Mayor Bill De Blasio
Aug. 21, 2019 By Allie Griffin
The city has lowered the requirements necessary to enter its affordable housing lotteries, lessening barriers that discourage undocumented immigrants from applying.
Starting later today, applicants will no longer need a Social Security number or tax ID number for each adult member of the household to be considered for the lottery, as NY1 first reported.
While undocumented immigrants could already apply to the lotteries, they previously had to submit an individual tax identification number called a TIN. Undocumented immigrants need to apply to the federal government for a TIN, but many don’t have one.
The requirement for each adult family member of a household to submit a Social Security or TIN number to apply is viewed by the administration as a barrier to many undocumented immigrants.
“These new changes are a step towards promoting greater racial equity in our housing market and greater access to affordable housing, regardless of immigration status,” said Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “By eliminating requirements that unnecessarily and disproportionately impact working class immigrant families and people of color, HPD continues to show our City’s commitment to racial and immigrant justice.”
The new changes also allow applicants to wave a landlord-initiated credit check. Instead applicants can show proof that they have paid past rent on time for a year.
“For too long, families without access to credit have faced barriers to the affordable housing they need,” de Blasio said. “By allowing New Yorkers to submit rental history instead of credit checks, we are creating a fairer system for all New Yorkers.”
The new policies reduce the chance of a tenant denied on the basis of poor credit, according to the mayor’s administration. In addition, the city has increased the number of household occupants permitted per unit.
Ana Nuñez, a housing ambassador who works for the nonprofit Churches United For Fair Housing which helps people apply for the lotteries praised the city’s decision on NY1. She said now many more of her clients can apply.
“It completely opens the floodgates,” Nuñez said. “So now this is a truly, truly a sanctuary city.”
In April, the odds of winning an affordable housing lottery were one in 600. With the deletion of the Social Security or TIN requirement, this number is likely to go up.
Queens has the highest number of undocumented immigrants in the city at 184,000 and about 477,000 undocumented immigrants live in all five boroughs, according to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs 2018 report.
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33 Comments
The problem is that this present group is different from immigrants of years past. In the past, people came in, and worked their way up the hard way. This group brings a sense of entitlement, and no small amount of hostility toward those of European descent. They are savvy about using the race card to for priority jobs. I have family members in LA who lost their jobs thanks to lobbying efforts of new citizens from this group.
That being said, there are incredibly hard-working, decent people who remain illegal.
And what Trump is doing to families is criminal.
I don’t know what the solution is.
Is it absolutely inconceivable that the US doesn’t need as many immigrants as 100 years ago? Also, there is far greater difference in professional qualities among immigrants now than 100 years ago. Economy changed and public policies need to be adjusted. Shouldn’t the Dems at the very least consider current economic reality instead of screaming that USA is the country of immigrants. Yes, it is but economic changes can’t be blindly ignored.
Hey Wilhelm why not tax paying American citizens first?? how about displaced families that paid there own way then fell on hard times? What about our veterans ? . That’s why the Socialist party is a laughing stock.
Illegals should get lumped into the lottery! They are valued members of the NYC community. They bring culture, a big heart, and open arms to our drab spirit. There are many bigots and xenophobes here. So sad.
And, apparently, many who believe in following the law. Illegal immigrants should be treated to housing in a federal accommodations en route back to their home country.
You must be a anti american to say what you did. Go to Guatemala or Honduras illegally and see where you wind up or China or Vietnam,Russia or Iran. Socialism does not work Illegals Deserve NOTHING BUT DEPORTATION. Come here LEGALLY PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You want more deportations but voted for the president that’s soft on border security?
This is a move towards greater equity in the housing lottery system, since there are many hard-working members of our community who are part of mixed-status families that are unfairly excluded in the present system.
Of course there is much more that needs fixing in the currently housing lottery system, in terms of defining what a truly affordable apartment should be, but that component is State regulated and beyond DeBlasio’s power to change.
I find it amusing that some commentators whine about Democrats neglecting “everyday working people”, when it is the Republicans who block raising the minimum wage, and it is the Republicans who fill Washington posts with their billionaire friends – who are destroying labor and environmental protections in the name of deregulation, so that they can fatten their pocketbooks even more – at our expense.
Likewise I am saddened by those commentators who fall for Trump’s racist calls to divide our communities into us and them, to embrace scapegoating as normal, and to denigrate our welcoming immigrant ideals and traditions. Those same traditions that welcomed our poor and often un-educated ancestors to America, ancestors who must be rolling over in their graves, immigrant ancestors who are the ones who made – and still make – America great. Not Lyin’ King Trump and his cronies.
Most immigrants, both legal and undocumented work twice as hard as many of these right-wing whiners, with far less benefits and no protection from exploitation. Guess who pays Social Security taxes for you on their fake SS numbers, guess who pays taxes on their purchases for the common good? It’s the tax-evaders like Trump and all the big corporations that pay zero taxes that you should be whining about.
And instead of falling for Trump’s line about so-called immigrant invasions, we should not be distracted from con-man Trump’s embrace of actual foreign invasions of our elections, Russia if you’re listening, as both he and Moscow Mitch shamefully kiss up to our sworn enemies and dictators around the world.
Con-man Trump is only in it for himself, and he’s trying to bankrupt us both morally and physically, just like he did with his casinos and his fake universities and charities. We will not let Trump hijack and destroy our American ideals for his own crass & cruel & self-serving political purposes.
It’s not fake news that we need to worry about. Instead it’s the faker in the White House and the gutless Republicans in Congress who still support him who all need to be voted out of office. #Demlandslide2020
I’m a progressive Independent who voted for Bernie Sanders and son of immigrants. And I think your arguments are out of line. When it comes to public policy, I consistently stand for what’s honest, fair , moral, and decent, and that means that legal residents and citizens should be the ones who garner the benefits of their efforts as recognition for their unique status. When we weaken that social contract, then the whole system falls apart, and it encourages just the kind of anger and right-wing extremism you decry. People need to play by the rules or else mayhem ensues. Just like millions of other people in this city, my parents didn’t sneak in the country, ignore labor laws and now expect just by virtue of being here that the system will yield to them. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. When every single legal resident in New York has a clean, safe and affordable place to live, then we offer the units to everyone else. Hopefully, by then you will get legal status and play by the rules.
Spoken like a true fascist! If you were truly a progressive, you would accept open borders. There is only ONE community – the global community. If you remotely understood what AOC has preached you’d get it by now. .. Sad to see xenophobia and racism run so deep, even within our party. You may as well vote Republican!
“If you were truly a progressive, you would accept open borders. There is only ONE community – the global community”
Wow. So tell me genius, how many people would be too many? You do realize that if you totally opened the borders, you’d soon have a billion or more people showing up. Entire nations would empty out and head here for all the free stuff they get, thanks to hapless Progressives like you.
It’s a serious question: when would you say “enough” to immigrants? When the population is 500 million? A billion? Two billion?
You sound like DeBlasio and his ideas are polling at 1 percent nationwide. No one wants these Progressive Dumb o cratic Socialist/Communist Ideas. California is a Sanctuary state and they did this. The public cred out because AMERICANS SHOULD COME FIRST !!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU MUST BE ANTI AMERICAN> Just because you hate TRUMP don’t take it out on hard working Americans. Do you not know about Remittances. Illegals and legals send money out of the country to their homelands. A small percentage of legal Immigrants send money home, most are Illegal. Our businesses lose out here . It is not taxed unless by heir own countries. Monet coming back in is only around $6 Billion from $150 billion. We lose $144 Bullion a year. It will also encourage more Illegals to come here . That is probably what you want. This will give REAL AMERICANS another reason to VOTE FOR TRUMP. A Vote for DUMB O CRATS is a vote for Socialism/ Communism and to hand the country over to Illegals/OPEN BORDERS, Losers like AOC and her ODD SQUAD. Who of sound mind would listen to anyone Like the ODD SQUAD Dems, Spewing HATE for America and Israel.
Trump completely failed to build The Great Wall, why is he so soft on crime?
1. He said Mexico would make a “one-time payment” for the wall, that was a lie
2. He had the longest gov shutdown in history to get taxpayers to pay for The Great Wall, that was a complete failure
3. He begged Democrats for money, that was a complete failure.
It’s 3 years into his presidency, deportations are down. Why doesn’t he care about border security?
I went to renew my driver’s license and I had to show my birth certificate, social security card, any bill with my home address on it and my current driver’s license! It’s bad enough that the permit test is in every language on the planet when the signs here are in ENGLISH! I also had to take a 5 hour defensive driving test before I even took my road test to get my initial driver’s license! Anybody take Access A Ride? Good luck in talking to the drivers. My grandparents came here through Ellis Island and along with taking physical and mental tests, they were asked, among other things, do you have a job and a place to live because the government wasn’t going to support them. I’m all for people coming here for a better chance at life, but the financial aid should be for 1 year and you should learn English if you’re here more than 2 years. There are plenty of free ESL classes.
Why a lottery? Why doesn’t DeBlasio just give them apartments. Two more years of this arrogant, condescending doofus.
This doesn’t matter because they will not be able to afford it
Life long NY’ers can’t afford it
It’s a joke
Then where do they live currently?
Life long residents
Bought and built they’re neighborhoods
Went to local schools
They still live in they’re originals homes today
I am grateful for the new residents who pay me WAY TOO MUCH. For a one bedroom
Fools these mortals be
You said “they” – I’m guessing referring to illegal immigrants who will not afford the apartments. Where do they live currently?
Jackson heights
Jamaica
Corona
Find me a poor I Im.
Who lives in a new high rise
There are plenty of very rich illegal immigrants too, you know. They fly in on tourist visas and never return.
This is only a PR gesture. When most “affordable” housing lotteries require over $100k income, how many “undocumented” workers would qualify? So get your panties unbunched and chill out.
Great…more benefits that should be supporting native New Yorkers being siphoned off to illegal aliens. Heckuva job, De Blasio.
How true so much compassion for us American people who struggle give everything to the undocumented shame on you. How many veterans are homeless where’s there homes!!!!
Oh right, he’s not a veteran
No, no, no no!!!! Why can’t Democrats ever just focus on the needs of everyday working people — the very people who want to vote for them but who get ignored time and again?
Then don’t vote fore them. Perhaps they will get the message, ya think!
They have aligned themselves (DEMOCRATS) with illegals because they want to make them all citizens one day giving them a new voter base one day. Illegals over Citiens may cost them the election and I hope it does. TRUMP 2020.
Imagine how great this city would be if the Dems bent over backwards, and worked this hard for their actual constituents.
Everyday it’s how can we make it easier for people in this country illegally .
#landslide2020
How true!!!
Landslide for MAGA
It’s a shame you don’t have pride in your country
This is all fine and wonderful.. but I’m surprised they don’t have to show a W2 for taxes / proof of income? It’s fine to give them equal rights, but when will they start paying taxes like the rest of us on their income? Maybe the rest of us should stop using our social security numbers since that seems to be the way to go in this city.