Nonprofit of the Year

University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP), just off of our 40^th year, works to create, preserve, and improve affordable housing and bring resources to our Bronx community in three primary ways; as a community-based affordable housing developer, a Bronx-focused researcher, and through the Northwest Bronx Resource Center as a direct-service provider.

With a stake in 27 multifamily buildings, home to 1,216 low-income families, UNHP is well positioned to highlight the issues that directly affect affordable housing such as rising costs for insurance, water, and repairs and the income difficulties tenants face. While the majority of our work benefits the Bronx and its residents, the UNHP Multifamily Research and Action Center (MFRAC), a collaborative effort with major multifamily lenders, foundations, public agencies, owners, and managers seeks to preserve affordable, quality housing in the Bronx and other low income neighborhoods in NYC.  The primary tool of that effort is the Building Indicator Project (BIP) database which utilizes a scoring system to identify levels of physical and/or financial distress in over 70,000 multifamily buildings citywide.  The BIP is updated quarterly and used by 47 community organizations and advocacy groups, 7 agencies, 41 financial institutions, and bank regulators. Our goal is to improve the living conditions and preserve the long-term affordability of multifamily rental units for low-income NYC households.

Formally created in 2012, the Northwest Bronx Resource Center works to build financial stability and housing security for Bronx residents through free bilingual and interconnected eviction prevention, housing help, financial coaching and financial empowerment services offered in person and virtually.  Each year we reach over 1,000 Bronx residents through our services and programs. In all the ways that we work, UNHP seeks to center and lift the voices of those most affected by issues of affordability. Recent community efforts include Lobby Link in-person services for the tenants in our buildings, launching the Bronx Housing Research Network to build multifamily finance and community acquisition knowledge among organizers and tenants groups, and organizing NWBRC housing seekers to identify and share their frustrations with the housing lottery.   

We believe that our mission-driven collaborative approach of direct assistance to Bronx residents, ownership involvement in affordable multifamily properties, and relevant research into the issues that impact the Bronx, allows UNHP to bring a unique perspective and community-involved solutions to complex affordable housing preservation issues for the Bronx and for NYC’s lowest income families and individuals.