New York City Housing

• Department of Homeless Services• Housing Preservation and Development• New York City Housing Authority• 80/20 housing• Supportive Housing• ¾ housing• SRO

Housing Programs

Department of Homeless Services

The New York City Department of HomelessServices was established in 1993 and became aMayoral agency in 1999.The primary goal of thedepartment is to prevent homelessness andfocus on employment. No one is turned awayfrom the services. However every one mustprove homelessness.

Single Adult shelter

The single Adult shelter system has several locations for assessment. Two of these centers are the Bellevue assessment center for men and the Franklin shelter for Women. Here the clients are assessed as to which shelter they will be placed. DHS has shelters for different populations such as Employment and Mental Health shelters. The Adult shelter system is the easier one to get into because it is the cheapest. The single Adults, men and women sleeps separate dorm setting.

Homebase

The DHS homebase program provides services to prevent homelessness. This agency has been placed in all five boughs. Clients are referred to the agency through the courts, community social services offices and walk ins. The agency can assist the client with rent payments and employment. The agency will monitor the family until the situation is stable.

DHS Family Shelters

The DHS family shelters has two components: Adult families and families with children. The adult families must go to the Bellevue Center. The Adult families are where everyone in the family is over the age of 21. DHS has facilities for this family type.

DHS families with young children will go to the Powell Ave site to be placed in a shelter. They will need birth certificates for the children and school letters. Each family has the burden to prove they are homeless.

Department of Housing Preservation and Development

HPD is the largest Municipal developer of affordable housing in the Nation. Their mission is to supply New York City residents with available, affordable and quality housing. When a building is abandoned for any reason, HPD will take the building and renovated those properties for low income housing. At one point HPD was a direct manger for low income housing. Today, HPD has gone away from managing and has given this task to “not for profit” agencies.

Supportive Housing Support Housing is fund by HUD by way of section 8. This is not a

portable voucher. HPD administer the housing programs. Supportive housing is usually a source of housing for persons with disabilities. Many of the populations seeking this housing will have to complete a 2010e housing application with the Department of Mental Health. This application is completed by social service agencies. These agencies are given a training on the program and also given a password to get into the system. The Department of Mental Health will approve or disapprove the application. Again, “not for profit” agencies manage the property.

SROs also plays a part in support housing. SRO housing rents to the community and also accepts referrals from the shelter system. However, since the suspension of section 8, SRO housing is accepting only those that can pay the rent. SROs was once the primary housing option for those living in the shelter system.

New York City Housing Authority

New York City Housing Authority has an application process where each family has to submit. The family is called to the NYCHA office for an interview. All documentation must be provided to the housing agent before a decision is given. Documentation usually consist of birth certificates, school letters, social security cards and income. This process is usually long and many applicants are not accepted into the housing. Income plays an important part in deciding whose in and whose not admitted into NYCHA. Criminal records also plays a role.

80/20 Housing

Here, any newly built rental housing in New York City has the 80/20 rule. This agreement with the city states that 20% of the tenants in the building will be housed according to income. Meaning that low income applicants has an opportunity to obtain an apartment. The other 80% is usually pays market rates. These apartments are also available to those on public assistance.

Three quarter Housing

Three quarter housing are illegal apartment buildings that rent rooms/space to many that have gone through the shelter system, come out of the prison system or substance abuse residential treatment programs. Many times the residents are told that they will obtain services while living in these housing settings, but they are not getting these services. These promised services includes, assistance with housing, social services and employment. Instead of services the tenants have complained that they are being evicted and living in overcrowded spaces.

Section 8 Housing

Section 8 as we know it- is long gone. The Federal Housing and Urban Development has suspended section 8 to individuals since early 2010. Instead there are two agencies still receiving the vouchers- HPD and NYCHA. HPD and NYCHA uses their voucher for special cases. Many of the housing programs throughout the city are given vouchers through HPD. Programs such as Mount Hope and other housing programs in the Bronx are attaching the vouchers to the apartment. The tenants livings in these apartments pays a third of their income as if they were on section 8, but the voucher is not portable, they must remain in the apartment in order to pay the reduced rent.

Some contact information

New York City Housing Authority:(212) 306-3000250 Broadway-New York CityDepartment of Homeless Services (212) 361-800033 Beaver Street, New York, NYHousing, Preservation and Development100 Gold Street (311)

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