Lottery Opens For 5 East Harlem 1-Bedroom Apartments Renting For $985

EAST HARLEM, NY — An affordable housing lottery for 5 newly-constructed, one-bedroom apartments in East Harlem is accepting applications through March 2. All five units are located in a new building on the corner of Third Avenue and East 117th Street.

Each of the apartments has a monthly rent of $985 per month and will be open to individuals earning between $33,772 and $38,100 annually or two people earning between $33,772 and $43,500 annually. The figures represent 60 percent of the area median income, according to the city's Housing Connect website. In addition to rent, tenants will be responsible for monthly utilities costs, according to Housing Connect.

Here's a chart from Housing Connect that details the available units and levels of affordability:

Prospective tenants can apply for the housing lottery online using the Housing Connect website. Applications must be submitted by March 2 and there will be no fee to apply. Additionally a mail-in application can be received by sending a self-addressed letter to: Raveh Realty LLC, 55 Northern Blvd. Suite 210, Great Neck, NY 11021.

Fifty percent of the units will be prioritized for people living in Manhattan Community Board 11, which covers the area in East Harlem bound by East 96th Street, Fifth Avenue and the Harlem River. Randalls and Wards Islands are also included in Community Board 11. An additional 5 percent will be prioritized for city employees as well as 5 percent for mobility-disabled applicants and 2 percent for vision- or hearing-disabled applicants.

In October the city announced it would be revising the rules of affordable housing lotteries to protect low-income residents from being discriminated against. Applicants to affordable housing lotteries will no longer be subject to rejection based solely on poor credit scores or past disputes with landlords in housing court.

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