DictionaryRenting

Public housing: what it means

Public housing is a program of rental homes for low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities. HUD funds local public housing agencies (PHAs), which manage the homes and charge rents those families can afford.

In Spanish it is

Vivienda pública (public housing)

Also written as: public housing program · HUD public housing

A man smiles on a bench outside his apartment building.

Verified on October 17, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

It comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses to high-rise apartments. The PHA decides whether you qualify based on your annual gross income, whether you are elderly, have a disability or are a family, and your U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. To apply, you contact your local PHA. In general, you can stay as long as you comply with the lease.

An example

Marta's family earns little and applies for public housing at their city's PHA. After the waiting list, they are offered an apartment. Marta signs the lease with the PHA and pays a rent based on the family's income.

You will see it in…

Your local PHA's written application
The lease you sign with the PHA
The PHA's reviews of your income

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “public housing”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. HUD · Public Housing Program (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. HUD · Helping Americans (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026