What is Public Housing?

Public Housing, a massive American assistance program that is overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was established to provide safe and manageable rental housing for low-income families, the elderly, and individuals living with disabilities. These three groups of individuals are mandated to meet the eligibility requirements, which can vary from state to state and county to county.

Public housing exists in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family homes to high-rise apartments for elderly families. Currently, there are approximately 1.2 million households living in public housing units, managed by about 3,300 HAs. In order for the program to effectively work, HUD administers Federal aid to local housing agencies (commonly called HAs) that then manage the housing for the low-income residents in rental categories they can afford. HUD stands by to provide both technical and professional assistance in planning, developing, and managing the rental developments.

As mentioned above, Public Housing recipients are determined by their annual gross income, whether they qualify as elderly, disabled, or as a low-income family, and U.S. citizenship or immigration status. If applicants meet these three requirements, HUD will then check application references to ensure that the appliers are safe and respectable tenants. HUD reserves the right to deny admission to any applicants with a history of detrimental habits and housing practices.

The ultimate goal of Public Housing is to provide a safety net that ensures no Americans are forced to sleep out in the streets at night. Receptive to individual submissions and requirements, more times than not, HUD will work with applicants to secure a workable situation in which the applicant sleeps with a roof over their head. Specific HA operation does indeed vary depending the region, city, and state in America.