Housing Maintenance Education Now Just A Click Away

HPD’s Website Introduces Online Reservations for Housing Classes

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has launched a new website feature allowing New Yorkers to choose and register for HPD’s housing education classes online. HPD offers over a hundred different classes covering topics such as building finance, energy conservation, lead paint awareness and fair housing laws. Through HPD’s website at www.nyc.gov/hpd New Yorkers are now able to register for classes on the days and times that suit them, check schedules, e-mail HPD with questions and offer suggestions on the classes.

HPD offers training courses for owners, property managers, housing professionals, superintendents, and tenants. In the past year, over 25,758 people enrolled in HPD’s education programs. HPD also conducted first-time homeownership training for almost 1,700 people in fiscal year 2005. Courses take place across the city. Approximately 85% of the classes offered are free of charge. In addition, HPD offers several lead courses at CUNY Community Colleges in the Bronx (HOSTOS), Brooklyn (City Tech), Manhattan (Graduate Center) and Queens (La Guardia). However, courses at these sites have a small materials fee.

HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan said, “HPD hopes to further increase the attendance at our classes by making signing up and choosing a class as quick and easy as possible. This new online tool will help class participants, and people thinking of attending, get the information they need simply and efficiently. The more New Yorkers who are trained in the maintenance and care of the City’s housing stock the better for everyone – both building owners and tenants. We need to preserve the city’s aging housing stock with infrastructure improvements, preventative maintenance, sound financial management and compliance with housing regulations. Well-maintained, quality housing is a mainstay of Mayor Bloomberg’s $3 billion New Housing Marketplace plan to fund the rehabilitation and construction of 68,000 apartments and homes by 2008. The plan is working: according to the US Census, housing maintenance conditions across the city are the best on record.”

Click here to sign up for housing education classes online. People without access to the internet can call 311 and request a copy of HPD’s Housing Education Course Guide.

HPD nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. A major responsibility of the agency is to encourage the preservation of affordable housing through education, outreach, loan programs and enforcement of housing quality standards.