February 11, 2021

Looking Back, Looking Forward

February 2021

This week, we joined tenant speaker Harona Fall and Mayor de Blasio to announce our 2020 Calendar Year numbers. In the midst of a pandemic, affordable housing has been critical to helping New Yorkers like Harona stay safe and financially stable (Watch Harona's story here).

We wanted to share some of our hard-won achievements from last year with you. We couldn't do this work without all of our partners in City and State government and in the affordable housing community, and we look forward to continuing our good work together in the year ahead. Thank you.

Doubling Down on Affordable Housing During the Pandemic

Nearly 30,000 Affordable Homes Financed in 2020

At the start of 2020, HPD was pushing forward at full steam to address the tremendous need for affordable housing across the city. Since 2014, we have been shattering production records as we progressed toward this administration’s goal to achieve 300,000 affordable homes by 2026, serving more of the city’s most vulnerable residents – our seniors, the homeless, and New Yorkers barely getting by.

When March hit and New Yorkers were asked to stay at home to keep safe, we knew our work to provide safe, quality, affordable housing for New Yorkers – to work, learn, and live healthy lives – was more urgent than ever. Despite the pandemic and its challenges, under Your Home NYC, Mayor de Blasio’s comprehensive approach to helping New Yorkers get, afford, and keep housing, we found a way to continue production and end 2020 with the second highest total affordable housing production for a Calendar Year.

It’s not just the amount of housing but the type of housing – we sharpened our focus on the most vulnerable New Yorkers and on achieving greater racial equity and inclusion. Of the 29,521 affordable homes we financed in 2020, nearly 60% will serve families of three earning less than $52,000. And, as promised in last year’s State of the City, more than 65% of newly constructed homes will serve families of three earning less than $52,000, like a home health aide and car wash attendant with a child.

To date, we’ve financed almost 178,000 affordable homes – enough to serve 445,000 New Yorkers, and through our new and improved Housing Connect lottery system, we are working on all fronts to move New Yorkers into safe, permanent affordable housing as quickly as possible. These developments will provide security to our hardest-hit families and communities and create jobs that will aid in our city’s recovery. So far, our affordable housing work has created more than 150,000 jobs, with tens of thousands more to be created in the coming year.

Housing Seniors and Those Experiencing Homelessness

We created and preserved more than 1,000 affordable homes for seniors and more than 2,000 affordable homes for homeless New Yorkers. Plus, our Homeless Placement Services team also exceeded their placement goal by 22% for calendar year 2020. The team placed 1,223 homeless households, reducing documentation requirements and streamlining inspections, to move households from shelter to safe, permanent housing as quickly as possible

Finally, we also financed 1,117 supportive homes in 2020, including 90 Sands, a former Jehovah’s Witnesses hotel that will be transformed into 491 supportive and affordable homes in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Over 300 of these apartments are set aside for homeless New Yorkers, who will also receive on-site supportive services.

Preserving Affordability and Promoting Homeownership

Despite the immensely challenging environment, the City preserved 22,068 homes, bolstering housing stability for approximately 55,000 New Yorkers. We also created a record 18,125 homeownership opportunities by preserving 17,573 Mitchell-Lama homeownership apartments in 2020.

One example is Concourse Village, a Mitchell Lama Co-op in the Bronx, with affordability now guaranteed through the year 2060. It features 1,874 homes serving approximately 5,000 residents, including a significant number of families earning under $52,000, including many senior citizens. Watch our video interview with Dennis, a Concourse Village resident.

Starting the New Year Swinging

Advancing Racial Inclusion, Equity, and Fair Housing

Following up on our promise to support M/WBEs and Nonprofits that share our commitment to communities and make our affordable housing production more equitable, we made three key announcements in the past few months:

• Equitable Ownership Requirement mandates that on public sites we award for affordable housing development, teams must include an M/WBE or non-profit partner that holds a minimum ownership and financial stake of 25% in the project.
• NYC Acquisition Fund will now exclusively finance projects led by M/WBEs and nonprofits with a 51% ownership stake.
• Pathways to Opportunity is a new initiative providing free training for M/WBEs and non-profits interested in breaking into the growing marketing agent industry for Housing Connect lotteries. Interested parties should apply by February 19!

Supporting New Yorkers Affected by COVID-19

COVID-19 laid an immense burden on both tenants and owners, and we know there are still so many things New Yorkers need to get back on their feet. We're stocking our toolbox to provide both renters and owners much needed relief from the pandemic.

• The Security Deposit Alternatives RFEI aims to provide renters more choices for paying their security deposits by identifying eligible companies that want to offer alternatives to traditional, lump-sum deposits for affordable housing applicants of newly constructed homes.
  Submissions accepted on a rolling basis (Priority deadline is 2/15)
• The Homeowner Help Desk received new funding to assist homeowners at risk of displacement in key neighborhoods in Southeast Queens, Central Brooklyn, and the North Bronx. The Help Desk will connect owners with resources and raise awareness about deed theft and scams.

Finally, New Yorkers looking for resources to get, afford, or keep housing during these trying times should visit the City's Housing Resource Portal, which is kept up to date on all the City's resources from free legal advice to emergency rental assistance. We encourage all our partners to share this valuable resource widely to help get the word out about the help available.

Best,

Louise Carroll
HPD Commissioner