New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer joined Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. to launch the new HPD outreach van. The agency’s new outreach unit, which was made a possible through funding from the Bronx and Brooklyn Borough Presidents, will travel throughout the city providing information and services directly to tenants in their communities. The schedule for the HPD Outreach van is available on HPD’s website.
“We will continue to find new ways to better serve our city’s residents. Our outreach unit will meet New Yorkers where they live and work to provide the resources they need to access information on affordable housing opportunities, and receive information on what they can do to ensure they live in safe and secure homes,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I want to thank Borough President Diaz and Borough President Adams for their continued support and their commitment to the families and individuals that call New York City home.”
“We are keeping people in their homes, and this mobile unit will be a critical part of those efforts. In both The Bronx and Brooklyn, this van will allow HPD to bring services directly to the people that need them. I was proud to have provided $165,000 towards the purchase of this van, and I look forward to partnering with HPD and Commissioner Torres-Springer to make these mobile services widely available,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
“Our new HPD outreach van mobilizes the services of affordable housing preservation and emergency support to reach tenants in their moments of need. As ‘connector-in-chief’ for our borough, I seek to support initiatives that connect Brooklynites to the resources in our communities, resources that help residents stay and thrive in our communities. The $250,000 FY17 investment from my administration is a reflection of our priorities to protect Brooklyn’s tenants and preserve our affordable housing stock,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.
Events are currently being scheduled at different locations throughout the entire city. HPD Outreach will deliver a range of services including providing help to those applying for affordable housing, education on tenant rights and owner responsibilities, help for tenants looking to file a housing complaint, information on available financing for home and building improvements and repairs, and support for owners needing to register their buildings or correct and remove housing violations.
HPD received a total of $415,000 from the Bronx and Brooklyn Borough Presidents to finance the agency mobile unit. The funds were used to purchase three vehicles: two mobile office outreach vans, and one command vehicle which HPD will be used solely by HPD’s Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services in response to emergencies and disasters citywide.
New Yorkers interested in having the HPD Outreach at an event in their community can e-mail HPDOutreach@hpd.nyc.gov.
