Cambridge Housing Authority in MA

Brief Information About Housing Authority in Cambridge

The Cambridge Housing Authority is situated at 2050 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge Massachusetts 02140. The phone number is 617-499-7179. Their housing code is MA003.

The HA is responsible for managing the housing program for citizens in need. This includes the application step, the guidelines for eligibility, and any other resources. The HA’s mission is to provide subsidized rents for low-income families, provide access to various assistance programs for housing problems. You can reach out to the Cambridge Housing Authority for issues regarding the qualification process, the location of the proprieties that are under the office’s management, or any information regarding Cambridge Section 8 landlord’s details.

Existing Programs in Cambridge HA

The Cambridge Housing Authority provides excellent opportunities for people that are having problems with their housing situation. The table below shows data on HUD housing programs in Cambridge.

HUD Housing Programs in Cambridge

	Cambridge	Middlesex County
Subsidized Units	6,428	33,357
Occupied %	92.0%	94.0%
People Per Unit	2.0	1.8
People Total	10,872	56,670
Average Family Expenditure Per Month	$378	$437
Average HUD Expenditure Per Month	$1,039	$1,024
Average Months on Wait List	30	42

Public Housing Programs in Cambridge

The public housing program by Cambridge HA is built in such a way that the voucher covers up to 70% of the rent costs. To qualify for this program, the people need to have income that does not exceed the 50% of the median income. Below is the latest data for Public Housing Programs in Cambridge.

	Cambridge	Middlesex County
Subsidized Units	532	6,136
Occupied %	77.0%	97.0%
People Per Unit	2.2	1.8
People Total	893	10,599
Average Family Expenditure Per Month	$263	$439
Average HUD Expenditure Per Month	$1,915	$626
Average Months on Wait List	–	39

Section 8 Housing Programs in Cambridge

The Section 8 vouchers provided by the Cambridge HA tend to cover most of the expenses and are of great assistance to families that are struggling. Below is the latest data for Section 8 in Cambridge.

	Cambridge	Middlesex County
Subsidized Units	742	7,923
Occupied %	94.0%	95.0%
People Per Unit	2.1	1.5
People Total	1,440	11,392
Average Family Expenditure Per Month	$487	$407
Average HUD Expenditure Per Month	$1,446	$1,357

Check if you qualify for HUD Public Housing Program:	Check if you qualify for Section 8 Housing Programs:
Public Housing Program	Section 8 Program

2022 Income Limits

According to the latest statistical data as of 2022, the median income is $40,000. You can find up-to-date data on income limits for Cambridge and other cities by clicking on the link:

Find out 2021 Income Limits

Waiting List Statuses in Cambridge

Cambridge Housing Authority Section 8 Voucher Wait List

The Section 8 Voucher Programs waitlist is Closed. For current program waitlist status, contact Cambridge HA directly. Up-to-date contact information for Cambridge Housing Authority is listed in the “Listing Info”.

Closed

Cambridge Housing Authority Public Housing Wait List

The Public Housing Programs waitlist is Open. For current program waitlist status, contact Cambridge HA directly. Up-to-date contact information for Cambridge Housing Authority is listed in the “Listing Info”.

Open

How Do I Apply in Cambridge Housing Authority?

To apply for the Public Housing Program or the Section 8 voucher, you would need to reach out to the Cambridge Housing Authority first. From them, you will get the application form. You also prepare the necessary for all the family members: ID, employment, bank account info, bank account status. You can e-mail or drop in the application at the Cambridge Housing Authority office. They will contact you with any questions.

More information can be found on the official HUD website:

www.hud.gov

Additional Information

Massachusetts HUB News

Official websites of housing authorities in Massachusetts

FAQ

How much do you pay for Section 8 housing?

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is aimed at helping low-income families who meet the requirement of income lower than 50% of the local area median income. The idea is that the cost of the rent is split between the tenant and the federal assistance program. The part that you pay depends on your income. You could get up to 30 % assistance on your rent or more, all depends on the specifics of the situation.

The main unit of measurement is the Fair Market Rent cost. If the unit that you live in has a cost that is in the range of the Fair Market Rent, you will get the 30% or more rent assistance as designated from the program and you pay the rest of the rent. If you choose to live in an apartment that is above the fair market rent, the Housing Choice Voucher Program will cover their percentage as a total of the housing market rent. Anything above the housing market rent will be charged out of your pocket.

How to qualify for hud housing?

To qualify for the housing authority, you need to reach out to the housing authority office. You then fill out a form that they give you and on that form, you list the below information:

Names of the persons that will live with you.
Their sex, birthdate, and relationship to you.
Your contact and current address.
Special circumstances that apply to you ( veteran, disability, elderly, etc.).
Details of the previous landlord. The idea is that these landlords will be reached out to and asked if you are a reliable tenant.
Income information, which means tax documents and W2 documents.
Bank information, as that will be used to check the accuracy of your monetary situation.
There is also a chance that you might get a home visit and asked questions.

What does HUD look for on your background check?

The housing authority does detailed research to make sure that the people that are helped with rental assistance will get better and will make use of the help. This means that background checks are an important part of the work. The housing authority will disregard any applicant that has a criminal background. The housing authority will deny any applicant that is a sex offender or has records of drug use. The other detail is that if you have had a previous housing authority assistant and you got evicted, that is a big no, and your application will be rejected.

Regarding the use of the drug, there is a way around that and is the fact that you show that you have completed a drug treatment program. Even if you have a criminal background, each case is special, and you are given a chance to say your plea and to explain the circumstances. Also, felonies older than 5 years are not considered part of the application.

How to get approved for Section 8 housing?

Section 8 is a great program to offer rental assistance. The voucher of Section 8 covers 30-40% of the rent cost, which also includes utilities. To qualify for section 8 vouchers, you need to prove to the housing authorities that minimally your income is 80% of the local median income. You also need to show American citizenship to all the people in your household. With immigrants, there are extra documents to submit, such as naturalization documents or I-94 stamps. You also need to show your past landlord history, hence if you have an eviction record, you will be disqualified.

What is public housing vs Section 8?

The idea of the HA is to provide housing assistance. There are differences among all the programs that we have mentioned so far in this material. Section 8 allows you to choose a preferred location. The landlord must also agree to accept the Section 8 housing vouchers.

Section 8 has 2 subdivisions: there is a tenant option and a project option. The tenant voucher follows the tenant. This means that the tenant can change housing and transfer the voucher with him if the new landlord accepts these vouchers as payment. The project housing is tied to a specific location and the tenant must reside in that location to get the rental assistance. In the public housing program, the proprieties are owned by the rental assistance agency.

There is also public housing, which is managed by the government. The idea is that there are housing options that are subsidized by the government. This program welcomes low-income families. The rent that the tenants pay depends on their annual income. So the difference between section 8 vs public housing is that section 8 lets you choose your residence and you get a subsidy on your rent and public housing allows you to live in a place that is owned by the government.