Community Board 8 updates housing resource guide for Riverdale residents

CB8's housing committee, led by Rosemary McGinty, created a resource guide for local tenants, landlords and homeowners to learn about their rights and resources.

Julius Constantine Motal

Community Board 8 has provided greater Riverdale residents with an updated, organized resource guide for all their homeowner and housing needs.

The first such guide, published in 2017, was created to serve as a directory for community members in search of housing, resolving housing complaints, legal assistance, and resources for those facing homelessness, foreclosure or eviction. 

The guide details grants available to individuals looking to become homeowners who are in need of mortgage assistance and includes programs like the city’s housing and planning department’s HomeFirst Down Payment Assistance Program, which provides up to $100,000 toward the down payment or closing costs to first time homebuyers who agree to live in the home for a set time, meet income requirements, and further eligibility requirements. 

CB8 members have said local housing is a top concern and ensuring community members have access to affordable and accessible housing is critical in the board’s work. 

Local affordable housing available includes senior housing, Mitchell-Lama housing and New York City Housing Authority developments. The Mitchell-Lama program provides rental and co-operative housing targeted toward low- and middle-income residents. Through the program, unit are income-restricted with carrying charges tied to a per-room charge with an income-based surcharge, so rent will never be beyond residents’ budget. The downside to the program is, regardless of how long tenants live in their co-operative when, they sell their shares back to the co-op and are only eligible to receive the amount of money they paid, not the market-value of the apartment. 

Mitchell-Lama housing locally includes Orloff Towers at 3900 Bailey Ave., Park Reservoir Apartments at 3845 Sedgwick Ave., Cannon Heights at 3400 Independence Ave., Kingsbridge Arms at 2865 Kingsbridge Terrace, and Waldo Apartments at 3880 Waldo Ave. 

The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing developments for people who meet the income limit and other requirements. Income limits for such housing start at $87,100 for one person, $144,300 for a family of six, and go as far as $233,900 for a 15-person family.

Section 8 housing is different and, as such, has different requirements. Income limits for Section 8 housing start at $54,350 for one person, $90,050 for a family of six, and reache $102,500 for a family of eight. 

The CB8 resource guide also details free and low-cost legal resources for low-income residents who are unable to afford the services of a lawyer. The list includes The Legal Aid Society Bronx Neighborhood Office, which helps families and individuals avoid eviction and homelessness by fighting illegal charges and correcting violations among other things.

For a community like greater Riverdale, having resources specific to the locality to assist low- and middle-income residents is important. Data from an New York University study indicated the area’s median household income was $79,190 in 2022, which reaches just above the city’s median household income of $77,550. 

In the CB8 housing guide, both tenants and landlords are provided with resources to understand their rights in the often tumultuous relationship between the two. Resources for tenants include the city’s division of homes and community renewal, the Metropolitan Council on Housing, and the state attorney general’s tenants’ rights guide. 

The resource guide is available both in English and Spanish on CB8’s website at CBBronx.CityofNewYork.us/CB8/Committees/Housing.