Winning NYC's affordable housing lottery, doorman strike averted, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | April 22, 2022 - 1:30PM

This week, readers visited Brick Underground to find out how one New Yorker landed a studio in Long Island City for $908 a month through the city's affordable housing lottery. It took the Bronx native five years of applying for every apartment she was eligible for—but she didn't count on the culture shock of switching neighborhoods and living among residents who keep to themselves.

Also of interest: How a possible doorman strike might have impacted New Yorkers living in luxury buildings. Luckily representatives for property owners and workers reached a tentative deal so the strike has been averted for now.

Here are this week's five most popular posts:

1) I won a $908 studio in Long Island City in NYC's housing lottery, but I didn't count on the culture shock

2) What a possible doorman strike means for New Yorkers

3) NYC's rental market is still bonkers—for now

4) NY State budget has $25 billion for housing—here's where it will be spent

5) Rising mortgage rates spark sales in Brooklyn and Queens

Austin Havens-Bowen

Staff Writer

Staff writer Austin Havens-Bowen covers the rental market and answers renters' questions in a column called Realty Bites. He previously reported on local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

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