Habitat for Humanity, known for building homes in communities affected by disaster and poverty, is developing a comprehensive housing concept in New York's outer boroughs. The non-profit housing organisation has announced the construction of 108 co-operative units across eight sites in Brooklyn, as well as an additional building in the Bronx.
These projects leverage a range of municipal, state, and federal funding programmes, including the Open Door Program and the New Infill Housing Opportunity Program from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), as well as the New York State Homes and Community Renewal programme.
The Constellation project in Brooklyn, originally planned as a 77-unit development, has been expanded by Habitat for Humanity to 108 units. The co-operative project in the Bronx, known as Claremont House, also saw an expansion from an initial 40 to 71 units. According to Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County, these two developments represent the largest construction pipeline in the organisation's history. Claremont House will be the largest project ever realised by Habitat for Humanity.
The expansion of both projects was made possible by the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” initiative, a series of pro-development reforms introduced under former Mayor Eric Adams. Ms Lippman explained that they serve working New Yorkers – including nurses, teachers, and civil servants – who form the backbone of the city but struggle to own a home. She lamented that, given the complexity of financing structures, it is difficult to keep pace with the demand for affordable homeownership that the city deserves.
Ms Lippman added that this type of housing does not target the poorest or the wealthiest residents, but addresses a “missing middle” for whom homeownership would otherwise not be feasible. She noted that while Habitat for Humanity is often associated with volunteers and the construction of single-family homes, the organisation in New York City has consistently built multi-family homes for 40 years. Future homeowners in these Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) co-operatives also benefit from additional tax incentives from the city and state, which are specifically designed to keep the costs of affordable homeownership low. The buildings will be constructed on a 99-year leasehold property belonging to the Community Land Trust.
Council Member Zohran Mamdani's 'Block-by-Block' programme also played a role in identifying programmes such as Open Door. The administration announced new investments of $22 billion in affordable housing as part of the 2027 fiscal year budget. Council Member Mamdani stated that every New Yorker deserves the opportunity to build a life in the city, and that supporting affordable homeownership opportunities like Constellation creates pathways to stability, wealth, and belonging for working people who should not be excluded from this dream.
The NYC Housing Connect lottery portal, operated by HPD, has primarily been tasked with matching qualified tenants with rental properties under the affordable housing programme. However, sales of units in HDFC buildings are now also being processed through this system. The Mamdani Administration has also set out to resolve a recurring problem with Housing Connect: waiting times. In May, HPD announced that it is increasing its staffing and modifying its application procedures to more quickly filter out less serious applicants from those in urgent need of housing.
