How Covid Transformed New York City’s Housing Map
As NYC rents plunged, the number of apartments affordable to families with Section 8 housing vouchers has surged. But that doesn’t mean the city’s housing crisis is over.
An apartment building advertising 'For Rent' stands in the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan.
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North AmericaIn the second half of 2019, fewer than 30,000 apartment listings across the five boroughs of New York City were accessible to households that used federal housing vouchers for assistance. One year later, as affluent New Yorkers beat a hasty retreat and asking rents in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens cratered, the number of voucher-affordable offerings jumped to nearly 72,000 units — a year-over-year increase of 142%.
That’s according to a new report from StreetEasy, which explores how Covid-19 has reshaped the universe of housing options for low-income New York households that rely on Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.