HUD Senior Housing

HUD Senior Housing is an excellent option for low-income seniors. There are a variety of programs administered by HUD including: Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 202. If your aging parent is a low income senior, they should consider HUD funded housing options.

This article covers:

Overview
Eligibility
Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly called Section "8")
Section 202
Other HUD Programs/Services
How To Apply

Overview

HUD Senior Housing includes all affordable housing programs developed by the The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

They were established to provide decent and safe housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Eligibility

Eligibility is determined by:

Annual gross income
Whether a person qualifies as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family
U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status

Public Housing Authorities use income limits, which are set by HUD. The income limits vary from area to area as the cost of living varies from area to area.

Housing Choice Vouchers

Housing Choice Vouchers provide rental payment assistance to qualifying tenants. To make rents affordable, Housing Choice Vouchers pay any rent which exceeds 30% of a tenants adjusted monthly income.

For example, if the landlord charges $500 per month for rent and the senior makes $1,000 per month, the senior would pay $300 (30% of their monthly income) and Housing Choice Vouchers would pay $200 (the difference between what the senior can afford and what the landlord charges).

The Housing Choice Voucher program is overburdened and it is difficult to obtain. Many people wait for years to receive the subsidy.

Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.

The housing choice voucher program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual. A very low-income family is selected by the PHA to participate and is encouraged to consider several housing choices to secure the best housing. A HUD senior housing voucher holder is advised of the unit size for which it is eligible based on family size and composition.

The housing unit selected by the senior must meet an acceptable level of health and safety before the PHA can approve the unit. When the voucher holder finds a unit that it wishes to occupy and reaches an agreement with the landlord over the lease terms, the PHA must inspect the dwelling and determine that the rent requested is reasonable.

Section 202

Section 202 is a HUD senior housing program that provides rental housing specifically for people over the age of 62 who have incomes under 50 percent of the area median income.

Section 202 residences are built and run by private, non-profit groups who have received loan incentives from HUD. HUD is not involved in the day to day operations.

Similar to other HUB senior housing programs, rents are calculated according to income, and rental assistance funds pay whatever balance remains.

Other HUD Programs/Services

HUD also advises seniors to arrange a meeting with a HUD-approved housing counsellor to discuss their particular situation.

Specific HUD senior housing information is provided upon discussing your particular needs - be it a reverse mortgage, in-home help, locating a HUD unit for the elderly, the right nursing home or assisted living care facility.

HUD senior housing assistance also includes finding a job for senior citizens, information about mortgage scams and how to cope with housing discrimination.