But Nkenge's dream became a reality when she was selected for a one-bedroom apartment through the city's housing lottery in 2023. The New York City housing lottery program helps residents find affordable housing, including rent-stabilized apartments. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development defines affordable housing as housing costs no greater than 30 percent of a single person's or family's income. Nkenge applied to the NYC housing lottery for three years before she got her one-bedroom apartment in Flatiron. Before winning her housing lottery apartment, Nkenge lived in a small one-bedroom in Harlem.

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Persons: Nkenge, Mickey Todiwala, That's, I've, It's Organizations: New, of Housing Preservation, Development, CNBC, Housing, Department of HPD's Locations: New Yorker, Bronx, Harlem, New York City, Flatiron, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Nkenge's