Housing assistance for immigrants in the US — by state

Section 8 vouchers, public housing, and emergency rental assistance — eligibility and immigration-status restrictions vary by program. Mixed-status families may qualify for prorated assistance.

Browse by state

Last verified: 2026-09-10.

General information — not legal advice. Verify current rules with the issuing agency.

Who qualifies — the federal rules in detail

Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) gives you a voucher to pay part of the rent in private housing you choose; Public Housing is apartments run directly by a housing agency. Both use the same federal eligibility:

  • Low income — typically under 30-50% of Area Median Income for your county
  • At least one household member must be a US citizen or national, or hold one of the eligible immigration statuses Congress listed in section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act. 24 CFR 5.506(a) restricts assistance to “Citizens” or “[n]oncitizens who have eligible immigration status under one of the categories set forth in Section 214 (see 42 U.S.C. 1436a(a))”, and 42 U.S.C. 1436a(a) lists them:
    • US citizen or national
    • Lawful permanent resident (green card)
    • Refugee admitted under INA 207, or person granted asylum under INA 208 (asylum “which has not been terminated”)
    • Person paroled into the US under INA 212(d)(5) — the route by which most Cuban-Haitian entrants qualify
    • Person granted withholding of deportation or removal under INA 241(b)(3)
    • Person granted temporary or permanent residence under INA 245A (the 1986 legalization)
    • Person deemed lawfully admitted for permanent residence through registry, under 8 U.S.C. 1259
    • Citizen of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia or Palau lawfully resident under the Compacts of Free Association — who also receive a local preference under 24 CFR 5.506(c)
  • Not eligible on their own: undocumented persons, DACA recipients, F-1 students — the statute excludes “students who enter the United States temporarily with no intention of abandoning their residence in a foreign country”.
  • A VAWA self-petition is not one of these categories. VAWA gives survivors separate housing protections — confidentiality, the right to keep the unit when the abuser is removed from the lease, and emergency transfer — not voucher eligibility. A self-petitioner who also holds one of the statuses above qualifies through that status.

Mixed-status households (some members eligible, some not) receive a prorated voucher under HUD’s Mixed Status Family rule — the household is not disqualified.

How to apply, anywhere in the US:

  1. Find your local Public Housing Agency (PHA): hud.gov/findpha
  2. Join the waiting list (months to years in saturated metros)
  3. When called, present ID, income proof, and status documents for eligible members
  4. If approved, you receive the voucher or a unit assignment — voucher households pay ~30% of adjusted income toward rent

Under the 2022 public-charge rule, Section 8 does not count against a green-card application. That rule is rescinded effective September 18, 2026 (91 FR 45324); receipt before that date is still judged under the 2022 rule. DHS says the new rule applies to applications for admission made on or after September 18, 2026, and to adjustment-of-status applications postmarked or electronically submitted on or after that date.