Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. It was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses to high-rise apartments for elderly families. The primary goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, but the details, terminology, definitions of poverty, and other criteria for allocation vary within different contexts.

In the United States, public housing developments are classified either as housing projects that are owned by a citys Housing authority or federally subsidized public housing operated through HUD. In Canada, public housing is usually a block of purpose-built subsidized housing operated by a government agency, often simply referred to as community housing, with easier-to-manage townhouses. Many cities in Canada still maintain large high-rise clustered developments in working-class neighborhoods, a system that has fallen into disfavor in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Public housing is limited to low-income families and individuals, and eligibility is based on annual gross income, whether you qualify as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family, and U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. If you are eligible, the housing authority will check your references to make sure you and your family will be good tenants. The rent, also called the Total Tenant Payment (TTP), is based on your anticipated gross annual income minus any deductions. The tenants monthly rent is set at 30% of their household income in most federally-funded rental assistance programs.

Public housing is government-owned and -operated properties. HUD administers federal aid to local housing agencies (HAs) that manage the housing for low-income residents at rents they can afford. There are approximately 1.2 million households living in public housing units in the United States, managed by some 3,300 PHAs. In Canada, public housing is provided by departments of state governments, with funding provided by both the state and federal government.