THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – There are signs of progress everywhere you look, like affordable housing projects going up across New York City.
But for millions of New Yorkers like Bronx resident Zulma Figueroa and her husband Manra, their family’s quest for housing stability remains rocky at best.
The couple and their four children live in a two-bedroom apartment; it’s what they were able to find – and can barely afford.
“It was very difficult because of the prices. Like, three months, it was like $6,000. Yeah, it’s a struggle,” Figueroa said.
Figueroa and her husband’s struggle are echoed in an eye-opening new report by the city’s Department of Housing, Preservation and Development.
It shows the city’s rental apartment vacancy, or availability rate at just 1.4 percent; a significant drop since 2021 and the lowest citywide vacancy rate in more than 50-years.
HPD Commissioner and former Bronx Borough President Adolpho Carrion said the city is failing to meet demand.