New York City leads the nation in affordable housing for its elderly, low, and moderate-income residents, according to Mayor Bloomberg, who toured three housing sites yesterday to demonstrate the city’s successful and diverse housing programs.

Mr. Bloomberg made two stops in Manhattan and one in the Bronx to meet with homeowners and tenants. He said the city would continue to pursue public-private partnerships to promote homeownership.

At the first stop in East Harlem, Mr. Bloomberg met with moderate-income homeowners who live in 121 federally subsidized three-family townhouses. New York City is the first of 11 cities awarded Federal Homeownership Zone funding to complete development of its zone, which is designed to encourage home ownership and neighborhood stability. The homes, which were completed in 2003, are all owner-occupied, and include rental units to provide income to cover the mortgages.

The homeowners were selected by lottery, and a “community preference” was given to neighborhood residents who stuck by the area in tough times, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Carol Abrams.

At the second stop, in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, the mayor toured a housing facility constructed to meet the needs of seniors who care for their grandchildren or other relatives. The new, six-story, $12 million facility is the first of its kind in the country. Families are expected to move into the 50 two and three-bedroom apartments within the next few months. In order to be eligible to live in the building, families must include at least one elderly person, and at least one relative who is a minor. The median income of each household is $25,100. Rent for the apartments will be subsidized by the Housing Authority, and will cost 30% of the family’s income, averaging between $300 to $350 a month.

The third stop was the Wien House senior facility in Inwood, which is in need of repairs to provide its 100 low-income residents with the opportunity to live independently.

The Housing Development Corporation’s combination of a refinanced mortgage and low-income housing tax credits will lead to savings of $10 million over time. It will also provide nearly $3 million now, which will allow for the needed repairs, as well as the addition of positions for a nurse coordinator and an on-site social worker.