Evan Haddad

@evan_haddad88

Some apartments in Bushwick that are actually affordable have hit the NYC Housing Lottery this week.

Eight new units at 16 Charles Pl. are now available through the city’s affordable housing program until Mar. 6, city records show. Unlike the pricy “affordable housing” in East Williamsburg that we told you about last week, the apartments at Charles Place are for people making very low income. 

Two studios are going for $856 per month and are open to single applicants making between $29,349-40,08 annually. 

Two one-bedrooms are renting at $985 per month and four two-bedrooms cost $1,114 per month; however, with the exception of a one-bedroom, only multifamily applicants making between $33,772-57,240 may apply for these units. If that still sounds confusing, have a look at this:

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), which oversees affordable housing, determines eligibility for its program based on New York City’s Area Median Income (AMI). Housing is considered affordable if it costs about one-third or less of what the people living there make. In 2017, the AMI for the New York City region was $85,900 for a three-person family.

You may wonder why these one-bedrooms 16 Charles Pl. in Bushwick cost $985 per month, while a similar unit in East Williamsburg costs $2,253 per month through affordable housing.

That’s because where affordable housing is located and how much other apartments cost to rent in those neighborhoods don’t factor in, a spokesman for HPD told Bushwick Daily.

Residents of Brooklyn Community Board 4 (Bushwick) have a 50-percent preference for the apartments at 16 Charles Pl. 

Find out how to apply on the NYC Housing Connect website. 

Cover image courtesy of Google Maps