13 NYCHA-owned Houses to Be Rehabilitated and Sold to Low- and Moderate-income New Yorkers
Sixteen eligible families will have an opportunity to purchase their first home through “Habitat Net Zero,” a project bringing long-term affordable homeownership opportunities to Southeast Queens. Through the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Open Door program, 13 vacant, dilapidated, previously NYCHA-owned houses will be rehabilitated into 16 new Passive House standards homes for an affordable homeownership program. The houses will be equipped with rooftop solar panels and highly efficient heat-pump technology for heating and cooling, reducing costs and keeping homes at or near net-zero energy use.
Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams both spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate this project, which was closed on February 23 by NYCHA in partnership with HPD and Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County. This is the third cluster of Federal Housing Administration homes sold by NYCHA to Habitat for Humanity since 2012. Similar to the previous two clusters, once rehabilitated, the homes will be sold through an affordable homeownership program.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) transferred ownership of more than 700 FHA-repossessed homes to NYCHA. The majority of homes are in Brooklyn and Queens. NYCHA utilized several of the homes as public housing and helped over 300 residents become homeowners of those properties.
“By leveraging underutilized assets in our portfolio, we can facilitate the construction of homes that enrich our local neighborhoods while making the dream of homeownership possible for a new generation of New Yorkers,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ.
These sites were awarded to Habitat through a 2018 request for proposals from NYCHA. In addition to funding from HPD’s Open Door program – which funds the new construction of homeownership opportunities for low-, moderate-, and middle-income households – funding for this project will be financed by the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation and with Reso A funds, provided by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, and former New York City Councilmember I. Daneek Miller. HPD also facilitated an Article XI tax exemption, which will help keep ongoing housing costs affordable for lower-income households. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Nonprofit Finance Fund are also providing construction financing.
“This innovative partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Interboro Community Land Trust, and HPD highlights NYCHA’s commitment to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing sustainable, high-quality homes that will remain affordable for generations,” noted NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “We look forward to welcoming families into these new energy-efficient homes once they’re completed.”
Eligible applicants for the first-time homeowner program can ask for down payment assistance in the form of a low-interest loan, a forgivable loan, or even a non-repayable grant. To qualify for affordable home-buying programs, residents must participate in pre-purchase counseling and a homebuyer education course from a HUD-approved housing counseling organization.
Manzur Kader is one of the beneficiaries of the affordable homeownership program from prior restorations. He took the homebuyer education course in 2019 and received the first-time homebuyer loan and down payment assistance grant.
Mr. Kader immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh in 2007. After the financial crisis, Mr. Kader lost his job and was struggling to take care of his family. He applied for NYCHA’s assistance and became a resident of Woodside Houses in 2011. After Mr. Kader got a new job and achieved financial stability, he started thinking about buying a place. However, he was convinced he wouldn’t be able to afford anything in NYC – until he learned about the affordable homeownership program.
“I couldn’t buy my own home at market rate; it was such a big support to have the affordable homeownership opportunity,” said Mr. Kader who moved to his 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom, fully renovated house in Jamaica, Queens – the first home he’s owned.
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“NYCHA has always been kind to me,” Mr. Kader said. “It helped me in times of need, and it helped me with the biggest and the most important purchase of my life: my own house. They built and rehabilitated the house and gave me the keys.”
Tonya Bryant’s family were NYCHA residents for generations. After 40 years of her family living in the same NYCHA apartment, Ms. Bryant decided it was her destiny to become a homeowner. She filled out the affordable homeownership program application in 2018 and purchased her home a year later. Ms. Bryant now lives in her single-family home, which has 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a backyard, and a driveway.
“I am in love with my new house,” Ms. Bryant said. “I’d say I am still in a honeymoon phase. I can’t stress enough to you how lucky I was throughout this whole process, because my house was a ‘turnkey’ – the only thing I had to do was furnish it. I came in, I had a brand-new refrigerator, brand-new stove, and a brand-new dishwasher.”
