Housing & Rent
Housing assistance programs help renters and homeowners with low incomes keep a safe, stable place to live. The best known is the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, which pays part of your rent directly to a private landlord through your local public housing agency. Public housing offers apartments owned by housing agencies, with rent based on your income. Many states and cities also run rental assistance programs for people behind on rent or facing eviction, and some offer help for homeowners struggling with mortgage or repair costs. Income limits for housing programs depend on where you live, and waiting lists are common, so it helps to apply early and to more than one program. Our guides explain who qualifies for each housing and rent program, how to apply through the right agency, and what to expect while you wait.
- Charities That Help With Rent: Catholic Charities USA (2026)
Emergency rent help, housing, and food through 170 local Catholic Charities agencies
- Home Repair Help 2026: Rebuilding Together & Who Qualifies
More than 100 local affiliates repair homes for low-income owners — many at no cost
- Home Repair Grants for Seniors 2026: USDA Section 504
A $10,000 USDA grant to fix hazards in your home — for owners 62 and older, with nothing to pay back if you keep the home 3 years
- Habitat for Humanity 2026: Who Qualifies & How to Apply
Affordable-mortgage homeownership and home repairs through local Habitat affiliates
- Free Legal Help for Eviction 2026: Legal Aid Income Limits
The 125% cutoff is not the whole rule. 45 CFR 1611.5 lets a legal aid program accept you at up to 200% of the poverty guidelines
- Salvation Army Rent & Utility Bill Help 2026: How to Apply
Emergency rent, mortgage, and utility bill help at 6,400 local Salvation Army service centers
- Rent Help 2026: Salvation Army vs. St. Vincent de Paul
Both pay rent — but one has a ZIP-code finder and the other has no national help directory at all
- St. Vincent de Paul Rent & Utility Help 2026: How to Apply
Emergency rent, utility, and food help through 4,000+ local conferences — but the national office cannot take your request
- Low-Income Senior Apartments 2026: Section 202 Who Qualifies
One person aged 62 qualifies the whole household. Rent is 30% of adjusted income — the middle HUD elderly property reports $392 a month
- Public Housing 2026: Income Limits & How to Apply
Rent is based on your income — and the income limit is higher than most people expect
- Section 8 Vouchers 2026: Help Paying Rent & How to Apply
Pay about 30% of your income in rent — the voucher covers the rest