Public housing is one of the nation’s three main rental assistance programs, along with Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance. Public housing developments provide affordable homes to 1.6 million low-income Americans.

Where Is Public Housing Located?

The nation’s 807,000 public housing units are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories, with 1 in 5 of them in rural areas. As of 2020, only 55 percent of public housing homes were in low- or moderate-poverty areas, or where less than 30 percent of people had low incomes. It is concentrated in racially segregated, under-resourced neighborhoods, due in part to a long history of racial bias in siting decisions and other discriminatory public policies.

What Are the Benefits of Public Housing?

Public housing helps families afford housing and avoid homelessness or other kinds of housing instability. Some developments provide access to neighborhoods with well-resourced schools and more job opportunities, where it might otherwise be difficult for low-income families to rent homes. By limiting housing costs, it leaves families with more resources for other expenses like food, health-related services, child care, and transportation. It can also allow older adults and people with disabilities to remain in their home communities.

Who Is Eligible?

A family must have a “low income” — defined as less than 80 percent of the local median income — to move into public housing. At least 40 percent of the new families that a housing agency admits each year must have “extremely low incomes” that are no greater than 30 percent of the local median or the poverty line, whichever is higher; on average, agencies exceed this requirement by a large margin.

Federal rules restrict developments for people who immigrated to the U.S. Only people with certain immigration statuses are eligible. Families that include members with mixed immigration statuses can receive prorated assistance based on the number of household members who are eligible.

Read the full article about public housing policy at Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.