• Applicants to state-funded housing developments must be 60 or over and/or disabled
• Applicants to federally-funded developments must be 62 or over and/or disabled.
• State definition of a disabled person: A person who has been determined to have an impairment which is expected to be of long continued and indefinite duration, which substantially impedes the ability to live independently in conventional housing and which is of such nature that such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions.
• Federal definition of a disabled person: A person who

1. has a disability defined as an inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months; or, in the case of a person who has attained the age of 55 and is blind, the inability by reason of such blindness to engage in substantial gainful activity requiring skills or abilities comparable to those of any gainful activity in which he or she has previously engaged with some regularity and over a substantial period of time, or
2. has a physical, mental, or emotional impairment which is expected to be of long-continued and indefinite duration, which substantially impedes his or her ability to live independently, and is of such a nature that the ability to live independently could be improved by more suitable housing conditions, or
3. has a developmental disability which is a severe, chronic disability of an individual 5 years or older which is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of impairments and which is manifested before the age of 22 and is likely to continue indefinitely and which results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity (self-care; receptive and expressive language; learning; mobility; selfdirection; capacity for independent living and economic self-sufficiency), and which reflects the individual’s need for assistance that is lifelong or of extended duration and is individually planned and coordinated.

Such term shall not exclude persons who have the disease acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or any conditions arising from the etiologic agent for AIDS

Household Size:

• The elderly/disabled public housing program only consists of studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. Those who need more than 2 bedrooms, as defined by BHA regulations and state occupancy laws, cannot apply for the elderly/disabled housing program. See Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Income Limits:

• In order to apply for family public housing one's household income must fall below certain income limits.
• View a chart of income limits for different family sizes

Priority Categories:

• The BHA uses a system of priority categories to determine an applicants place on the waiting list. Applicants may be able to receive a priority if they are victims of circumstances such as domestic violence, disaster or landlord displacement, homelessness, condemned housing, hate crime or displacement due to disability. An applicant should list any priority he/she may qualify for during the application process.
• See a list of priorities and download documents

US Citizenship:

• HUD has established rules for federally-funded public housing that restrict the amount of aid housing aid available to families with members who are not US citizens or legally authorized residents.
• Read more about HUD's rules (.pdf)

Lease Compliance:

• All applicants must be willing to abide by the BHA Public Housing Lease. Failure to follow the requirements of the lease may result in eviction.
• Read the Boston Housing Authority Public Housing Lease (.pdf)

Pet Policy:

• All applicants must be willing to abide by the BHA Elderly Pet Policy. Failure to follow the requirements of the policy may result in eviction.
• Read the Boston Housing Authority Elderly/Disabled Pet Policy (.pdf)