When applying for affordable housing, New York City residents are constantly confounded by application instructions regarding income eligibility and required documents. Riddled with questions and uncertainties, many individuals, even those who are fluent in English, may be daunted by the application process. Because of this, Lower East Side and Chinatown residents interested in applying for affordable housing have turned to AAFE’s Housing and Community Services (HCS) team to address their questions and concerns. Thus far in 2013, AAFE HCS has helped more than 300 walk-in clients with affordable housing inquiries and applications.
With the obvious need for education on this topic and the complex nature of the affordable housing application process, AAFE HCS staff chose to hold a community workshop to address this issue on Tuesday, November 19 at the Chatham Square Library. The affordable housing workshop allowed community members to become more educated about and more confident in the application process. Topics included reading affordable housing application ads, determining eligibility, and locating resources to assist with the application process.
The information session was very well attended with a total of 27 community members participating. Many attendees expressed their thanks and gratitude for the workshop. One Chatham Square Library patron stated, “The affordable housing workshop presented by AAFE was so helpful to me. They explained step-by-step how you can apply for housing. I think I finally understand what to do!”
If you are interested in hosting an affordable housing workshop, please fill out this form or contact Karen Lin at karen_lin@www.aafe.org or 212-979-8988 ext. 128.
