Contact: BC Refdesk
Email:
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Table of Contents:
About
Housing Help Organizations
Lotteries
Neighborhood Profiles
Transportation

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Finding affordable housing in metro-New York and its surrounding regions is often challenging, but possible. The information presented below may help.

Finding affordable housing within and around New York City is always challenging. To aid in this difficult process, there are many programs and organizations listed here that provide assistance and/or information to help you and your family. Also, you will find information here to help you narrow your search to specific neighborhoods.
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For those who qualify, the federal government offers aid to those who need housing.

One good place to start is at the website of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). From this site you can link to information about various HUD programs to help people buy homes or to deal with difficulties with their homes or mortgages.
www.hud.gov
Long Island has local organizations that help people who are interested in finding housing.

Long Island Housing Partnership (LIHP)
180 Oser Avenue, Suite 800 (map)
Hauppauge, New York 11788
631-435-4710

The Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc. (LIHP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1988. It was formed by business, religious, educational and professional leaders of Long Island to provide affordable housing opportunities for families desiring to live in the Long Island area.
http://www.lihp.org/
Many local organizations strive to help people find affordable housing.

Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
307 West 36th St, 12th Fl. (map)
New York, NY 10018
212-519-2500
www.nhsnyc.org/

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
443 39th St, Ste. 202 (map)
Brooklyn, NY 11232
718-686-7946
www.nhnhome.org/

NYC Affordable Housing Resource Center
Call 311 for housing information
www.nyc.gov/html/housinginfo/

NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
100 Gold St (map)
New York, NY 10038
Call 311 for housing information
www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/

nyhomes
641 Lexington Ave, 4th Fl. (map)
New York, NY 10022
212-688-4000
www.nyhomes.org/

Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) provides homeowner services for those who already own their own home or are considering buying one. With a vision toward building an “equitable, diverse, engaged and flourishing community in Brooklyn,” the PACC provides workshops and individual counseling on a wide array of subjects ranging from the necessary steps of a first-time homebuyer to Foreclosure Prevention for those who have encountered financial difficulties. The PACC also can help facilitate the processing of loan and grant applications for low-to-moderate income homeowners, and offers a series of workshops in Financial Education, designed to help individuals develop and maintain a healthy financial situation, avoiding the pitfalls that ensnare too many. For staff with ageing family members, the PACC provides Services to Seniors, including topics such as “Home Sharing” and “The Importance of Having a Will.”

On November 20, 2009, PACC will be holding an Affordable Housing Workshop in the Woody Tanger Auditorium at Brooklyn College from 12:30 to 2pm. Visit PACC online at http://www.prattarea.org or email them at pacc@prattarea.org for more information.

Rent Stabilization Association
123 William Street (map)
New York, NY 10038
CUNY Contact: Burt Sacks (burt.sacks@mail.cuny.edu)
www.rsanyc.com/

New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency:
For all home buyers, owners, renters, seniors, and people with special needs in NJ
www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/
NY State also assists those seeking information on affordable housing.
The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal offers an online Affordable Housing Directory as well as many other informational resources.
Affordable Housing Directory
www.dhcr.state.ny.us/ahd/default.asp/
Outside NY, the State of New Jersey has made available important web resources for those looking for affordable housing in their territories.

The New Jersey Housing Resource Center is a collaboration of three government agencies: the Dept. of Community Affairs, the Dept. of Human Services, and the Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency. These agencies help people connect to a network that provides both housing opportunities for buyers and property listings for sellers.
nj.gov/njhrc/
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Occasionally, affordable housing lotteries are held.

The Gates Cooperative periodically accepts applications for 34 1- and 2-bedroom cooperative apartments located at 566 Gates Avenue (map) in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation offers a listing of the community development corporations that have lotteries and is a good place to get on the mailing list for affordable housing opportunities.

The main NYC government site, www.nyc.gov, periodically updates its current listing of affordable apartment rental lottery opportunities. Refer to it often to check for new entries and eligibility information. Additionally, www.nyc.gov provides a useful page of FAQs, especially for apartment seekers, that helps to clarify the details of these housing programs.
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Long Island and its two counties -- Nassau and Suffolk

Nassau - Within Nassau County there are 2 cities, 3 towns, 64 incorporated villages and over 100 unincorporated areas. The entire county is physically divided amongst the 3 towns:
Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay, and the two cities, Long Beach and Glen Cove.

Click here to access information about the cities, town, and villages in Nassau County.

Suffolk - Suffolk County is divided into 10 towns: Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Smithtown, Southampton, and Southold. It is the easternmost county in the New York Metropolitan area and all of New York State. Suffolk County occupies two-thirds of the land on Long Island.

Click here to access information about the cities, town, and villages in Suffolk County.
Long Island Newspapers

Find information about current events occurring in Long Island.
Nassau County - Anton Community Newspapers produces 18 weekly newspapers for the communities in Nassau County. Through this webpage, one can access news and information about the communities within Nassau County as well as information on housing through the classified sections.

  • The real estate section of the Anton Community Newspapers provides information on homes for sale as well as homes for rent. Click here .



Suffolk County - - Times Beacon Record Newspapers produces 8 weekly newspapers for the communities in Suffolk County. Both the print editions and this website work in hand to bring readers news and information important to their lives.

  • The classified section of the Times Beacon Record Newspapers provides allows one to browse through the list for information on homes for sale and homes for rent. Click here .
This site provides quick facts and census data regarding demographics, economics, housing, and social statistics in the New Jersey area (narrowed down to its townships and counties).
The New York Daily News provides statistical analyses of NYC neighborhoods.

Community overviews, including demographics, education, employment, and crime rates, are available through the New York Daily News. If you would like to see what kind of analysis the NYDN provides for a particular neighborhood, please click here.
The New York Post publishes neighborhood profiles in their Real Estate section.

Within their Real Estate section, the New York Post provides neighborhood profiles for the tri-state area. To see these profiles, please click here.
The New York Times profiles various neighborhoods in NYC's five boroughs.

In their "Living In" section, the New York Times provides informative accounts of the different neighborhoods throughout New York City. For those profiles that specifically discuss Brooklyn neighborhoods, please click here. This will include those articles published under the section previously titled "If You're Thinking of Living In," which was renamed to "Living In" in 2003-2004.
There are numerous web sites on NYC and surrounding regions that allow their citizens to view statistics specific to their neighborhoods.
  • My Neighborhood Statistics lets New York City residents know how City agencies are performing in their neighborhood by viewing locally mapped performance statistics using a street address or intersection.
  • The Department of City Planning is responsible for the city's physical and socioeconomic planning, including land use and environmental review; preparation of plans and policies; and provision of technical assistance and planning information to government agencies, public officials, and community boards.
  • The New York City Community Health Profiles capture the health of 42 New York City neighborhoods. These comprehensive reports provide detailed information on significant health issues and serve as a critical resource for improving health, community by community.
  • District Profiles, made available by the NYC Department of City Planning, illustrate the remarkable diversity of the city's land uses and population.
  • Infoplease.com provides essential facts and data derived from the US Census on the residential demographics and other socio-economic statistics of New Jersey (down to its townships and counties).
  • Neighborhoodlink.com offers individual profiles of the neighborhoods in New Jersey that can be accessed through zip code or keyword search.
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Public Transportation

Trains and buses are two common forms of transportation to commute to and from NYC.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the largest public transportation provider in all of North America for the New York metropolitan area that serves New York City through Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. It is able to serve the suburban communities by means of its subsidiary agencies such as the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the Long Island Bus, and the Metro-North Railroad.

  • Here is the link to the MTA for more information about the services, schedules, and maps: MTA

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving 124 stations in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The LIRR operates 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, including all holidays, with service intervals varying by destination and time of day.

  • Here is the link to the LIRR for more information about the services, schedules, and maps: LIRR
Transportation In Long Island

The following websites list all forms of transportation available throughout Long Island.

Nassau County - includes surrounding airports, mass transit information, medical and special transportation, senior transportation, and information about Nassau roads and traffic. Click here

Suffolk County - includes surrounding airports, buses, ferry services, and trains. Click here

Last Modified: 2009-09-29 10:46:00