Affordable senior housing: HUD Section 202 and USDA 515, explained

When market-rate assisted living at about $6,200 a month is out of reach, subsidized senior housing is the honest first stop — and it is badly underexplained. Two federal programs fund independent apartments for older adults with low income, and getting in is mostly about applying early and to enough places.

The two programs

HUD Section 202 (Supportive Housing for the Elderly) funds apartment communities for adults 62+, mostly in towns and cities. USDA Section 515 does the same in rural areas. Both are real communities — not vouchers — often with a service coordinator on site who connects residents to meals, transportation, and home-based help. You can browse every property we can find by state.

Who qualifies

Generally you must be 62 or older and have income at or below a low threshold — typically 50% of your area’s median income, and many units target very-low-income (30%). Limits vary by county and household size; the property or your local HUD office confirms the exact number. These are independent apartments: you must be able to live on your own (with outside help if needed). They are not assisted living and provide no personal or medical care.

How rent works

You pay roughly 30% of your adjusted monthly income toward rent; the subsidy covers the rest. So the rent scales to what you actually earn — the point of the program. Utilities are often included or offset by an allowance.

If you're under 62: Section 811

This page says “62 or older” a lot, and for a younger disabled adult — someone with young-onset dementia at 55, say, or MS, or a disabling injury — that repetition reads as a closed door. It isn’t one. There is a program for exactly that gap, and it is the least-known of the three.

HUD Section 811 (Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities) is the under-62 counterpart to Section 202. Same basic idea — deeply subsidized apartments with rent geared to income, paired with voluntary supportive services and community integration — aimed at non-elderly adults with significant disabilities, at very low incomes (the newer arm of the program targets roughly 30% of area median income). The modern version, Section 811 Project Rental Assistance, works differently from 202 in a way that matters when you go looking: rather than whole senior buildings, the rental assistance is typically attached to a set of units inside ordinary mixed-income apartment developments, and it is administered through your state housing agency in partnership with the state Medicaid or disability agency — often with referrals coming through those agencies rather than by walking up to a leasing office.

That referral structure is the practical catch. There is frequently no public list to apply to and no front door you can find by searching, which is a large part of why families never hear of it. The way in is to ask your state housing finance agency whether it administers Section 811 PRA and how referrals are made, and to ask the same question of your state’s Medicaid, disability, or behavioral-health agency — and of your Area Agency on Aging or the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) ↗, who can route you. Supply is genuinely limited and this is not a fast answer. It is, however, an answer, and it should be on the list.

Eligibility rules differ between the older Section 811 capital-advance properties and the newer Project Rental Assistance arm (which is where most current activity is, and which generally requires at least one adult household member aged 18 to under 62 with a disability at admission). Because the details and the way in vary by state, treat the above as a pointer and confirm specifics with your state housing agency and HUD ↗. We don’t currently list 811 properties in our directory — the public data isn’t there in the way it is for 202 and 515, and we’d rather tell you the program exists than pretend we can map it.

How it differs from Section 8 and LIHTC

Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) is a portable subsidy you take to a private landlord — different program, separate (long) waiting list at your local housing authority. LIHTC / tax-credit apartments cap rent at a fixed level rather than a percentage of your income, and aren’t always senior-only; they can be a good backup. Section 202/515 is usually the best fit for a low-income older adult because the subsidy floats with your income and the community is built around seniors.

How to actually get in

Almost every property has a waiting list — often one to three years in high-demand areas. The strategy that works: apply to several properties at once, ask each about its list length and any preferences (some prioritize local residents or the lowest incomes), keep your contact information current, and re-confirm periodically so you aren’t dropped. Contact each community directly; there is no single national application. Your state directory page lists the phone number for each one.

If you also need care

Section 202/515 covers housing, not care. If you need help with daily tasks, pair it with home-based help — a home-health or personal-care aide for a few hours — or, if income and assets are very low, look at Medicaid, which pays for care (and in many states covers assisted living through a waiver). See the full picture of how families pay for care.

This guide is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and change over time. For personalized, unbiased help, your Area Agency on Aging and your state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman are free.