in expensive shelters.

The time has come to enforce the rules that have always been on the books.

The time has come to endure accusations from newly elected City Council reps that "we" are uncaring:

http://www.ny1.com/content/news/190747/residents-rally-against-policy-forcing-some-tenants-to-downsize-to-smaller-apartments

Only those who pay market price (rent or sale) get to fully control the specifics of their housing. Those who hold Section 8 vouchers are pretty low on the food chain.

DeBlasio is going to attempt to stimulate the supply of housing by increasing the tax paid on vacant lots.

De Blasio tells lot owners to put up or pay up - Crain's New York Business

Bill de Blasio's bid to close a tax loophole could force landlords to build new housing on their vacant plots or sell out to those who will.

While supply does often decrease price, in this case the gap between the means of those renting AND the prices of new homes, is so large that he will need more tricks than this to achieve units that are "affordable".

As Bloomberg leaves the stage, he touts his success in creating affordable housing:

Affordable Housing Numbers Will Hit New Benchmark, Mayor Says -

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Saturday announced that the number of affordable housing units under the new Housing Marketplace Plan will reach 160,000 by the end of the year.

This article discusses how bad the divide had to get the last time society took action. A lot of the underlying conditions are much, much different now.

The Dream of a Middle-Class New York - NYMag.com

Is there anything Bill de Blasio can do to make the city affordable again? Maybe. But we have to want to pay for it.

just adding some related reading:

Housing Subsidies: One Key to Addressing Homelessness in New York City -

http://www.cccnewyork.org/data-and-reports/publications/housing-subsidies-one-key-to-addressing-homelessness-in-new-york-city/--

NYC Affordable Housing Resource Center -

http://www.nyc.gov/html/housinginfo/html/home/home.shtml--UNDERSTANDING FAMILY HOMELESSNESS IN NEW YORK CITY An In-Depth Study of Families’ Experiences Before and After Shelter http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/pdf/vera_Study.pdf

The NYT seems to state "DeBlasio, we didn't get in this situation as a result of prior mayors not merely wanting permanent housing. It is really hard to create and maintain".http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/nyregion/de-blasio-sets-ambitious-goal-for-affordable-apartments.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

These are the policies that the public doesn't understand, but are driving forces behind the SUPPLY of affordable housing:http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140127/REAL_ESTATE/140129891/state-tweaks-popular-affordable-housing-incentive

Want more affordable housing?Make it easier to build. Allow smaller units.http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140123/OPINION/140129933/build-it-bill-efficiently

Pay to maintain it, not just build it.

DeBlasio has now appointed the major players in affordable housing for the next few years:http://www.nynp.biz/index.php/breaking-news/19122-mayor-names-heads-at-nych-hpd-hdc

The analysis/commentary begins:

https://www.citylimits.org/conversations/237/what-will-affordable-housing-mean-under-de-blasio

REBNY isn't going away. Property rights are still valid.

In 'Progressive' New York City, Big Real Estate Still Calls Many of the Shots | The Indypendent
http://indypendent.org/2014/02/14/progressive-new-york-city-big-real-estate-still-calls-many-shots

Some advocates for affordable housing like to measure "new affordable housing created", and tend to dismiss efforts to preserve the existing affordable housing stock.

...They seem to believe it wasn't really going to disappear.

Others perceive policies as failures when they do not create much affordable housing:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140218/BLOGS01/140219939/the-failure-of-inclusionary-#

Given the market constraints, I don't think inclusionary zoning has been a failure; it is likely that almost zero affordable housing would have been created in the zones without the incentives.

The other day, I was at a meeting wherein an impassioned housing advocate in the audience stated: "Just build housing that cost less to build, and that developers have to sell for approximately that cost".

Um, here's what would have to happen:

http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/afforable-housing-poised-for-another-boost/

Should we talk about the intricacies LIHTC?      They are about to be tweaked:

http://www.thenyhc.org/EOTG-TAX-REFORM-April-3rd

DeBlasio and the folks from Dept of Planning have spoke:

...they will make any upzoning contingent upon affordable housing:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/05/de_blasio_unveils_10year_41b_affordable_housing_plan.php#more

Those out of touch with reality have responded:

"We want affordable housing, but not more density"

In other words, "We want prices to go down without increasing supply".

http://observer.com/2014/05/council-housing-committee-chair-wants-a-bolder-plan-from-city-hall/

Those in the affordable housing industry respond:

"...um, yea, we will get right on that.   We will just pay to subsidize people's housing with this endless supply of cash we have.   We will build affordable housing on endless tracts of city owned land that are outside of everyone's district"     /sarcasm

Actually, the market is going to force a huge demographic shift in this city and it is going to be really painful for those who have to leave.

The City Council now wants to be able to say it helps create and preserve affordable housing:

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-council-launches-new-development-office-1402435027?mobile=y

The issue is on everyone's mind, and every politician wants to be seen as working toward a solution....