NYC HOUSING CONNECT ONLINE PORTAL PLUS
Even for those that have proper technology access, the information on the site plus the different platforms used (email, phone, website) can be confusing. In our recent survey, program users cited lack of computers, low technology education, and internet problems as reasons why they cannot properly use the Housing Connect website. Since Housing Connect is an online-only portal, many residents rely on Housing Ambassadors like UNHP to submit lottery applications with them.
A map published in 2019 by the NYC Comptroller’s office showed that about 35% - 45% of households in the Northwest Bronx did not have access to broadband internet. While the online process may seem streamlined, Northwest Bronx residents often have limited technological knowledge and capacity which are barriers to fully utilizing the site. In essence, applicants would only have to enter their information once (unless updates need to be made) and hit the “apply” button for lotteries they qualify for. Applicants create a profile with their household and income information which are then used to apply for buildings posted on the website. NYC Housing Connect, for the most part, is online only. Interested New Yorkers can apply for a Housing Connect lottery building through the NYC Housing Connect website. What is the initial application process like? Now, it is much harder for low-income residents to successfully win an apartment since the number of applicants has skyrocketed over the last few years. However, the city-wide publication of rental information comes with a caveat: the competition intensifies for lower-income units. Previously, information about vacant apartments was hard to come by as one would have to know the right contacts to find affordable housing. The program centralizes rental information on one website, making it easy for renters and affordable housing groups to know which apartments are available. NYC Housing Connect was an exciting program when it first began. We hope to work with the others whose accounts are not converted and haven’t been able to apply to the new lotteries.
Since the modernized Housing Connect 2.0 was launched, UNHP has helped 302 households create new accounts. NYC Housing Connect remains one of the Resource Center’s most popular programs over one-third of our program users have used Housing Connect with UNHP in the past. From those applications, only 11 program users have successfully won a unit through the lottery, although the true number could be higher if a user wins a unit outside of UNHP records. Since then we have helped over 1,640 NYC residents, sending over a combined 9,300 applications.
The Northwest Bronx Resource Center has been helping community members apply to NYC Housing Connect lotteries since 2017. To gain user insight on NYC Housing Connect, UNHP surveyed 70 program users about their experience applying for the lottery. In this next installment, UNHP looks at our work in the Northwest Bronx Resource Center and how our program users have dealt with the lack of options in Housing Connect. In our previous post on NYC Housing Connect, we explored the program on an aggregate level-the structure of De Blasio’s Housing Plan and an overview of Northwest Bronx outcomes.
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