Affordable housing · lotteries
Housing Connect: affordable apartments by lottery
How NYC Housing Connect works: income bands by AMI, the application, the log number, document review, lease-up and how vouchers interact with lottery units.
Photo: Danny Lyon, Public domainAt a glance
- Run by
- HPD and HDC
- Who
- Households inside the income band for the unit (a percentage of Area Median Income)
- Cost
- Free to apply; rent is fixed for the income band
- Odds
- Thousands of applications per building; preferences for community district residents, municipal employees, mobility and vision or hearing disabilities
- Timeline
- Months from application to lease for selected households
Income-restricted apartments in new and renovated buildings.
How it works
Create a profile
One Housing Connect profile with household members, income and assets. Keep it current; stale profiles get disqualified at review.
Apply to lotteries
Each building lists its income bands and unit sizes. Apply only where your household fits the band.
Log number
After the deadline a random log number orders the applicants. Low numbers are reviewed first.
Document review
The marketing agent asks for pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements and ID for every household member, with deadlines of about ten business days.
Lease signing
If the household qualifies and a unit is available, a lease is signed at the fixed affordable rent.
Vouchers and lottery units
Many lottery units accept vouchers; some are set aside for homeless households referred by DHS or HPD. A CityFHEPS or Section 8 voucher can make a unit affordable in a higher income band because the agency pays the difference, but the marketing agent decides eligibility. Ask before applying, and keep the voucher letter current.
For caseworkers
- Housing Connect is a long game; run it alongside a private-market search, not instead of it.
- Set a calendar reminder for document deadlines; most disqualifications are missed paperwork, not income.
- Community-preference percentages reward applicants who live in the building’s community district.
Questions
Common questions about Housing Connect lotteries
Our placements are private-market units from our landlords. We help clients keep their Housing Connect profiles current and tell them when a lottery fits, but we do not run lotteries.
Most bands require minimum income unless a voucher covers the rent. Set-aside homeless units follow referral rules instead.
Official sources
Program rules change; the agency page is the authority. Checked October 2026.
Brooklyn, NY
Placing a Housing Connect lotteries household, or a unit that could take one?
Caseworkers refer clients at no cost to the tenant. Landlords send the vacancy and we bring a program-ready tenant with the agency’s packet done.
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0