By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Friday announced that the City will double the percentage of homes in the its affordable housing lottery that have a preference for NYC employees, and expand eligibility for this preference to include military veterans as well.
Historically, City employees have been given priority on 5 percent of newly-constructed affordable homes financed by either the City Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the City Housing Development Corporation and listed on the city’s Housing Connect lottery. With this new policy, the Adams administration will increase that preference to 10 percent of homes and allow military veterans to qualify for this preference as well. The expanded preference will help connect more city employees, who are largely required to live in New York City, as well as military veterans, who face a range of challenges often associated with housing insecurity, to affordable housing.
“As a lifelong public servant, I know first-hand the sacrifices that our City employees make every day to keep our streets safe, teach our children, help families save money, and deliver every day for 8.5 million of their fellow New Yorkers. We want to make sure the public servants who power our city can afford to live in our city, which is why we are going to double the city’s affordable housing preference for our extraordinary city employees,” said Adams. “But we’re not stopping there. Too many military veterans still struggle with housing insecurity. If you served our country abroad or on a military base, you should be able to find an affordable place to live back home; that is why we are going to make military veterans eligible for these homes as well. We are not only proud to be the most pro-housing administration in city history but to be able to give back to the public servants who give their all every day for their city and their country.”
Once launched, the new 10 percent preference will apply to all HPD- and HDC-financed new construction listed on the Housing Connect lottery. Applicants must meet one of the following eligibility criteria to qualify:
- Municipal Employees: Applicants currently employed by the City of New York can qualify by answering “yes” to the Housing Connect question about city employment and submitting proof, such as a recent paystub or tax document.
- Military Veterans: Applicants who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserves can qualify by answering “yes” to the Housing Connect question about military service and providing supporting documents, such as a military ID or U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs benefits statement.
“This expansion of the preference is the result of thoughtful collaboration — and a shared belief that those who serve our city and nation should have a fair shot at building a life right here in the five boroughs,” said City Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner James Hendon. “By including veterans, this policy takes an important step toward ensuring that service is met with opportunity — and that no one who’s answered the call to serve is left behind.”
“Anything we can do to help our veterans who served this country is welcome,” added City Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth), chairman of the Committee on Veterans. “I thank the City for taking this seriously.”
