Your application is managed by the Customer Contact Centers listed below. Please call or visit your borough office for any questions or updates to your application.

NYCHA Borough Customer Contact Centers

Brooklyn / Staten Island / Non-NYC Residents:
787 Atlantic Avenue, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 707-7771

Bronx / Manhattan Residents:
478 East Fordham Plaza, 2nd Floor
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 707-7771

Queens Residents:
90-27 Sutphin Boulevard, 4th Floor
Jamaica, NY 11435
(718) 707-7771

Yes. Starting January 12, 2010, you can speak with one of our Customer Contact Center Representatives at 718-707-7771 to check the status of your application. The Customer Contact Center is available to take your call, from 8 AM – 5PM, Monday through Friday.

You may call or visit the Customer Contact Center. You should refer to the Guide to Applying for Public Housing  for additional information regarding the Public Housing Program.

NYCHA has a dual preference priority system (Need Based and Working Family preference); you may qualify for either, both or neither Preference.

The Need Based priorities are assigned based on the family’s housing situation. However, families who do not live, work or have commitment for a job in New York City will not qualify for the Need Based Priority regardless of his/her housing situation.

New York City residents and Non-New York City residents are assigned Working Family Priorities based on the amount of income, source of income or age of the applicant.

You should refer to the Guide to Applying for Public Housing for additional information regarding the Need Based and the Working Family Preferences.

You should refer to the Need Based Preference link for a listing of our emergency priorities. However, the Victim of Domestic Violence priority is the only emergency priority that may be self referred by an applicant. All other emergency priorities must be referred by the city agency directly to the designated NYCHA office for processing.

You do not need to submit documents with your application unless you are applying as a Victim of Domestic Violence. You should refer to the Guide to Applying for Public Housing  for the list of documents needed to qualify for the Victim of Domestic Violence priority. You must include the documents with your completed application and mail the entire package to the Post Office Box listed on the application.

Your application information such as your social security numbers and housing priority will be verified if and when we are able to reach your application for an eligibility interview. Please do not send any documents (other than Domestic Violence documents) with your application.

Preliminary Public Housing applications remain active for three years. If you are not reached for an interview within the three years, a new application must be filed within that time to remain on the waiting list. You will retain the filing date from your original application.

There is no way to predict how long you may have to wait before you are called for an apartment. A computer selects your application from a preliminary list of applicants based on numerous factors including, but not limited to, priority, application date, apartment size and borough choice. If you are found eligible, your application will then be entered into the Tenant Selection and Assignment Plan (TSAP) computer. The Tenant Selection and Assignment Plan was established to ensure that all applicants for public housing are processed and treated under equal terms.

The demand for apartments far exceeds the supply. There are over 130,000 applicants waiting for public housing.

Yes. The maximum family gross income that a family may have is based on family size. The income limits are listed at the following link. INCOME LIMITS

No. You are not required to have a minimum income but you or a family member who will reside with you must have some type of income.

Yes. You and your co-head (spouse or domestic partner), if any, must be at least 18 years of age.

You do not have to be a citizen of the United States but at least one member of your family must be a United States citizen or a non-citizen with eligible immigration status.

Yes. But the applicant can only rent in one program. If an applicant rents a Section 8 apartment or a public housing apartment, the applicant's priority status for the program that he/she was not selected for will be changed to reflect the fact that they now reside in a Section 8 or public housing apartment. A priority status change in this instance would likely mean that an applicant would not be reached on the waiting list.

Please review the Section 8 priority codes
Please review the Public Housing need-based priority codes

After 90 days, you can call the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 to confirm receipt of your application.

Rent is based on 30% of the family’s adjusted gross income.

You cannot apply for a specific development on the application. If you are found eligible for public housing after your interview and depending on the housing priority and family size, you may be offered the option to select a specific development from the Guide to Anticipated Vacancies which lists developments with insufficient applications for anticipated vacancies, or be placed on a borough wide waiting list. Emergency applicants, which include victims of domestic violence and city referred applications, and all families requiring five bedrooms or more are only entitled to a borough choice. All other applicants are permitted to select a development.

You must call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center immediately. This ensures that you will receive any mailings concerning your application.

You must call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center. It is important to supply accurate family composition information to determine which size apartment would be appropriate.

You should call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center if your source of income or amount of income has changed. Changes in income might affect your priority or entitle you to a working family preference. Refer to the working family preference link for definitions of a working family.

Your housing situation determines your Need Based housing priority and is an important factor in the selection of your application for an interview.

You should review the Public Housing need-based priority codes to determine whether the change in your housing situation will affect your housing priority. If your housing situation will not affect your priority, you do not need to report the change. If you have any concerns about your application, you should call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center.

You must call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center as soon as possible to make arrangements to reschedule.

Please note:

1. Applicants scheduled for interviews based on their positive response to an Applications Outreach for specific developments may not be rescheduled.
2. All other interviews may be rescheduled but only if the request is made within six months of the initial appointment date.