Need Help Applying to Affordable Housing Lotteries? Ask a ‘Housing Ambassador’

The revitalized “Ready to Rent” program partners with community based organizations to offer one-on-one assistance to New Yorkers vying for affordable apartments through the city’s competitive housing lotteries.

Each year, millions of New Yorkers apply for income-restricted apartments offered via the city’s affordable housing lotteries. The process can be both lengthy and highly competitive: during the most recent fiscal year that ended in June, just over 9,300 people were selected for new units through the lottery, and it took a median 191 days for applicants to be approved.

To help simplify the process, the city is offering free application assistance to the public, provided by a network of community-based “housing ambassadors” who counsel renters on their eligibility and the income documentation they’d need to show if selected.

Dubbed “Ready to Rent,” the initiative first started in 2017 but was scaled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to city’s Department of Housing, Preservation and Development. It’s relaunched with additional capacity this year thanks to $450,000 allocated by the City Council in the most budget deal, a spokesperson said.

“Along with the scarcity of available housing, the financial intricacies and paperwork involved in securing a place to live in New York City can be incredibly frustrating. Ready to Rent is a returning program designed to ease and speed up the home-finding process,” HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Jr. said in a statement publicizing the project.

In addition to help with their lottery applications, participants get free financial counseling, including how to check their credit scores and manage debt. Typically, at least one household member must be over the age of 18 to take part; sessions can be done by phone or in-person, and are available in multiple languages.

Those interested can book appointments by visiting HPD’s Ready to Rent website or by calling 311 and saying, “Ready to Rent.” They can also directly contact organizations providing “Housing Ambassadors” services; a map of them by neighborhood can be found here.

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