For the first time in almost 15 years, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) re-opened the Section 8 application lottery in June for one week only. This Federally funded program covers 60%-70% of rent for low-income New Yorkers with a voucher. In New York City, where most tenants are considered rent- burdened, meaning they spend at least 30% of their income on housing, having this level of stability can be transformative for a family. Over the course of the week NYCHA received over 633,000 applications. NYCHA will randomly select 200,000 households to receive vouchers.
Showing up for our Community
With only a week’s notice before the enrollment window opened, Nazareth Housing jumped into action to be sure we would be ready to assist our community.
- We reached out to our community members through email, social media, phone calls, with information on the enrollment period.
- We also offered in-person support: helping those who aren’t comfortable using technology or lack a computer to complete the application out as well as helping those who don’t have an email account (a requirement for anyone wanting to sign up for the list) create one.
Over the course of the one-week enrollment period, we helped 58 families apply for the Section 8 lottery list.
But the work doesn’t stop here. Nazareth Housing’s team in the Housing Stability Support Program (HSSP)’s team will follow up with all new individuals and households we met. We will invite them in for a full intake to assess if they would benefit from our additional services, including access to our food pantry, eviction prevention support, or enrollment in public benefits such as SNAP or public assistance. This opportunity also gave us a chance to check in with our current clients and, most importantly, deepen our connection to the community.
This is why the work we do matters. And we couldn’t do it without you, our generous supporters.