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Housing

Affordable housing waiting lists

NYC Mitchell-Lama | NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)

1. How it Works

The Mitchell-Lama program provides affordable rental and cooperative homeownership opportunities to families with moderate and middle incomes.

  • You have to apply to each development waiting list separately.
    • Apply to ones that fit your income, household size, and preferences.
    • Applicants may apply to open waiting lists. Closed waiting lists do not accept new applicants.
    • Entering the lottery for an open waiting list puts you in a lottery for the waiting list, not the next available unit.
    • If your application is chosen from the lottery, you’ll be added to a waitlist and notified when a unit becomes available.
  • It may take several years before a unit becomes available to people on a waiting list.
  • Veterans may be entitled to a preference for Mitchell-Lama developments with an open waiting list.
  • Mitchell-Lama housing lotteries are only one type of housing lottery. For other affordable housing opportunities, visit NYC Housing Connect.

2. Determine your eligibility

Eligibility for Mitchell-Lama rental units is determined by:

  • The size of the unit
  • The number of people who will be living in the unit
  • Your total household income which cannot be more than the limits shown below. Different developments have different limits:
Household Size Federally Assisted Rental Federally Assisted Cooperative Non-Federally Assisted
1 $79,120 $123,625 $123,625
2 $90,400 $141,250 $141,250
3 $101,680 $158,875 $158,875
4 $112,960 $176,500 $176,500
5 $122,000 $190,625 $190,625
6 $123,840 $204,750 $204,750
7 $140,080 $218,875 $218,875
8 $149,120 $233,000 $233,000

 

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3. How to Apply

3. How to apply

Here are your options.

Apply online

  1. Create an account on Mitchell-Lama Connect.
    • Signing up for NYC Mitchell-Lama Connect will provide email notifications when additional waiting list lotteries open.
  2. Find developments with open wait list lotteries.
  3. Apply for developments with open waitlists. There is a non-refundable $75 application fee.

Additional Mitchell-Lama waiting lists are managed by NYS Homes and Community Renewal. See their list of developments for middle income families and seniors.

Find a housing development

Apply by mail

Come back to it later.
We can send you a link to this page to help you get back to it when you’re ready.

More ways to get help with this program

Visit the website

Visit HPD’s Mitchell-Lama page for more information.

Email HPD

Email [email protected] with questions.

Call HPD

Call 212-863-6500 with questions.

Last Updated July 10, 2023

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