Ready to Rent

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

If you are experiencing sudden changes to your household budget or income due to COVID-19, financial counselors can help you:

  • Manage your money and set up a spending plan
  • Contact creditors about existing loans, including student loans
  • Draft letters to creditors to lower payments or temporarily suspend payments due to hardship
  • Develop a strategy to minimize debt
  • Access local, state, and federal emergency resources 

Financial Empowerment Centers are not providing in-person assistance until further notice, but you can still schedule an appointment to speak with a financial counselor by phone. You'll need to sign up for a Financial Empowerment Portal account first.

Sign up and book an appointment online.

Need something else?

The Ready to Rent program is run by the NYC Departments of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in partnership with Ariva. You can schedule a financial counseling appointment to help you submit a stronger affordable housing application.

While financial counseling does not impact your placement in any affordable housing lottery, it can put you in a better financial position to obtain affordable housing.

Through HPD’s Housing Ambassador Program you can contact a community-based service provider who can assist you in finding and applying for affordable housing through HPD’s Housing Connect website. Both services are free and confidential, and assistance is available in multiple languages.

Learn more about the Ready to Rent program.

As part of the City’s Ready to Rent program, you can contact a Housing Ambassador for free education and assistance with Housing Preservation and Development’s and Housing Development Corporation’s Affordable Housing Lottery Applications.

A Housing Ambassador can assist you with searching for affordable housing opportunities and applying for housing lotteries through the City’s Housing Connect website.

You can get locations, hours, and contact information for Housing Ambassadors and Housing Ambassadors for People with Disabilities.

You can schedule a financial counseling appointment to help you submit a stronger affordable housing application. 

Counselors can help you:

  • Check your credit.
  • Calculate your income for housing applications.
  • Save for moving expenses.
  • Create a household budget.
  • Reduce your debt.

Financial counseling is free and confidential.

Counselors speak multiple languages.

Book an appointment online.

If you have questions about a financial counseling appointment or your portal account, email portalsupport@dca.nyc.gov.

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