A Bangladeshi non-profit organisation in partnership with a leading developer has secured a 70 million dollar funding to build an affordable housing project in New York City.

The non-profit, Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services, has joined hands with Thorobird Companies to develop the new, 167-unit affordable housing complex and plans to use modular construction which is cheaper and has a shorter construction period.

The modular housing project will be developed in an area which has a predominantly Bangladeshi-American population.

Misbah Abdin, the non-profit’s founder and president, told Bangla Tribune that it’s the first time in the US that Bengalis and Bengali Muslims will be covered by an affordable housing project.

“It’s a great honour for us,” says Mr Abdin, adding, “We are hoping that at least 100 families and so nearly 5,000 Bengalis will benefit from it.”

New York is home to the largest Bangladeshi community in the United States and as per 2011 figures there are at least 74,000 Bangladeshi born immigrants living in the city.

Housing is one of the biggest problems for the community as many of them are employed on minimum wages and are forced to share apartments with other families to save on the prohibitively expensive rents. Many of the buildings are not just crowded but also unsafe.

“Under this project, if a family was paying 2,000 dollars per month for a 2-bedroom apartment they are likely to pay just between 500-1,000 dollars,” says Mr Abdin.

The project is being partially funded by the Department of Housing and Preservation’s Extremely Low and Low-income Affordability (ELLA) program.

The city’s Mayor Bill De Blasio has set a goal of creating and preserving 300,000 affordable homes by 2026 and this is the first project where modular technology is being used. It uses the technique of stacking factory- produced units that can be put together without weather disruptions.

The project developer, Thorobird, specialises in affordable housing and its managing director Thomas Campbell told the local media that this technology is the “smart way to build”.

“The ability to build off-site in a factory-controlled environment generates less waste, creates fewer community disturbances and allows for tighter construction,” he said.

Mr Abdin says getting all the clearances may take up to two years and hopes the construction will be finished by mid-2022.

“Once it’s done, We will have a lottery and I’m certain that of the 167 apartments, 100 will go to Bangladeshis,” he says.