Finding an apartment in New York City is hard for anyone. For a person with a mobility, vision, or hearing disability, the search adds an extra layer: you need a home that physically works for your body, and you must navigate a lottery that sets aside only a small share of accessible units. The City has built real, enforceable preferences into its affordable housing system — and once you understand them, you can apply with a strategy instead of crossing your fingers. This guide covers how accessible apartments move through NYC Housing Connect, who qualifies for the set-asides, what paperwork you need, and where to turn when a landlord gets it wrong.

How NYC Reserves Accessible Apartments

Most of the city’s newly built and renovated affordable housing is marketed through NYC Housing Connect, the online portal run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). Apartments are awarded by lottery, but the lottery is not a free-for-all. Within each development, the City reserves a fixed share of units for applicants with disabilities.

According to HPD and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the set-asides break down like this:

• 5% of units are reserved for people with mobility disabilities.
• 2% of units are reserved for people with vision or hearing disabilities.

All 7% of these set-aside apartments are built to a shared standard called the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS). A mobility unit has a floor plan and features designed for someone who uses a wheelchair or has another mobility disability. Vision and hearing units are wired to support alarm systems that serve people who are blind, have low vision, are Deaf, or are hard of hearing. HPD also confirms that in all newly constructed buildings, the entrances, exits, and common areas are fully accessible, and the pre-designated disability units comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

One point trips up many applicants: the set-asides are tied specifically to mobility, vision, and hearing disabilities, because they are linked to federal funding and Section 504 compliance. If your disability is not mobility, vision, or hearing — psychiatric or developmental, for example — you can still apply through the general lottery, and you may fit other supportive housing programs.

Step by Step: Applying Through Housing Connect

Here is the path a disability set-aside application follows, from profile to keys.

1. Create a Housing Connect profile

Go to housingconnect.nyc.gov and build a profile. Enter your household size, income, and — critically — indicate that you or a household member has a disability and may need an accessible unit. A complete profile triggers automatic email alerts when new developments open, so you never miss a lottery you qualify for. If you cannot use the online portal, request a paper application by calling HPD at 212-863-7990 or HDC at 212-227-6411.

2. Apply to lotteries you fit

Each development sets its own income bands, household-size rules, and rent levels. Most Housing Connect income requirements fall roughly between $20,000 and $120,000 a year, set per building. Apply to every lottery where your income and household size fit — each draws a separate random number for you, so more applications genuinely improve your odds.

3. Wait for your lottery number to come up

This part requires patience. HPD is direct: you only hear back in two situations — your lottery number is reached and you are scheduled for an eligibility review, or your number is reached but you are found ineligible, in which case you get a letter explaining why and how to appeal. Silence does not mean rejection; it usually means your number has not come up yet. Keep applying.

4. Complete the eligibility review

If your number is reached, you are invited to an in-person eligibility review (an interview). Bring income and identity documentation so the reviewer can verify your application. A review is not a guarantee — applicants are offered units in log-number order after being found eligible.

5. Certify your eligibility for a set-aside unit

To be matched with a disability set-aside apartment, you provide a medical certification — the step many people misunderstand. HPD and marketing agents will not ask you to prove your disability with general medical records. Instead, a medical professional certifies, using HPD’s standard Certification of Disability form, that you would benefit from a unit designed for someone with your disability. The form is downloadable from HPD’s Resources for People with Disabilities page.

Vouchers, Subsidies, and Income on Disability Benefits

Many New Yorkers with disabilities worry that living on SSI or SSDI puts affordable housing out of reach. It does not. HPD accepts a wide range of vouchers and rental subsidies, including Section 8 (HPD or NYCHA), CityFEPS, SEPS, ISS, TBI, Medicaid Waiver, VASH, and LINC. Two things are worth knowing:

• If you have a voucher or rental subsidy, the minimum-income requirement does not apply. Your rent simply has to fall within the maximum your voucher allows.
• It is illegal for a landlord to reject you because of your source of income. Refusing an applicant because they pay with a voucher or subsidy is source-of-income discrimination, and the City has a dedicated unit that enforces against it.

If your only income is SSI or SSDI, opportunities across many income levels do appear on Housing Connect, though some categories come up less often. The practical move is to check the portal frequently and keep email notifications on so you can act the moment a fitting development opens.

Requesting Extra Accessibility Features

A set-aside unit comes built to UFAS standards, but it need not stop there. HPD lets tenants request additional accessibility features installed at move-in. Examples the City lists include talking or Braille appliances, sound alarms for residents who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and under-counter cabinets for wheelchair users. If a feature would make the apartment work for you, ask — these requests are part of how the program functions.

For tenants whose existing home needs modifications — a ramp, grab bars, a roll-in shower, lever door handles, or reachable kitchen storage — nonprofit programs can help with the cost. Rebuilding Together NYC (718-488-8840) provides financial assistance for accessibility modifications, and ADAPT Community Network’s Doorways to Independence program (877-827-2666) helps people adapt their homes to stay in the community rather than move to an institution.

Reasonable Accommodations Are Your Legal Right

Accessibility is not only about new construction. Under fair housing law, you can request a reasonable accommodation — a change in a rule or policy — and a reasonable modification — a physical change to your unit or building — so you can use and enjoy your home equally. That might mean a designated accessible parking spot, an assistance animal in a no-pets building, or a ramp at an entrance. Landlords in covered housing generally cannot refuse a reasonable request, and refusing one can be disability discrimination. For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide on recognizing housing discrimination and filing a fair housing complaint.

If a landlord denies an accommodation, ignores your request, or refuses your subsidy, you can file with:

• NYC Commission on Human Rights — enforces the City Human Rights Law and helps negotiate accommodations. Main 212-306-7450; intake 718-722-3131.
• Source of Income Discrimination Unit (NYC DSS) — for landlords who reject vouchers. Phone: 929-221-6576; email: soi@dss.nyc.gov.
• HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity — for Fair Housing Act complaints. Phone: 800-669-9777.
• U.S. Department of Justice ADA complaint — for disability discrimination by a government entity or public accommodation, at ada.gov.

Once You Are In: Freezing Your Rent with DRIE

Getting the apartment is only half the battle; staying in it affordably is the other half. In a rent-regulated apartment, the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) can freeze your rent so future increases no longer fall on you. To qualify, you must be at least 18, have a qualifying disability benefit (SSI, SSDI, a VA disability pension, or disability-related Medicaid if you previously received SSI or SSDI), have total household income of $50,000 or less, spend more than one-third of your income on rent, and be named on the lease of a rent-controlled, rent-stabilized, or rent-regulated apartment (or certain Mitchell-Lama and HDFC units). Applications go through the City’s Rent Freeze program. For a full breakdown, read our guide to the Disability Rent Increase Exemption.

Homeowners with disabilities have a parallel benefit: the Disabled Homeowners’ Exemption (DHE) reduces property taxes for owners of one-, two-, and three-family homes, condos, or co-ops where at least one owner has a documented disability and combined owner income does not exceed $58,399.

Accessibility Details at a Glance

Resources & Contacts

• NYC Housing Connect (HPD) — apply for affordable housing; request paper applications. 212-863-7990; nychousingconnect@hpd.nyc.gov; housingconnect.nyc.gov
• HPD Disability Services / Accessibility — set-asides, the medical certification form, and the Affordable Housing Guide for Applicants with Disabilities. accessibility@hpd.nyc.gov; 212-863-6486; 100 Gold Street, New York, NY 10038
• Housing Development Corporation (HDC) — paper applications for HDC developments. 212-227-6411
• NYCHA Disability Services — public housing accommodations. 212-306-4652 (main line 718-707-7771)
• Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) — citywide resources and the Access Housing Guide (English/Espanol). nyc.gov/mopd
• Rebuilding Together NYC — financial help for home accessibility modifications. 718-488-8840
• NYC Commission on Human Rights — accommodation help and discrimination complaints. Main 212-306-7450; intake 718-722-3131
• Source of Income Discrimination Unit (DSS) — report landlords who reject vouchers. 929-221-6576; soi@dss.nyc.gov
• NYC Rent Freeze (DRIE) — freeze your rent if you qualify. Call 311; nyc.gov/rentfreeze

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of NYC affordable apartments are reserved for people with disabilities?

NYC reserves 5% of units in Housing Connect developments for people with mobility disabilities and 2% for people with vision or hearing disabilities — 7% total. All are built to Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards and comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Do I have to prove my disability to get an accessible apartment?

No. HPD and marketing agents will not ask you to prove your disability with general medical records. Instead, a medical professional certifies, on HPD’s standard Certification of Disability form, that you would benefit from a unit designed for someone with your disability. The form is on HPD’s Resources for People with Disabilities page.

I keep applying on Housing Connect but never hear back. Am I being rejected?

Probably not. The system only contacts you when your random lottery number is reached — to schedule an eligibility review or, occasionally, to say you were found ineligible (with appeal instructions). Silence almost always means your number has not come up yet. HPD’s advice: be persistent and keep applying to every lottery you fit.

Can I apply if my only income is SSI or SSDI, or if I have a Section 8 voucher?

Yes. HPD accepts vouchers and subsidies including Section 8, CityFEPS, SEPS, ISS, TBI, Medicaid Waiver, VASH, and LINC, and the minimum-income requirement is waived when you have a voucher. Opportunities for many income levels appear on Housing Connect, so check often. A landlord rejecting you for paying with a voucher is committing illegal source-of-income discrimination.

Can I ask for accessibility features that aren’t already in the unit?

Yes. Tenants can request additional accessibility features — talking or Braille appliances, sound alarms, under-counter cabinets — installed at move-in. Separately, you have the legal right to request reasonable accommodations and modifications in covered housing, and the NYC Commission on Human Rights can help if a landlord refuses.

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