The hunt for a place to call home in New York City can be all-consuming, especially for those navigating the city’s subsidized housing application process. In interviews with those seeking below-market-rate apartments, and with some of the lucky ones who found it, many said they relied on word-of-mouth to find out about available units.
Lost in Confusion
Artist Laura Napier, 35, found the city’s subsidized housing application system confusing, and has never applied for a housing lottery. She found her current home, a Bronx two-bedroom where she shares the $1,000 monthly rent with a roommate, through a friend who lives in the building.
And Baby Makes Three
Since having a baby, Cassandra and Lateef Akeredolu have outgrown their one-bedroom flat in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The couple’s combined income of $55,000 makes them eligible for some subsidized apartments around the city, but they said the hunt has been disheartening.
Home At Last
After half a dozen applications that turned up nothing, Helen Pagano, 67, burst into tears when she found out she was moving into a one-bedroom in the Edge Community Apartments in Williamsburg. Pagano pays $165 per month, and has grown to love the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Luck Of The Draw
Former taxi driver Mohammad Rahman, 52, and Fatema Begum, 40, applied for a subsidized apartment at 20 North 5th Street in Williamsburg in 2007 after being told about the new development by his landlord. Rahman says he’s very lucky to live where he does.
A Place Of Her Own
Christyn Jackson, a 30-year-old math teacher, recently started her search for a place to call her own. After applying for about 15 units in Harlem and central Brooklyn, the Gates Co-op in Bed-Stuy was the first to respond to her application.
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