The Chinatown Community Land Trust (Chinatown CLT) and the Chinatown Development Corporation held a seminar on “Affordable Housing Lottery” on the 11th in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The aim was to help more elderly individuals master the application skills, increase their chances of staying in the community, and raise awareness among residents that actively participating in the lottery is an important way to address housing difficulties.
Co-founder of the Chinatown CLT and Democratic leader of the 65th District, Wang Di pointed out the serious issue of unstable housing among elderly individuals in Chinatown, with many lacking their own homes and facing the risk of frequent relocation or forced evictions. He said, “Chinatown residents have been talking about affordable housing for decades, but many still do not have their own homes. Once you don’t own it, you could be asked to leave at any time. Compared to Brooklyn and Queens, where many Chinese families have bought homes and settled, Chinatown needs stable and affordable housing.”
Wang Di added that about 85% of residential units in Chinatown are classified as affordable housing, but many residents are unfamiliar with the application process. He emphasized that the NYC Housing Connect program opens new lottery projects monthly in locations including Chinatown, Lower East Side, and the Financial District. Residents should actively apply and become familiar with the online application process.
At the seminar, lawyer Xia Zixu demonstrated how to create an account on the website, fill in address, family size, income, and other information. She reminded that the platform can switch to a Chinese interface, and elderly individuals can switch to Chinese by clicking on the globe icon at the top right of the webpage (housingconnect.nyc.gov) and selecting Chinese. She said, “If you don’t use email or register online, it’s like being excluded. Only by registering an account can you participate in the lottery.”
Residents at the event asked questions actively. Some retirees were concerned that their low income would disqualify them, but the lawyer explained that both retirement income and food stamps count as income, and the rent is determined based on income. For example, for a one-bedroom apartment, low-income families may pay $700, middle-income families $1700, and high-income families up to $2900, despite having the same apartment layout.
Regarding eligibility and priority, the speaker explained that some housing is specifically reserved for individuals aged 62 or older; disabled individuals receive a 5% priority quota; families of government employees also enjoy priority; residents living within the boundaries of the project’s third Community Board originally had up to a 50% priority ratio, but due to litigation, this may have decreased to 20% to 30%.
Residents also inquired about the “rent freeze” policy for elderly individuals. Wang Di noted that eligible applicants living in the designated buildings can confirm with property management; however, newly constructed affordable housing typically requires paying the post-lottery rent as per regulations.
As per city regulations, income limits are set for different family sizes for each lottery. If selected in the lottery, applicants must submit proof of income, assets, rent payments or credit records, family member IDs, among other documents. For a detailed list of required documents, applicants can refer to the full document list (https://tinyurl.com/35z2jyxy), which is not required to be submitted during the initial application process.