Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

$466 million moved back into the 2021 Fiscal Year’s capital budget. On October 22, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the acceleration of capital funding within the City’s affordable housing plan by shifting $466 million to the current fiscal year’s capital budget to address urgent affordable housing needs. In March, the City moved $466 million from the Department of Housing Preservation and Developments Fiscal Year 2021 budget to the Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to support the ongoing recovery efforts, the Department moved these funds back to Fiscal Year 2021. After this shift, the City would have invested $1.4 billion in affordable housing this year. This funding acceleration keeps the Housing New York project on track to create and preserve 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. (more…)

The vacant lot at 2286 Church Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Formerly the site of PS 90, but will soon be the location of new affordable housing. Image Credit: Google Maps

The development is on the site of a former landmark. On October 9, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Member Mathieu Eugene announced plans to develop affordable housing in Flatbush, Brooklyn to add approximately 130 affordable apartments. This new site would be located at 2286 Church Avenue and is the site of former Public School 90. (more…)

Renderings of the new co-op buildings that will be part of the Soundview campus. Image Credit: NYCHA

Seventy-two co-op units will be available for purchase. On October 2, 2020, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced that Lemle & Wolff Companies and Avante Contracting Corp will develop a 100 percent affordable homeownership housing development at NYCHA’s Soundview campus in the Bronx. The buildings will be located across the street to the north of Soundview Park along Lacombe Avenue at the cross street of Lacombe and Rosedale Avenue. (more…)

Image Credit: NYC HPD

On August 17, 2020, The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, along with Citi Community Development and Investment, awarded nine community-based organizations over $200,000 to help disabled New Yorkers apply for affordable housing. This assistance is provided through the Department’s Housing Ambassador Program, which connects nearly two million users on Housing Connect with community organizations that assist with the housing application process. (more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio at his August 5 Press Conference Image Credit: Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor’s affordable housing announcement appears more retrospective than optimistic. On August 5, 2020, The Mayor’s Press Office released a statement touting the amount of affordable housing created in fiscal year 2020. The announcement states that the City preserved 23,520 homes and constructed 6,503 new units, totaling 30,023 affordable City financed homes. More than 50 percent of these homes serve families earning less than $52,000 and 3,600 people received voucher increases to ameliorate income lost from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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