Photo by Paulo Veloso on Pexels.com
City Partners with Community-Based Organizations to Provide Free Financial Counseling and Application Support to Help New Yorkers Overcome Barriers to Affordable Housing
Affordable housing can be life-changing, which is why the City is proud to promote the Ready to Rent program, an initiative that helps New Yorkers prepare for affordable housing applications with free financial counseling and additional application support. With the support of $450,000 allocated by the New York City Council in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 city budget, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), and Ariva are advancing the FY25 Ready to Rent program. Through a competitive Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) process to select program providers, HPD is working with local community-based organizations (CBOs) to help residents access the resources they need. HPD is also proud to announce this year’s awardees, which join Ariva as the financial counseling provider, in providing affordable housing application support.
- Kingsbridge Heights Community Center
- We Stay/Nos Quedamos, Inc.
- Flatbush Development Corporation
- Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, Inc.
- Chinese-American Planning Council
- Good Old Lower East Side
- FundaveNYC
- HANAC Inc.
- Ocean Bay Community Development Corp.
These organizations play a critical role in the Ready to Rent program, by providing clients with personalized guidance to overcome common barriers in the affordable housing application process, such as understanding eligibility and income documentation. The program is strengthened by pairing this application support with essential financial counseling provided by Ready to Rent’s financial counseling provider, Ariva. Their expertise empowers applicants to strengthen their application and confidently navigate the housing lottery process.
What Is Ready to Rent?
The Ready to Rent program provides free, personalized support to help New Yorkers successfully navigate the affordable housing process. Through the program, Housing Ambassadors ensure New Yorkers have access to information and guidance about the affordable housing application process by offering free public educational events and one-on-one assistance. Building off the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s (DCWP) financial counseling model, interested Eligible New Yorkers can also register to receive free one-on-one financial counseling to review their credit, calculate income for housing applications, manage debt, and save for moving expenses. Sessions are available both in person and over the phone, with multilingual services provided to ensure accessibility for all.
Since its inception, HPD has funded over 30 organizations through Ready to Rent to provide Housing Ambassador services Many of these organizations that are now available again have continued in the Housing Ambassador Program on a volunteer basis, helping the program grow to nearly 50 Ambassador organizations throughout the five boroughs. The program prioritizes services in neighborhoods experiencing changes, such as large-scale development and rezoning, to ensure equitable access to its resources. Participants also benefit from follow-up support to address ongoing financial and housing-related challenges.
Your First Step to Affordable Housing Starts Here
New Yorkers can begin booking appointments now to access free financial counseling and affordable housing application assistance by visiting Ready to Rent – HPD, calling 311 and saying, “Ready to Rent,” or contacting a Housing Ambassador directly. Whether starting your search or navigating the Housing Connect system, Ready to Rent offers personalized support to simplify the process. Appointments are available in person or over the phone, with multilingual services ensuring accessibility for all.
Building a More Accessible Housing System
The Ready to Rent program is one of several steps the city has taken to simplify the affordable housing application process. In October 2023, HPD removed credit checks for households with housing vouchers, clearing a major hurdle for over 4,000 families each year. Previously, credit checks and rental history requirements created unnecessary barriers, despite rent being guaranteed by vouchers or subsidies. This change ensures a faster, fairer path to affordable housing for voucher holders.
These efforts, alongside programs like Ready to Rent, demonstrate the City’s commitment to reducing obstacles and expanding access to stable, affordable homes for all New Yorkers.
New Yorkers who are interested in financial counseling outside of the Ready to Rent program can visit nyc.gov/TalkMoney or contact 311 and say, “financial counseling.”
New York City is committed to the principle of inclusivity in all of its neighborhoods, including supporting New Yorkers to reside in neighborhoods of their choice, regardless of their neighborhood of origin and regardless of the neighborhood into which they want to move.
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)is the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, responsible for building and preserving affordable housing, partnering with communities to create housing in more equitable, diverse, and livable neighborhoods, as well as enforcing the housing and maintenance code across all five boroughs.
From responding to over 600,000 housing complaints, to financing nearly 15,000 new affordable homes, preserving more than 10,000 existing affordable homes,and connecting more than 25,000 New Yorkers with affordable housing, HPD’s work touches every corner of the city’s housing landscape.
Stay up to date by following @NYCHousing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and visit nyc.gov/hpd for more information.
Discover more from City Life Org
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.