Am I Eligible for Rental Assistance?

1. Income

Almost every federal rental program caps eligibility at some percentage of Area Median Income. Section 8 vouchers and project-based Section 8 cap at 50% AMI. Public Housing and HOME-funded programs cap at 80% AMI. LIHTC properties cap at 50% or 60% AMI. Emergency Housing Vouchers, Continuum of Care permanent supportive housing, and Section 811 typically cap at 30% AMI (with verified homelessness or disability also required).

HUD calculates "income" broadly — see the income limits explainer for what counts. The key practical rule: most PHAs are required to give 75% of new vouchers to households at or below 30% AMI, so even though the legal ceiling for Section 8 is 50% AMI, in practice most new vouchers go to households with very little income.

2. Citizenship and immigration status

Federal rental assistance requires that at least one household member be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status (lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, withholding-of-removal status, parolee, conditional entrant, T or U visa holder, or a non-immigrant in certain limited classes). Mixed-status households are eligible — the subsidy is simply prorated to cover only the eligible members' share of the household.

Undocumented household members do not have to leave the household and do not have to be reported to immigration authorities by the PHA. HUD has been explicit on this point for decades.

3. Criminal background

Federal law requires PHAs to permanently bar two groups: people convicted of methamphetamine production on federally assisted property, and people subject to a lifetime sex offender registration requirement. PHAs also must deny admission for three years after eviction from federally assisted housing for drug-related criminal activity, unless the person has completed an approved rehabilitation program.

For everything else, HUD has explicitly told PHAs that blanket bans on people with criminal records are illegal under the Fair Housing Act. PHAs must conduct an individualized review and consider the nature of the conviction, the time elapsed, and evidence of rehabilitation. Most PHAs publish a written admissions policy that lists which offenses trigger automatic denial and which trigger discretionary review — ask for it before you apply.

4. Household composition

"Household" means everyone who will live in the unit — adults and children, related or not. There's no requirement to be married, no requirement to have children, no minimum or maximum number of household members. A single adult is a perfectly normal Section 8 applicant. A multi-generational household is fine. A roommate group is fine if everyone is on the lease and on the application.

Specific programs target specific household types: Section 202 requires at least one household member age 62+; Section 811 requires at least one household member with a qualifying disability; HUD-VASH requires a head of household who is a veteran with documented homelessness; the Family Unification Program requires a family with an open child welfare case (or youth aged 18–24 who recently aged out of foster care).

Special preferences (not requirements)

Even when you're "eligible," your place in line depends on local preferences set by the PHA. Common preferences include: currently homeless, involuntarily displaced by government action or natural disaster, paying more than 50% of income in rent, working at least 20 hours per week, veteran status, victim of domestic violence, and resident of the PHA's service area. Preferences move you up the waiting list — they don't change the underlying eligibility test.

Quick eligibility self-check

If you can answer "yes" to all three of the following, start applying immediately:

1. My household income is at or below 50% of the Area Median Income for my metro (see your state page for the dollar figure).
2. At least one household member is a U.S. citizen or has eligible immigration status.
3. No household member is barred by the two federal lifetime exclusions (meth production on federally assisted property, lifetime sex offender registration).

If you answered "no" to question 1 because you're slightly over the limit, look at the LIHTC properties page — LIHTC uses 50% or 60% AMI ceilings, which are usually a bit higher, and rents are flat instead of subsidy-based.

If you're currently homeless, fleeing domestic violence, a veteran, an older adult, or a person with a disability, jump to the program-specific page: Emergency Housing Vouchers, Continuum of Care, HUD-VASH, Section 202, or Section 811.