January 21, 2025

City Partners with Community-Based Organizations to Provide Free Financial Counseling and Application Support to Help New Yorkers Overcome Barriers to Affordable Housing 

New York, NY – Affordable housing can be life-changing, which is why the City is proud to promote the Ready to Rent program, an initiative that helps New Yorkers prepare for affordable housing applications with free financial counseling and additional application support. With the support of $450,000 allocated by the New York City Council in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 city budget, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), and Ariva are advancing the FY25 Ready to Rent program. Through a competitive Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) process to select program providers, HPD is working with local community-based organizations (CBOs) to help residents access the resources they need. HPD is also proud to announce this year’s awardees, which join Ariva as the financial counseling provider, in providing affordable housing application support. 

•  Kingsbridge Heights Community Center 
•  We Stay/Nos Quedamos, Inc.
  
•  Flatbush Development Corporation
  
•  Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, Inc.
  
•  Chinese-American Planning Council
  
•  Good Old Lower East Side
  
•  FundaveNYC
  
•  HANAC Inc.
  
•  Ocean Bay Community Development Corp.
  

These organizations play a critical role in the Ready to Rent program, by providing clients with personalized guidance to overcome common barriers in the affordable housing application process, such as understanding eligibility and income documentation. The program is strengthened by pairing this application support with essential financial counseling provided by Ready to Rent’s financial counseling provider, Ariva. Their expertise empowers applicants to strengthen their application and confidently navigate the housing lottery process. 

“The Ready to Rent Program is an important tool that will ensure New Yorkers are prepared to take advantage of affordable housing opportunities across our neighborhoods,” said Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “This partnership between city agencies, community-based organizations, and financial counselors will make a real impact for those working to access the housing opportunities we provide, and I thank the Council and Speaker for their support of the program’s expansion.”   

"Along with the scarcity of available housing, the financial intricacies and paperwork involved in securing a place to live in New York City can be incredibly frustrating. Ready to Rent is a returning program designed to ease and speed up the home-finding process," said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Jr. "We are thrilled to collaborate with established community organizations to provide financial counseling services and application assistance, helping renters be fully prepared to secure affordable housing in this tight market." 

“Financial success is impossible without stable housing, and the Ready to Rent program provides New Yorkers with free financial counseling and application assistance to apply for affordable housing,” said DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “We urge qualifying New Yorkers to take advantage of this program and get the financial counseling services they need to secure affordable housing and boost their financial future. Thank you to HPD, Ariva, and all Housing Ambassador Organizations for helping to make NYC the best place to raise a family.” 

“Helping New Yorkers navigate the affordable housing application process to secure homes will strengthen our communities and the path to stability,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is proud to have allocated $450,000 in its funding for the Ready to Rent program to support HPD, DCWP and Ariva’s partnership with trusted community-based organizations to provide free financial counseling and assistance that helps prospective tenants apply for affordable housing. This critical programming can provide the resources and support that working- and middle-class New Yorkers need to secure affordable and stable housing.”  

“As the housing crisis continues to impact communities across NYC, listing affordable units is not enough. We must also equip New Yorkers with the resources they need to successfully access those units,” said Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. “For many, navigating technology, understanding eligibility requirements, and submitting necessary documentation can be overwhelming. With the $450K provided by the City Council, the return of the Ready to Rent program means community-based organizations (CBOs) across the city can once again offer free, one-on-one counseling to help residents navigate the affordable housing process. Applying to a home should be one less thing that low- and middle-income families worry about. I thank the participating CBOs and the New York City Departments of Housing Preservation and Development and Consumer and Worker Protection for their ongoing partnership to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to safe, affordable housing.”   

"Housing, homelessness, and affordability issues touch on so many of the urgent issues facing our city. We can and must build more affordable housing to meet these challenges, but all the housing in the world is no good if people don’t know how to access it. We fought to fund the Ready to Rent program to make sure our efforts to build housing are not in vain, and that affordable units are easily available to New Yorkers of all income levels. Our most vulnerable neighbors often don’t have the time or the means to dot their i’s and cross their t’s. Through the assistance of the trusted community partners receiving this funding, Ready to Rent will ensure that doesn’t mean affordable housing is off the table for those that need it most,” said Finance Chair, Councilmember Justin Brannan.  

“Ariva is delighted to partner with the nine nonprofit neighborhood organizations selected for the Ready to Rent program in FY25. These organizations are trusted institutions in their community with a proven track record of addressing the housing needs of neighborhood residents. We look forward to working with them, with the support of the New York City Council, NYC HPD, and NYC DCWP, to pursue our mission of creating economic justice, financial inclusion, and the opportunity for all residents of New York City to build financially empowered and prosperous lives,” said Irene Baldwin, Executive Director, Ariva, Inc.  

What Is Ready to Rent?  

The Ready to Rent program provides free, personalized support to help New Yorkers successfully navigate the affordable housing process. Through the program, Housing Ambassadors ensure New Yorkers have access to information and guidance about the affordable housing application process by offering free public educational events and one-on-one assistance. Building off the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s (DCWP) financial counseling model, interested Eligible New Yorkers can also register to receive free one-on-one financial counseling to review their credit, calculate income for housing applications, manage debt, and save for moving expenses. Sessions are available both in person and over the phone, with multilingual services provided to ensure accessibility for all. 

Since its inception, HPD has funded over 30 organizations through Ready to Rent to provide Housing Ambassador services Many of these organizations that are now available again have continued in the Housing Ambassador Program on a volunteer basis, helping the program grow to nearly 50 Ambassador organizations throughout the five boroughs. The program prioritizes services in neighborhoods experiencing changes, such as large-scale development and rezoning, to ensure equitable access to its resources. Participants also benefit from follow-up support to address ongoing financial and housing-related challenges.  

Your First Step to Affordable Housing Starts Here  

New Yorkers can begin booking appointments now to access free financial counseling and affordable housing application assistance by visiting Ready to Rent - HPD, calling 311 and saying, “Ready to Rent,” or contacting a Housing Ambassador directly. Whether starting your search or navigating the Housing Connect system, Ready to Rent offers personalized support to simplify the process. Appointments are available in person or over the phone, with multilingual services ensuring accessibility for all.  

Building a More Accessible Housing System  

The Ready to Rent program is one of several steps the city has taken to simplify the affordable housing application process. In October 2023, HPD removed credit checks for households with housing vouchers, clearing a major hurdle for over 4,000 families each year. Previously, credit checks and rental history requirements created unnecessary barriers, despite rent being guaranteed by vouchers or subsidies. This change ensures a faster, fairer path to affordable housing for voucher holders. 

These efforts, alongside programs like Ready to Rent, demonstrate the City’s commitment to reducing obstacles and expanding access to stable, affordable homes for all New Yorkers.  

New Yorkers who are interested in financial counseling outside of the Ready to Rent program can visit nyc.gov/TalkMoney or contact 311 and say, “financial counseling.” 

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New York City is committed to the principle of inclusivity in all of its neighborhoods, including supporting New Yorkers to reside in neighborhoods of their choice, regardless of their neighborhood of origin and regardless of the neighborhood into which they want to move. 

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, responsible for building and preserving affordable housing, partnering with communities to create housing in more equitable, diverse, and livable neighborhoods, as well as enforcing the housing and maintenance code across all five boroughs.  

From responding to over 600,000 housing complaints, to financing nearly 15,000 new affordable homes, preserving more than 10,000 existing affordable homes, and connecting more than 25,000 New Yorkers with affordable housing, HPD’s work touches every corner of the city’s housing landscape. 

Stay up to date by following @NYCHousing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and visit nyc.gov/hpd for more information.