Affordable Housing

An affordable housing lottery for 57 apartments in the Bronx is closing soon

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By Emily Myers  |
July 21, 2022 - 9:30AM
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Rents start at $522 a month for a studio at Comunilife El Borinquen, a supportive housing complex at 3401 Third Ave. in the Bronx, where 57 apartments are available through the affordable housing lottery.

NYC Housing Lottery

There are just a few weeks left to apply for one of 57 apartments available through the affordable housing lottery at Comunilife El Borinquen, a newly-built supportive housing complex at 3401 Third Ave. in the Bronx. The rent-stabilized apartments are studios and one bedrooms set aside for people earning from $17,898 to $72,060 with households of one to three people.

The buildings has on-site support services to serve the needs of New York's most vulnerable populations including those who are formerly homeless.

Rents start at $522 a month for a studio. The units are for households earning 40 to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Currently, the AMI for New York City is $106,800 for a two-person household. 

There are 11 one bedrooms available for households with incomes from $36,515 to $72,060. The rent for these apartments is $1,065.

The building is on Third Avenue at East 166th Street near Estella Diggs Park. The nearest transit station is Melrose for Metro-North. 

The building is has a security guard and a shared laundry room. There's also a community center, media room, and bike storage lockers. The developers have set aside 50 percent of the affordable apartments for those who live in the community. There is also a 5 percent preference for NYC employees and a 20 percent preference for seniors over the age of 62 years old. A small percentage of apartments are also set aside for those who need assistance with vision, hearing, or mobility issues. 

Applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than August 5th. 

If you’re interested and think you might qualify for one of these apartments, you can create a profile and apply online via NYC Housing Connect. For details on this particular lottery, click here. Don’t apply more than once to the same building, or you could be disqualified.

Winning one of these rent-stabilized apartments can be life changing: Rent increases are capped and lease renewals are automatic, providing long-term affordability for NYC renters. Need more information on how the housing lottery works? Check out “6 steps for applying to NYC's affordable housing lottery.”

For some advice from successful applicants read “How to land a rental apartment through NYC's affordable housing lottery.” And if you or someone you know is having trouble with the application process, consider reaching out to a housing ambassador in the community.

Note: Brick Underground is in no way affiliated with NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the Housing Development Corporation. If you are interested in applying to these or other affordable housing developments, please go to NYC Housing Connect for information and instructions.

Do you have first-person advice to share about the affordable housing lottery? Drop us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.

 

Headshot of Emily Myers

Emily Myers

Senior Writer/Podcast Producer

Emily Myers is a senior writer, podcast host, and producer at Brick Underground. She writes about issues ranging from market analysis and tenants' rights to the intricacies of buying and selling condos and co-ops. As host of the Brick Underground podcast, she has earned four silver awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

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