r/NYCHA

Would you rent or buy right now? Also looking for affordable housing options for an elderly parent.

My lease is up very soon, so I need to make a housing decision ASAP. I’d love to stay in Manhattan or move to Brooklyn, but I’m struggling to figure out whether it makes more sense to rent again or seriously consider buying.

One non-negotiable for me is natural light. I deal with seasonal depression, so a dark apartment really affects me. Unfortunately, good light + space + NYC pricing is a rough combination unless you have an unlimited budget—which I definitely do not.

I’m also the primary & only caretaker for my elderly mother. Ideally, we would live separately, because I desperately need some privacy and space, but I can’t afford two normal market-rate apartments.

For the apartment I’m looking for:

Manhattan or Brooklyn
Ideally a doorman building, mainly for safety/security and package deliveries
Elevator is essential because of my mom’s age/mobility
Very close to reliable public transportation because she has frequent medical appointments
Lots of natural light
1–2 bedrooms
Ideally at least 1.5 bathrooms
I don’t care much about luxury-building amenities like gyms, lounges, pools, etc.

I currently live in a sun-drenched studio and actually love my apt & my building, but sharing a small studio long-term has become extremely difficult. There’s no separation or privacy and it’s mentally and emotionally taxing…

The other piece I’m trying to understand is housing for my mother separately. She has very little income. Weirdly, from what I’ve been able to figure out, she seems to fall outside or below the eligibility criteria for almost all low income NYC housing programs, while my own income is too high for us to qualify together for most income-restricted 2BR programs.

So I feel stuck in this strange middle ground: I make too much for assistance for the two of us, but nowhere near enough to comfortably support two NYC households.

For people who know NYC real estate or senior housing:
Would you rent for another year right now or consider buying, given the current NYC market?

And even more importantly, are there NYC senior housing programs, senior affordable housing lotteries, supportive senior housing, or other programs I should specifically be investigating for a very-low-income elderly parent?

Any firsthand advice, buildings/programs to research, agencies to contact, or strategies I may be overlooking would be incredibly appreciated. I’m trying to make a smart decision quickly without locking myself into something financially stupid.

HUD announced there will be a new voucher, the Tenant Protection Voucher (TPV) starting this December. Everyone who is in good standing with the EHV program and has NOT matched into Home TBRA (even if you matched but didn’t hear back from HPD yet) or another alternative housing option (A PACT/RAD or Public Housing Unit) will automatically be transitioned to a TPV in the next months. You don’t have to fill out any forms or do anything, and landlords/owners will be notified of this change as well. This means that you can stay in your home if you have not matched anywhere yet.
 
NYCHA will be hosting a webinar for participants on October 21st and HPD will have a webinar on October 15th at 6pm. NYCHA and HPD will be sending communication out about the TPV in the next week or so.
 
It’s been a long few months of a difficult process but here we are 🙏☺️

It hard being a single dad in nyc 😪 and im 33

Hi, I'm new to nycha. I'm trying to pay rent online. It's asking for a tenant number? Where is that information on the self portal? thanks.

Hi everyone I apologise if this is not the place to ask but I'm from Australia but have a friend in NYC who is 22M and going through parental violence but is forced to work for his family so has no real savings. He wants out but is overwhelmed and scared so im trying to compile a list of resources for him to acess but im not sure which places would be willing to take him cos a lot say to apply inperson but he wont be able to unless its on they day he actually leaves.

My question is can anyone give me more places, some that he could apply online to or if he has to apply in person do they usually accept and take them in that day?

My goal:

My goal is to help make this as safe and as least overwhelming as possible for him and hopefully have a few plans incase one doesnt work out

Anyone have a N8 W2 priority for NYCHA ? I been certified for a development since December 2025 and still waiting.

Has anyone ever had this priority and had a short wait time and if not how long was the wait

Nycha is still giving the option to change from development wait list to borough wait list which I was considering but wonder if it makes sense because of the priority I have. Anyone else did this and got called faster ?

Also if we go to a family shelter does our worker let NYCHA know ? Does our priority change then ? Do we get the same development or do we have to start all over ?