Image courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

New York City officials are fighting the city’s looming housing crisis with a few major policy changes. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced new housing reforms that will help homeless New Yorkers easily transition from the shelter system into affordable and supportive housing and give them access to housing in higher-income neighborhoods that have previously been out of reach for lower-income families.

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Image courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Applications are now being accepted for 77 mixed-income units at a new development in Brooklyn. Located at 269 Wallabout Street in East Williamsburg, the eight-story mixed-use building contains 58 modern apartments. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 115 percent of the area median income, or between $29,760 for a single person and $202,515 for a household of nine people, can apply for the apartments, priced from $770/month one-bedroom units to $3,250/month four-bedrooms.

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In 2021, Hochul toured several homes in the East Elmhurst section of Queens that flooded from torrential rains brought on by Hurricane Ida. Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of the Governor on Flickr

In addition to electing Gov. Kathy Hochul, voters in New York on Tuesday approved four new ballot measures that focus on fighting climate change and improving racial equity. Nearly 70 percent of voters said yes to the landmark “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act,” which gives the state permission to borrow $4.2 billion for funding projects that will protect New Yorkers from future extreme weather due to climate change. It’s the largest initiative for environmental protection in New York State history.

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Photo by Emiliano Bar on Unsplash

A new report highlights how the area median income (AMI) set by the federal government for New York City is “wildly out of sync” with the actual incomes earned by most New Yorkers. The New York Housing Conference (NYHC) last week released a policy brief outlining the discrepancy, citing the new AMI levels set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the area. The federal government set the new median family income at $94,500 while the city’s actual household median income remains at $60,550.

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Image courtesy of mari small on Unsplash

The city has delivered on its promise to create more housing for homeless and mentally ill New Yorkers but has had trouble actually filling the units, according to a new report. Data released by the city last week obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed that 2,600 supportive housing units are still vacant despite New York City’s urgent housing crisis and despite Mayor Eric Adams’ pledge to streamline the application process for these apartments, as first reported by the New York Times.

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Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

A housing lottery opened this week for 199 affordable units at a new housing project in Brooklyn. Located at 1921 Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy, the 14-story mixed-use building has 236 total units, several community facilities, and a ground-floor grocery floor. New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 70, and 80 percent of the area median income, or between $16,218 for a single person and $132,400 for a household of seven people, are eligible to apply for the apartments which range from $375/month studios to $2,501/month three bedrooms.

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Photo of 90 Sands Street from Brooklyn Bridge; Courtesy of Breaking Ground

Breaking Ground on Thursday opened 90 Sands Street, a former Jehovah’s Witnesses hotel in Dumbo that has been converted into 491 affordable and supportive apartments. Renovated by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, the 30-story building will offer onsite social services to residents provided by the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS).

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Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

Long-stalled plans to build an affordable senior housing development at the Elizabeth Street Garden in Little Italy hit another roadblock this week. State Supreme Court Judge Debra James on Tuesday vacated and annulled the environmental impact statement for Haven Green, a 123-unit mixed-use rental for older New Yorkers approved by the City Council in 2019. While developers determined the building would not have a negative impact on the neighborhood’s environment, the judge disagreed, ruling that “reduction in open space ratios is sufficient to indicate the presence of a significant adverse impact.”

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Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Applications are now being accepted for 42 affordable units in the Bronx. Located at 740 Brook Avenue in Woodstock, the nine-story mixed-use building offers tenants brand-new residences and a variety of amenities. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 100 percent of the area median income, or between $16,183 for a single person and $165,500 for a household of seven, can apply for the apartments which range from $397/month studios to $2,545/month three bedrooms.

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All images courtesy of the WSFSSH

A new supportive housing complex for low-income families and formerly homeless seniors officially opened on the Upper West Side this week. Located at 145 West 108th Street, the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing’s WSFSSH at West 108 provides 199 new homes for those in need and gives a new home to the Valley Lodge Shelter, a 110-bed development for homeless older adults. The 193,000-square-foot complex includes on-site supportive services and a wide variety of amenities for residents.

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