For Apartment Seekers

Find a Rental You Can Afford

Living below the poverty line impacts every aspect of a person’s life. It can affect your mental health, physical health, and the ability to cope with daily problems.

For people who are struggling to move out of poverty and dependence, our Affordable Housing team can help. We can assist you in applying for New York City’s housing lotteries and teach you how to improve your chances! We give people the break they need to regroup and get back on track with their lives.

Frequently asked questions about affordable housing for apartment seekers.

How do I find affordable housing opportunities?

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.

How am I selected for affordable housing?

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

What are the qualifications for affordable housing?

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.

How do I apply for affordable housing?

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.

What do I need for my application?

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

What should I watch out for when I apply?

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

Resources

NYC Dept. of Aging – Apt Sharing Program – 1 person has to be over 60.

Apartment Lotteries

We guide apartment seekers through the NYC Housing Connect application process via virtual workshops and upcoming video question and answer sessions.

Applications are available through 3^rd party entities and are not IMPACCT Brooklyn applications. We cannot provide updates on application status

Housing Impact

We provide homeowners and tenants crucial assistance when it comes to filing cases in Housing Court. We help with the formation of tenant groups, provide legal clinics and more. Our dedication is also unwavering when it comes to ensuring Brooklyn communities are protected.

OUR IMPACT

1010

units built since 1964

148

news units in2023-24

238

more units starting 2025

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“IMPACCT’s program gave me a bit of foresight about what to expect and what to prepare. Without that, it would have been a bit more tenuous because I was going through the homebuying process for the first time.”

Duane Cornish