This useful new app automatically applies for affordable housing units that you qualify for
'I figured it'd take, what, 30 minutes?' Stienaers wrote on LinkedIn while chronicling his experience. 'Instead, I ended up drowning in forms, wondering whether it's even worth it to try finishing the application process.'
That frustration led to Homey, a new mobile app that cuts through the red tape and actually helps New Yorkers apply for the affordable housing units they qualify for. Think of it like TurboTax, but for the housing lottery—and about 90% less painful.
Unlike Housing Connect, which was designed for desktop (despite nearly a quarter of NYC households lacking one), Homey is mobile-first. It takes about seven minutes to set up a profile, skipping the redundant and privacy-invading questions that bog down the official site. Instead of listing every financial account in your household, you just confirm that your total assets fall under the limit, with a built-in safety buffer to protect your eligibility.
But the best part? Homey automatically applies to all the lotteries you qualify for—no need to check back constantly, sift through fine print or risk missing deadlines. The app inputs your information into the Housing Connect system and tracks your application status in one place.
And yes, it's already helping.
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an hour ago
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He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city. 'He was a hero.' The NYPD also released a statement saying Islam 'represented the very best of our department'. The statement said Islam's death resulted in 'incomprehensible pain' and pledged to 'forever honor his legacy'. Meanwhile, Monday's shooting also killed Wesley LePatner, a high-ranking Blackstone executive. LePatner led the firm's Core+ real estate division. And she was chief executive officer of the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT). She joined Blackstone in 2014 after more than 10 years at Goldman Sachs. 'We are heartbroken,' Blackstone said about LePatner in a statement to multiple news outlets. 'Words cannot express the devastation we feel.' Blackstone's statement said LePatner would 'be sorely missed', having been 'brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within [the] firm and beyond'. 'She embodied the best of Blackstone,' the statement continued. LePatner, a Yale graduate and trustee of the Met Museum in New York, was an executive at Goldman Sachs before joining Blackstone in 2014. She spoke to Business Insider in 2022 about her work at Blackstone. 'Core+ was, for all intents and purposes, a startup.' LePatner said to the outlet at the time. 'I faced all the challenges one could imagine when building a multibillion-dollar business – from hiring to ensuring standards remain high, moving quickly to keep up with growth, and staying ahead of market swings and growing pains.' A third victim was identified Tuesday as Julia Hyman, according to the New York Post. Hyman was killed on the 33rd floor of the office tower, where she worked for Rudin Management as an associate, reports the Post. She graduated from Cornell in 2020. Islam and LePatner were shot in the lobby of the building. The fourth victim is believed to be a security guard for the building who was also in the lobby and has not yet been named. Monday's shooting occurred at about 6.30pm inside 345 Park Avenue, a commercial tower that houses, among others, the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL). Police said the gunman, identified as 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura from Las Vegas, carried out the attack alone and died from a self-inflicted gunshot on the building's 33rd floor. The NFL's offices are lower than the one where the gunman died. The league later confirmed that one of its employees was the person wounded. That employee was identified Tuesday as Craig Clementi, who works in the league's finance department, by NFL reporter Dianna Russini at the Athletic. Clementi had reportedly been calling other NFL employees to warn them to avoid the building and escape when a bullet struck him in the back. 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A note found at the scene in the wallet of the shooter – who played high school football – made claims that he suffered from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, often seen in athletes such as football players and boxers. One page of the note reportedly found in the shooter's pocket accused the NFL of concealing the true scope of danger posed to football players' brains to maximize profits, sources told ABC News. Another page mentioned CTE and blamed the sport. A third page reportedly said, 'Study my brain please. I'm sorry.'
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6 hours ago
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Tragic cop killed by NYC shooter was just days away from welcoming 3rd child – and working 2nd job when shot in the back
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A POLICE officer who was getting ready to welcome his third child has been named as one of the four victims killed by the deranged New York City gunman. Didarul Islam, 36, was working his second job as a security guard when Shane Tamura, 27, burst through the front door and opened fire. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 New York City police officer Didarul Islam has been named as one of the four victims killed in Monday's shooting Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner (right), seen with her husband Evan LePatner in 2018, was also named as a victim Credit: Getty 5 Shane Tamura, 27, drove from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to commit the sick crime, police said 5 Tamura drove from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Midtown Manhattan before barging into the skyscraper where elite businesses like Blackstone and the NFL are located on Monday evening. He entered the lobby at around 6:28 pm and first shot Islam before heading up to the 33rd floor, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The heartless shooter continually took aim at innocents in the office during his dark journey, before ultimately shooting himself in the chest and dying. Few details have been confirmed about the crime, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that authorities are investigating whether he was targeting the NFL. Adams said that Tamura, who was a former football player, had a note on his person that mentioned the league. According to CNN, Tamura wrote in the apparent suicide note that he suffered from the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can develop from head trauma. Two of the four victims have been identified so far. On Tuesday, investment management company Blackstone confirmed that executive Wesley LePatner was killed in the spray of gunfire. LePatner was working as the global head of core+ real estate and the chief executive officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust when she was killed. She was remembered as a "beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed,' a representative for the company said. According to her bio on the company's website, she graduated from Yale University and serves on several charity boards in New York City. COP KILLED Islam, who lived in the Bronx with his growing family, had been with the New York City Police Department for three and a half years when he was murdered. According to Tisch, he was working at the building on his off hours to make some extra cash. 'He was saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers,' said Adams. 'He embodies what this city is all about. He's a true blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore.' 5 Tamura toted a rifle into a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan and opened fire Credit: Obtained by NY Post Friends and leaders in the tight-knit Muslim community that Islam was a part of gathered at his two-story home that he had purchased for his family on Monday night. A stream of people filed in throughout the night to drop off food and baked dishes for the mourning family, according to the New York Times. The imam at the local mosque came to console Islam's pregnant wife and their two children. One close family friend, Marjanul Karim, 31, said that Islam was a community leader who helped to mentor young Bangladeshi men. He said Islam started work as a school security guard before moving up to the police force. "He wanted to support his family and be in a better position, and he fell in love with law enforcement while working security," Karim said. "At the time, my mother told him, 'You left a safe job working for a school in security, and being a cop is dangerous. Why did you do that?' "He told her he wanted to leave behind a legacy for his family, something they could be proud of." More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
