July 9, 2025

HPD’s Housing Connect platform, which connected more than 10,000 households to affordable homes across over 300 lotteries last year, has rolled out a new application update allowing applicants to indicate their preferred unit sizes directly in their profile. This change helps ensure call-backs are better aligned with New Yorkers’ household needs.

Background:

• To make this change, applicants must log into their profile, navigate to “My Household,” and select “Edit Household Details” to answer the new unit size question.
• If left blank, the system defaults to interest in all unit sizes.
• If an applicant does select a unit size preference, then they will not be contacted for a lottery that doesn’t have that unit size.
• Marketing agents will only offer units the applicant is both eligible for and has selected.

This change may seem small, but for those looking for housing, it's meaningful. Ultimately, it also speeds up the process, helping more New Yorkers get housed faster in units that fit their families, routines, and preferences.