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Helpful Links — Official NYC Affordable Housing Resources

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Curated directory of official resources. Verify URLs at publication — government pages occasionally change paths.

Where to apply

  • NYC Housing Connect — the city’s official affordable housing lottery portal. Always free. https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/
  • Housing Connect About page — explainer and FAQs. https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/about-us
  • NYC Mitchell-Lama Connect — separate portal for Mitchell-Lama rentals and co-ops. https://a806-mlr.nyc.gov/

Re-rentals

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Official guidebooks and reference materials

  • HPD Housing Connect Guidebook — HPD’s official plain-English guide. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/housing-connect-guidebook.pdf
  • HPD After You Apply guide — what happens after submission. https://a806-housingconnect.nyc.gov/nyclottery/instructionPDFs/After_You_Apply_en.pdf
  • HPD AMI page — current AMI charts by household size. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/area-median-income.page

Free application help

  • HPD Housing Ambassadors — free application assistance in all five boroughs. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/housing-ambassadors.page
  • HPD Ready to Rent — free financial counseling, relaunched January 2025. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/ready-to-rent.page
  • NYC Financial Empowerment Centers — free financial counseling citywide. https://www.nyc.gov/talkmoney

Tenant rights and rent stabilization

  • NYS DHCR Office of Rent Administration — main rent stabilization authority. https://hcr.ny.gov/
  • DHCR Fact Sheets — rent stabilization reference materials. https://hcr.ny.gov/rent-regulation-fact-sheets
  • DHCR Rent Connect — file complaints online. Search DHCR Rent Connect at hcr.ny.gov.
  • Rent Guidelines Board — current RGB orders and public hearing schedule. https://rentguidelinesboard.cityofnewyork.us/
  • NYC Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants — tenant support and policy coordination. https://www.nyc.gov/mopt

Legal services

  • HRA Office of Civil Justice — Universal Access to Counsel — free Housing Court representation. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/legal-services.page
  • Housing Court Answers — free information and referrals. https://housingcourtanswers.org
  • Legal Aid Society — free civil legal services. https://legalaidnyc.org
  • Legal Services NYC — free civil legal services. https://www.legalservicesnyc.org

Rent freeze programs

  • NYC SCRIE (Senior Rent Increase Exemption) — rent freeze for tenants 62+. https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/benefits/landlords-scrie.page
  • NYC DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption) — rent freeze for tenants with qualifying disabilities. https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/benefits/landlords-drie.page

Anti-discrimination and source-of-income protection

  • NYC Commission on Human Rights — discrimination complaints, including source-of-income (voucher) discrimination. 311 or 212-416-0197. https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/index.page

Vouchers and subsidies

  • NYCHA Section 8 — tenant-based Section 8 (when the waitlist is open). https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/section-8/about-section-8.page
  • CityFHEPS — City rental assistance program administered by HRA. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/cityfheps.page

Reporting scams and fraud

  • NYC311 — affordable housing fee fraud, scam reports. https://portal.311.nyc.gov
  • NYC DCWP (Department of Consumer and Worker Protection) — consumer complaints. 311 or https://www.nyc.gov/dcwp
  • NY State Attorney General Housing — file a housing complaint. https://ag.ny.gov/complaints
  • FTC Consumer Fraud — federal fraud reporting. https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

Comprehensive directories

  • Community Service Society NYC Housing Resources Guide — updated January 2026; the most comprehensive tenant resource directory in the city. https://bplc.cssny.org
  • NYC Human Rights — Housing — summary of tenant protections and complaint paths. https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/protected-classes-housing.page

If a link does not work, try navigating from https://www.nyc.gov or https://hcr.ny.gov to the program name directly. Government URLs occasionally restructure — the underlying pages usually persist under new paths.

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