Quick Guide to Federal Rental Assistance
- Author: Margaret Hills
- Posted: 2025-07-19
This program helps about 10 million people, including families, seniors, and those with disabilities, to afford a decent place to live.
What is Federal Rental Assistance?
The government has a few big programs to help with rent. Most people get help through one of these three:
- Housing Choice Vouchers: These vouchers let people choose their own place to live, whether it's an apartment, townhouse, or other types of homes.
- Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance: This help is connected to certain apartments, so when you get help, you live in one of those apartments.
- Public Housing: These are housing units that the government provides for lower-income families to live in.
There are also programs for special groups of people, like the elderly or those with certain disabilities. Tribal governments have special programs for Native Americans living on tribal lands. And there's help available for veterans and people who were homeless through other specific programs.
How Does This Assistance Help?
By making rent more affordable, these assistance programs allow families to have a better standard of living. They can have a safe place to live without squeezing their budget too tight.
This way, they can spend more on things like food, health, and getting to work. Some programs even give people a chance to save money and set goals for the future.
Check Out: Effective Strategies for Lowering Your Expenses and Enhancing Financial Health
Part of why this assistance is so good is because it helps families find homes in safer, resource-rich neighborhoods. For children, this can lead to better schools and chances for college. For the whole family, it means better health and a chance at a higher income.
Who Gets Help?
People who get this help include families with kids, older folks, and many with disabilities. In fact, in 2016, most homes getting this aid included someone who was elderly, had a disability, or was working (or had worked recently).
Still, not everyone who needs help can get it. In 2019, there were many households that had to spend more than half their income on rent, making it super hard to manage other living costs.
How Much Rent Do They Pay?
Families usually pay 30% of their income after certain amounts are subtracted for essentials. There's also a small minimum rent they have to pay each month.
Where Do You Find Them?
The places where people with rental assistance live are everywhere—in cities, suburbs, and even in the countryside. You can find these homes all across the United States.
Don’t Miss: Finding Landlords Who Accept Housing Vouchers
How is This Paid For?
The government sets aside money every year to help with these housing costs. But the demand is high, and sometimes, there's not enough money to help everyone who needs it.
-
Previous Article: HUD Makes Housing Help Available to More People
