Low-income apartments in San Antonio: how to find and apply

To find low-income apartments in San Antonio, apply to Opportunity Home San Antonio, the city's housing authority (the local housing office). You can apply online for its public housing, the apartments it owns and rents out, at any time, it says. Its list for Section 8 vouchers, which pay part of your rent to a private landlord, takes applications only when it opens.

Who runs lower-rent housing in San Antonio?

Opportunity Home runs two kinds of lower-rent housing, and private companies run the third:

In public housing and with a voucher, you usually pay about 30% of your income toward rent. With a voucher, Opportunity Home pays the landlord the rest. At a mixed-income community, you pay the rent the property sets, unless you also have a voucher or live in one of its public housing apartments. Each property sets its own rules, so call the ones you like and ask how to apply.

How do you apply for Opportunity Home public housing?

Fill in the online application on Opportunity Home's apply page. Opportunity Home keeps three public housing waitlists, lines of people waiting for an apartment: one for families, one for older adults and people with disabilities, and one for accessible apartments. At the end of the application, it tells you which lists you qualify for, and you can join more lists later from your account.

Wait at least 24 hours after you apply, then create your portal account on the same apply page. Use it to update your address, phone number and household, and to check your place on each list. Opportunity Home removes people it can't reach, so keep your details current.

When your application reaches the top of a list, Opportunity Home mails you a packet of forms that starts its full check of your household. You must send it back within 10 business days of the day it was mailed, so check your mail and your portal account often.

How do you get a Section 8 voucher in San Antonio?

You can apply for a voucher only while Opportunity Home's voucher list is open. It announces each opening on its home page, on social media and in print and online media. To see which Texas lists are taking names today, check our Texas waitlists page.

Once you have a voucher, you find a landlord who accepts it. With a regular voucher, you usually pay about 30% of your monthly income toward rent and utilities. Your income is counted after deductions set by HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing office pays the landlord the rest. Under a federal program called Moving to Work, Opportunity Home sets some of its own rent rules, so what you pay can differ from this 30%.

Opportunity Home also runs special voucher programs that you reach in other ways:

• Homeless set-aside vouchers. For people who are homeless, by referral from the Center for Health Care Services or San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries.
• Mainstream vouchers. For people under 62 who have a disability.
• HUD-VASH (HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing). Vouchers for veterans who are homeless. The Department of Veterans Affairs screens you and refers you; call its local office at 210-616-9915.

What are the 2026 income limits in San Antonio?

For four people in the San Antonio area, the 2026 low limit is $80,500 a year and the very low limit is $50,300. An income limit is the most your household can earn in a year, before taxes, and still qualify. HUD sets three limits for the area, which covers Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe and Wilson counties. They took effect May 1, 2026:

For public housing, the limit is the low limit. For a voucher, federal rules generally use the very low limit, though an office can admit some families up to the low limit. Ask Opportunity Home which one it applies to you. Mixed-income communities set their own limits, so ask each property which limit its apartments use.

The extremely low limit is 60% of the very low limit, or the federal poverty guideline if that is higher. Each year, at least 75% of new vouchers go to households at or under the extremely low limit. So households above it are passed over more often.

Example. A household of three earning $50,000 a year is under the low limit of $72,450, so it can apply for Opportunity Home's public housing. It is above the very low limit of $45,300, so before applying for a voucher, it should ask Opportunity Home whether it admits families up to the low limit.

How long is the wait in San Antonio?

Expect years: Opportunity Home's apply page puts waits at two to seven years. Its chart estimates two to four years for public housing and up to four years for a voucher. The wait depends on the list, the bedroom size you need and how often apartments come free. Apply to every list you qualify for, because each one moves separately.

Can a San Antonio landlord refuse a voucher?

Usually, yes. No Texas law makes landlords accept vouchers, and a 2015 state law stops cities and counties from making rules that require it. Tax credit buildings are apartments that get a federal tax break for keeping rents low. Most of them can't refuse you just because you have a voucher, but they can still screen you on their other rules. Ask each landlord whether it accepts vouchers before you pay an application fee.

How do you avoid housing scams in San Antonio?

A housing office can't charge you to apply for public housing or a Section 8 voucher. HUD's inspector general warns about social media posts that falsely announce a list opening. Check any opening on Opportunity Home's own website or by calling 210-477-6000, and never pay anyone to put you on a list.

What should you do next?

1. Apply online for Opportunity Home public housing, then create your portal account a day later.
2. Call the mixed-income communities that fit your household and ask how to apply.
3. Watch Opportunity Home's home page and the Texas lists taking names today for a voucher opening.
4. Gather your documents so you can return the 10-day packet on time.

See the Texas listings you can apply for now, and use our qualify check to see which listings fit your household's size and income. For each list you join, follow the steps to apply for affordable housing.