Written by Adam James, Affordable Housing Marketing Assistant
In early 2015, I got a letter that I never expected. It was from the management company that took care of the Clinton Hill building I had been living in for more than 25 years. “After a random audit,” it read, “we have found your apartment to be out of compliance.”
It was confusing, but it turned out someone made a mistake in the paperwork for the apartment 15 years earlier. I now had to pack up and move out within three weeks. My mind raced. I was being forced to leave the only home and neighborhood I’ve ever known. Meanwhile, rents in Brooklyn only kept going up over the years and money is tight, but I wasn’t ready to leave.
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So I did what a lot of Brooklynites do in similar situations: apply for affordable housing. I started scanning NYC Housing Connect and signed up for housing lotteries while fighting to stay in my home.
Then a friend introduced me to IMPACCT Brooklyn. The work it did to empower Brooklynites to stay and strengthen their communities struck a chord with me. I attended workshops on a few weekday evenings and Saturdays, where I learned three of the most important lessons I’ve found invaluable as an adult looking for safe, affordable housing in New York City:
- How vital it is to read housing ads carefully,
- Why having good credit helps me secure a home, and
- Keeping all of my documents and paperwork organized makes a huge difference.
While applying for the lotteries, I was lucky enough to have been called in for two housing opportunities, but I walked into my first appointment completely unprepared. Not only did I not provide all of my documents on time, but I didn’t even gather the right ones, such as a completed tax return.
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Thankfully, by the time I got my second call I had already made some big changes thanks to IMPACCT Brooklyn. The staff sat down and walked me through everything I needed to do to improve my chances at the new interview. They also gave me the checklist of required documents, which made life a lot easier and ensured that I had everything that might be requested of me. Needless to say, I left the second interview confident that I did everything possible to secure a home that I can afford.
I got another letter in the mail three months later, this time from the city. I was approved for an apartment three blocks away from my old home, and not too far from the IMPACCT Brooklyn office where I now work at to help other Brooklynites find affordable housing.
I know how lucky I am to be where I’m at, but luck is only part of the equation. Sitting down with IMPACCT Brooklyn will help you better understand the lottery process and improve your chances of succeeding if you get the call. If you could use the services that I relied on, reach out to us at affordablehousing@impacctbk.org. You can also sign up for updates on our services and events here.
I hope we can help you the same way IMPACCT Brooklyn helped me.
