160 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn NY | Built in 2009 | Managed by Breaking Ground | Features a green roof, computer lab and the Mark O'Donnel "black box" Theater run by the Entertainment Community Fund | The link above takes you to the website and application.
215 East 99th, Street New York, NY, 10029 | Built in 2015 | An Artist Community in El Barrio | A part of ArtSpace’s national portfolio of Housing for artists | Features a gallery and green space | The link above takes you to a pdf overview, which has links to the website and email list sign-up for updates on vacancy.
55 Bethune Street, New York, NY 10014 | Founded in 1970 | Features a gallery and a community room for public programming | Houses the Martha Graham Foundation and The New School for Drama | The link above takes you to the website | There is currently no active waitlist.
Artistic Freedom Initiative Begun in 2017 | Residency at the Westbeth created to house Artists at risk and seeking refuge for 6 to 24 months | This link takes you to the website for further information | As of January 2024, the NYC Artist Safe Haven Residency program is not accepting applications for this cycle.
Two Brooklyn Locations: The Mansion and The Brownstone located in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill | A collective of artists and developers repurposing vacant and historical properties to provide live/work space (rooms) and community centers for local creatives and activists in Brooklyn | The link takes you to the website | A new work-only/event space is in the works in Flatbush | See the News tab for more information | No rooms currently available
The link above takes you to the website | ArtCondo is a community-driven real estate enterprise that helps creative individuals gain equity through property ownership | Run workshops to help creative purchase properties individually and to purchase and develop buildings collectively | Anchored in artists' communities, so they can continue to enrich the city's cultural heritage without fear of losing their housing and/or workspace
*All information current as of 8/28/2024
Brooklyn Public Library's NYC Affordable Housing Guide
Whether you are looking to rent, buy, or hold on to housing, these resources will help you take advantage of affordable and low-income opportunities. Below you will find information on city, state, and federal housing assistance programs. In addition, the community resources box lists Brooklyn and citywide tenant associations and advocacy groups that provide a wide range of assistance in support of tenant rights and fair housing. (The wider guide provides access to books, databases, websites, and other information related to housing. Use the tabs towards the top of the page to go to the relevant section.)
The link above takes you to the website + ArtCondo is a community-driven real estate enterprise that helps creative individuals gain equity through property ownership. They help creative purchase properties individually and to purchase and develop buildings collectively. Through workshops, ArtCondo helps New York City's working artists to become financially stable property owners anchored in their communities, so they can continue to enrich the city's cultural heritage without fear of losing their housing and/or workspace
The link above takes you to the website and this link takes you to their contact/inquiry form. Housing Works helps eligible individuals find stabilized housing in addition to healthcare services. Those living with HIV, people of transgender experience living with HIV; single men and women with active substance use issues; HIV-positive single women recently released from a correctional setting; and HIV-positive unstably housed LGBTQ youth (18-24) are eligible. They also offer supportive, affordable housing for families where the head-of-household is living with HIV.
Local:
Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in New York City is the largest municipal funder of culture in the country and is committed to providing access to art and culture for all New Yorkers.
Percent for Art: A DCLA law enacted in 1982 that requires one percent of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects be spent on public artwork, whether in new builds or restoration projects.
DCLA Resources : This is a link to DCLA's list of organizations that provide services and/or information useful to artists and cultural organizations, including advocacy, funding, and housing resources.
PAIR - DCLA (nyc.gov) A DCLA artist residency program pairing artists with NYC Municiple departments to creatively address city-wide issues.
Federal:
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Founded by congress in 1965, the NEA is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. Through research funding and grant funding the NEA primarily supports nonprofit arts organizations, public arts agencies and organizations, colleges and universities, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and individual writers and translators .
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): In conjunction with the NEA, the EPA announced an inaugural artist-in-residence program around 6 natural estuaries and waterways.
The General Services Administration (GSA): GSA's Fine Arts Collection is one of the nation's oldest and largest public art collections. Dating from the 1850s to the present, artworks are displayed in federal buildings across the country, or on long term loan to museums and cultural institutions. The GSA maintains a National Artist Registry for artists to be considered for all art commissions over the next ten years.
Past NY Government Programs
Creatives Rebuild New York A statewide, initiative in answer to lack of artist job security during the Covid 19 pandemic. CRNY was a Mellon Foundation funded project that allocated 125 million to an Artist Employment program and a Guaranteed Income for Artists.
AREA (Affordable Real Estate for Artists) 2015 interagency initiative under Mayor Bill de Blasio's to create 1,500 units of affordable housing and 500 units of artist workspaces for the cultural community over the next decade. Agencies involved were the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), Housing Preservation and Development, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
There are official (Government and Non-Profit Sponsored) affordable housing programs for artists. Some, like residencies, come with access to practice spaces as well. Although many of those live/work opportunities will be found outside of New York City.
There are also unofficial (artists-helping-artists) housing opportunities for creatives, all around the city. If you would like more information on the history of artists' spaces in NYC, check out that tab on the left.
The availability and vacancy rates for some of these options can seem low when compared to the sheer number of NYC artists. But it's no surprise given the affordable housing crisis in NYC and beyond. It's still good to know about these resources, and to check them periodically for openings.
Word of mouth is an essential part of anyone's toolbox when looking for housing, but this non-exhaustive guide, is a good place to start your search.