New York City housing lotteries are listed on Housing Connect, a portal maintained by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. You can also find listings advertised in newspapers and on HPD social media, as well as get sign up for updates from HPD. You can also sign up for email updates from IMPACCT Brooklyn with new listings and information to help improve your chances with the lottery.

Tenants for affordable housing units are often chosen by a lottery process. To enter your name in the lottery, you have to fill out an application form for each building that you want to apply for. Preference may be given to:

• People who already live in the area
• Employees of the City of New York
• Veterans
• Residents who are physically, visually or hearing disabled

Housing ads and website listings will include the minimum and maximum income limits for the available units. The ad for the housing will also tell you the size of the available units — studio, one bedroom, two bedroom — and the number of people who can live in each unit, based on the income limits set for each building. You will also need good credit, a steady income, a bank account, and a history of paying your bills on time.

The ad for the lottery will tell you how to apply online and how to request that an application be mailed to you. If you apply by mail, be sure to mail the application to the right address. It will not be the same address as the building.

• Make sure your credit rating is good. You can get a free credit rating and credit report annualcreditreport.com
• Pay all your bills on time
• Open a savings and checking account
• Save enough money to cover the first month’s rent and security deposit

• The address you mail the application to WILL NOT be the address of the housing
• Follow instructions exactly. Details matter, including the kind of envelope you use to mail the application
• Include all required documents
• Submit only one application per household
• Keep watching the housing sites or sign up for housing mailing lists. If you aren’t chosen for one development, you can still apply for another