These programs provide housing, help pay rent, or provide low cost mortgage loans to buy or repair a home. Public housing is housing owned and run by a government body such as a local Housing Authority. To be eligible to live in public housing, you must have low income and meet certain other requirements. Your rent and utilities are generally lower than in private housing. In most cases, rent in public housing can be no more than 30 percent of your income.
Housing is subsidized when the government pays part of the tenant's rent or mortgage.
To get subsidized housing, you must have a low or moderate income. Under these programs, as with public housing, tenants usually pay no more than 30 percent of their income. Unfortunately, the number of people needing these two programs is far greater than federal funding for the programs. In rural areas, there are additional housing opportunities for lower income persons. As a rural resident you may qualify for very low interest rate mortgages to purchase or repair a home.