West Farms Housing Lottery Excludes Many Local Residents

A new affordable housing lottery has opened for four apartments at 2074 Honeywell Avenue in West Farms, Bronx. The six-story building offers studios starting at $2,000 a month and one-bedrooms at $2,092. To qualify, households must earn at least $75,840 a year for a studio or between $81,326 and $122,160 annually for a one-bedroom unit.

The lottery is part of the city's affordable housing program, which requires new rental developments with 6 to 99 units to set aside at least 20 percent of apartments as permanently income-restricted. In this case, that means four out of 20 units are reserved for households earning 80% of the Area Median Income.

The median annual household income in West Farms is just $36,309, with 34.2% of residents living below the federal poverty line. This disparity highlights the challenge of making affordable housing available to those who need it most.