Section 8 Housing in Massachusetts

Low Income Housing Information

Low income housing can be a godsend, but if you don't know how to apply, or who to get your information to, how can you ever expect to be approved?

Since laws and procedure vary from state to state, you'll need to learn a few specifics before applying. We can help!

The Best Places to Search for Section 8 Housing in MA

Although at present Massachusetts has a healthy number of affordable housing units available for low income people, this is changing. Already Massachusetts has the fifth highest rental rates in the United States and forty-eight percent of renters spend at least thirty percent of their income on rent. Due in large part to prepayments, opt-outs and the expiration of subsidized 40-year mortgages, by 2019 more than 41,000 affordable housing units in Massachusetts will lose their affordability. Further, the overwhelming majority of low income housing in Massachusetts is more than thirty years old, leading to a loot of physical deterioration.

In view of the above and noting the long waiting periods for the better properties, residents of Massachusetts in need of low income housing should apply now or in the near future as opposed to waiting until the number of units available diminishes. People looking for Section 8 housing or other low income housing options should also be sure to check with the public housing agency (PHA) to ensure that the property will not be losing its subsidized status in the near future or aim for newer housing units.

To find subsidized housing in Massachusetts, the first stop should probably be to the website of MassHousing (www.masshousing.com), which serves as the coordinating body for many affordable housing options on a statewide basis, though any applications for Section 8 housing will have to go through the local PHA. MassHousing has a comprehensive Housing List on its website (in PDF format) that lists every subsidized housing project in the state and also specifies whether it is for families or for the elderly. Although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD, www.hud.gov) also provides a basic list of Section 8 PHAs, it is less comprehensive and detailed than the list presented by MassHousing.

People looking for Section 8 housing in Massachusetts should also note that the state government runs its own rent subsidy program as well, the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). This program is administrated by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD, www.mass.gov) directly, as opposed to MassHousing, and may represent a better alternative than Section 8 if the qualifying conditions are met. Further, the qualifying conditions are based more on the national poverty level as opposed to the median household income of the area as is the case with Section 8 housing. Nevertheless, the conditions needed to qualify are fairly stringent, so this is not for everyone.

Not surprisingly, the largest concentrations of subsidized housing projects are in and around the major urban areas, especially Boston, South Boston, and Worchester. These large urban areas have their own local housing authorities that provide a wealth of resources for people looking for subsidized housing (for example, the Boston Housing Authority, www.bostonhousing.org). Nevertheless, the comprehensive list provided by MassHousing (see above) may provide a better overview of the whole situation and show better options near the target city as opposed to inside of it since it shows all the subsidized housing units in nearby suburbs as well. Almost all of this information can be obtained online through the relevant websites.