For part two in my impromptu micro-series on tactics for long-time Harlem residents unsure about their position in the changing nabe to secure an affordable home, I offer the HPD housing lottery. Part of Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace Plan to create and preserve affordable homes and apartments for half a million New Yorkers, the housing lottery features residential developments for rent and purchase at prices below what one would pay on the open market.

Prospective buyers and renters are chosen in a lottery style from those who submit applications and meet income requirements. Preference is given to those who live in the immediate area, as determined by Community Boards.

Most of us in Harlem have heard of at least one of the buildings taking part in the program: The Renaissance, The Langston, The Kalahari, and the building we here at the Fur call home.

For more information, and to find out which lotteries are currently taking applications, check out the HPD website for apartments to rent and homes to purchase.

For those who really want to get creative, you could combine an HPD housing lottery purchase with a NACA home loan.