Start here if affordable housing is new to you. These guides explain the main terms, who qualifies and how the pieces fit together.
Workforce housing is below-market housing for working households that earn too much for traditional subsidies but too little for market prices, often about 80 percent to 120 percent of area median income, the middle income where you live. No federal rule defines it, so each program sets its own income band, and some add a work rule.
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Section 8, officially the Housing Choice Voucher program, is a federal program that helps low-income families pay rent in privately owned homes. A local housing office gives you a voucher. You usually pay about 30 percent of your adjusted income, and the voucher covers the rest, up to a limit. As of October 8, 2026, we list 271 area-wide waitlists.
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A HUD home is a house the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development took over after a foreclosure on a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration. HUD sells it as is, by bid, through a registered broker on HUDHomestore.gov. Owner-occupants can bid before investors, and an owner-occupant using FHA financing may qualify for $100 down.
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The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) offers first-time buyer loans through approved lenders, with down payment help of up to $25,000 as either a grant of 3 percent of the loan or a second loan of 4 percent. You need a 620 credit score, a home buyer class and income under your county's limit. Boulder and land trusts add more.
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The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs offers first-time buyer mortgages with down payment help of up to 5 percent of the loan, through approved lenders. You need a 620 credit score, a home buyer class and income under your county's limit. Its help is a second mortgage, not a gift.
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Subsidized housing is rental housing where the government pays part of the rent, so you pay less. In the main federal programs you usually pay about 30 percent of your adjusted income. There are four kinds: public housing, vouchers, project-based assistance and rural rentals. Each has its own waitlist, and waits run from months to many years.
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Section 811 is a federal program that helps adults with disabilities live independently, with affordable rent and access to services. Today it works mostly through state housing agencies. For the newer rental assistance you apply through your state's referral process, not to the federal government or the building, and the household needs extremely low income. Older buildings take applications themselves.
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New York's main first-time buyer help comes from SONYMA, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, which offers fixed-rate loans and down payment loans through participating lenders. Income and price limits depend on the county. Cities, counties, a federal home loan bank and federal loans add more, and a few below-market homes sell by lottery.
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The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), the state housing agency, offers the MI Home Loan, with a 640 credit score minimum, county income limits and a $566,355 price limit. Its MI 10K Down Payment Assistance loan gives up to $10,000, interest free, and needs a home buyer class. Detroit adds a grant of up to $25,000.
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Low-income senior housing is rental housing for people 55 or 62 and older under an income limit, such as Section 202 buildings (a federal program for older adults run by HUD, the federal housing department), public housing and income-restricted apartments. You apply to each building or local housing office. As of October 8, 2026, we list 257 open senior listings.
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As of October 7, 2026, work requirements and time limits for rental assistance, proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are not law. The Federal Register shows no final rule. If one is adopted, each housing office that is allowed to could choose to use them. Public housing already has an 8-hour monthly community service rule.
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To apply for affordable housing, find out how the listing picks people (lottery, waitlist or first come), check its income and household rules, gather your documents, and apply only on the official site or at the housing office. Expect a document check later, and never pay a stranger to handle your application.
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Florida Housing Finance Corporation, the state housing agency, offers first-time buyer mortgages and down payment help through approved lenders, with a 640 minimum credit score and county income and price limits. Most of the help is a second mortgage, not a gift. Counties add their own programs, and rules and open dates change.
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First-time buyer help comes in four kinds: loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture; state housing agency mortgages with down payment help; city, county and nonprofit programs; and a tax credit. No federal grant is open to every buyer, and each layer has its own income limits.
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An FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loan is insured by a federal agency and allows lower credit scores and a 3.5 percent down payment. A conventional loan has no government program behind it and often costs less for buyers with good credit. FHA mortgage insurance usually lasts longer, and conventional mortgage insurance can be canceled. Compare quotes for both.
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An FHA loan is a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration, part of HUD, the federal housing department. With a credit score of 580 or higher you can put down 3.5 percent. With a score of 500 to 579 you need 10 percent. You also need steady income, an approved home and mortgage insurance.
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Affordable homes for sale are sold below market price by a city, a nonprofit or a developer to buyers under an income limit, often 80 percent to 120 percent of the area median income. Most are first come, first served or chosen by lottery. Expect a home buyer class, a mortgage pre-approval, a down payment and a limit on your sale price later.
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AMI means area median income: the middle income of families in an area, estimated each year by HUD, the federal housing department. Affordable housing sets income limits as a share of it, such as 60 percent or 80 percent, adjusted for household size. In New York City, the 60 percent limit for four people is $101,760.
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Income based apartments use your income in one of two ways. Some set an income limit, so your household must earn under a set amount to move in. Others set your rent as a share of your income, usually about 30 percent. Some buildings do both. Ask the building which one applies.
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To qualify for affordable housing, your household's total gross income, before taxes, must be under a limit that depends on how many people will live in the home. Some programs also set a minimum income, limit your savings and add a student rule. Details change by program and city, so check the one you're applying to.
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A housing lottery is a random drawing that sets the order in which applicants are checked for an affordable home when more people apply than there are homes. Being drawn is not an approval. The building then verifies your income and household with documents before it offers you a unit.
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