The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is opening this solicitation to accept applications meeting the Project Selection Criteria described below for consideration. Developer/Owner Entities of a selected property must have Certificates of Occupancy, and the property must be in compliance with the Housing Quality Standards (HQS) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), so that the Project Based Section 8 units are ready for occupancy.

Federal law allows NYCHA to provide Section 8 Project Based voucher assistance for up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the total units in HQS compliant, privately owned, existing substantially rehabilitated, or newly-constructed multi-family residential buildings, unless the units are made available to families that receive any type of supportive services that NYCHA specifies as qualifying.  NYCHA may also provide Section 8 Project Based voucher assistance for up to one-hundred percent (100%) of the total units in any HQS compliant privately owned, existing, substantially rehabilitated or newly-constructed buildings for elderly (62 or older) or disabled households.

The Project Based Section 8 apartments may receive subsidy for the term of a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract between the owner and NYCHA. Currently the maximum term is ten years, with one five-year extension thereafter that may be provided by NYCHA. The HAP contract is subject to annual congressional appropriations.

NYCHA maintains a list of households that have applied for Section 8 rental assistance. Developers/Owners will be required to select tenants for Project Based Section 8 units from NYCHA's Section 8 Waiting List. Developers/Owners may use their usual screening process (subject to Fair Housing laws and regulations) in making final selections of tenants. When a vacancy in a Project Based Section 8 unit occurs through turnover, NYCHA will pay the full lease rent for a period of up to two months or until the apartment is re-rented, whichever comes first. Note, to receive a vacancy payment, the Developer/Owner must demonstrate that the vacancy is not due to a breach of the lease or a violation of a HAP contract provision(s). In addition, the Developer/Owner must have a strategy in place to facilitate timely rentals of vacant units. Such strategy must include ongoing communication with NYCHA's Leased Housing Department.

Project Sponsors not yet under construction may receive a conditional commitment of Project Based Section 8 assistance from NYCHA.

All Project Sponsors will execute a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract with NYCHA when the proposed project's units receive Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os), or temporary C of Os, and pass NYCHA's Housing Quality Standards inspections.

Project-Based Section 8 family units, located in a project that requires the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development's (HPD) affordable housing lottery system, will not be required by HPD to be part of the lottery process.

Units developed utilizing HPD's 421-a Negotiable Certificates are not eligible to receive Project Based Section 8 vouchers.

NYCHA intends to respond to this solicitation by proposing to provide Section 8 Project-based voucher assistance to units located in formerly City and State-funded sites owned by NYCHA. An independent entity, approved by HUD, will review the selection process to determine that the selection was made in accordance with NYCHA’s Administrative Plan. The independent entity will perform all inspections and determine rent reasonableness.

HUD regulations governing the selection of eligible families for this program provide that not less than 75% of families admitted annually to NYCHA's combined Tenant Based and Project Based Voucher Program shall be families whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of the area median, as determined by HUD.

Family units and elderly and/or disabled units cannot be combined in a 25%/75% ratio, or any ratio, in any building, to achieve 100% project based vouchering of all building units.

All of the terms, definitions and program requirements, as set forth in 24 CFR Part 983, the Final Rule issued in the Federal Register, Vol. 70, No.197, dated October 13, 2005, and subsequent HUD notices related to the Project Based Section 8 Voucher Program, remain effective unless amended by HUD.

Project Selection Criteria

To be considered complete, NYCHA will only consider projects that meet the following minimum criteria:

• The project must contain no less than twenty (20) dwelling units (du);
• A maximum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the du in any one building may receive project-based voucher assistance except for those (i) excepted units in a multifamily building that are specifically made available for qualifying families:
  • Families receiving supportive services:; or
  • Elderly or disabled families
• In general, all buildings and apartments proposed for Project Based Section 8 assistance must be located in census tracts designated as “low-poverty areas” (where the number of households with incomes below the poverty line does not exceed 20% of the total households in the census tract). Exceptions to this requirement may be made by NYCHA provided that all elements of site selection standards are met;
• Sites for existing or rehabilitated housing must meet the site and neighborhood criteria of 24 CFR §983(d).  Sites for New Construction must meet the site and neighborhood criteria of 24 CFR §983.57(e).
• The Developer/Owner must have completed construction or substantially rehabilitated (minimum of $40,000/du) at least 100 du during the seven (7) years prior to the submission deadline for this solicitation;
• The project must be within the five Boroughs of the City of New York;
• The Developer/Owner must have evidence of site control;
• The project must be easily accessible to public transportation;
• The Developer/Owner and its Managing Agent must have at least five (5) years of experience managing subsidized housing projects;
• The Project Architect must have at least five (5) years of design experience for the type of housing in the proposal submitted;
• For existing, new construction or rehabilitated housing, the site must meet site and neighborhood standards as defined in HUD guidelines; 
• For Senior and Disabled Housing, the project must include supportive services on-site, or have a contractual link to such services in proximity to the site;
• The financial feasibility of projects must be demonstrated; and
• Project design must conform, at a minimum, to HUD's regulations and guidelines applicable to housing type(s), e.g., senior, disabled or family, similar to the project submitted.
• NYCHA will provide prompt written notice to the party submitting a selected proposal and will provide public notice of such selection.

Register Online

For further information, please contact:

An application may be retrieved by downloading, via registration online. Please follow instructions on the online registration page.

Applications must be completed and all required documentation must be included to be considered for acceptance. Applications must be submitted to Ms. Margaret Ruiz, Deputy Director at the address above. The submission deadline for all applications is Friday, January 29, 2010 at 4 PM.