HUD Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly

Section 202 properties provide federally subsidized rental housing, often with service coordination, for qualifying very-low-income households that include an older adult.

Very-low-income household with an adult age 62 or older eligible for a Section 202 property

Entitlement facts

Benefit type: Government benefit. A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route. Taxonomy definition →
What it unlocks: An affordable apartment at a participating Section 202 property, with federal assistance covering eligible operating costs beyond the tenant's income-based rent share.
Who qualifies: Very-low-income household with an adult age 62 or older eligible for a Section 202 property
Requirements: At least one adult household member generally must be age 62 or older, the household generally must be below the applicable very-low-income limit, and the applicant must meet the property's occupancy, documentation, screening, and waitlist rules.
How to activate: Use HUD's resource locator to find Section 202 or affordable elderly and special-needs properties, then contact each property owner or manager directly about vacancies, waitlists, and its application process.
Cost basis: Variable by provider or eligibility. The user's out-of-pocket cost cannot be represented by one fixed amount because it depends on provider policy, income, household, geography, selected service, coverage group, subsidy amount, or the underlying program. It may be free, reduced, sliding-scale, or partly paid.
Cost and fees: There is no federal application fee, but housing is subsidized rather than free. Residents typically pay an income-based rent share and may owe deposits, utilities, application costs allowed by law, or other lease charges.
Geography: US, Participating Section 202 properties
Personalization: Published eligibility is not described as individually targeted.

EVIDENCE / 1 SOURCE

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

Check the provider's final terms immediately before applying, depositing funds, spending, or changing a paid relationship.

01U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentprovider↗

MACHINE RECORD

{
  "id": "hud-section-202-senior-housing",
  "name": "HUD Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly",
  "provider": "U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development",
  "entitlement_type": "government-benefit",
  "entitlement_type_label": "Government benefit",
  "entitlement_type_context": {
    "definition": "A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route.",
    "domain": "public-benefits",
    "archetype": "direct-program",
    "agent_instruction": "Identify the administering jurisdiction and disclose income, household, age, disability, immigration, residence, renewal, fee, and capacity rules that apply."
  },
  "summary": "Section 202 properties provide federally subsidized rental housing, often with service coordination, for qualifying very-low-income households that include an older adult.",
  "benefit": {
    "description": "An affordable apartment at a participating Section 202 property, with federal assistance covering eligible operating costs beyond the tenant's income-based rent share.",
    "estimated_value_usd": null
  },
  "discovery": {
    "focus": "public-service",
    "has_estimated_dollar_value": false
  },
  "access": {
    "relationships": [
      "Very-low-income household with an adult age 62 or older eligible for a Section 202 property"
    ],
    "requirements": "At least one adult household member generally must be age 62 or older, the household generally must be below the applicable very-low-income limit, and the applicant must meet the property's occupancy, documentation, screening, and waitlist rules.",
    "activation": "Use HUD's resource locator to find Section 202 or affordable elderly and special-needs properties, then contact each property owner or manager directly about vacancies, waitlists, and its application process.",
    "cost_basis": "varies",
    "cost_basis_label": "Variable by provider or eligibility",
    "cost_basis_context": {
      "classification": "variable",
      "definition": "The user's out-of-pocket cost cannot be represented by one fixed amount because it depends on provider policy, income, household, geography, selected service, coverage group, subsidy amount, or the underlying program. It may be free, reduced, sliding-scale, or partly paid.",
      "agent_instruction": "Read and disclose the record's fees and requirements; use the most precise bounded price or variation reason available instead of repeating only that cost varies.",
      "variation_patterns": [
        "bounded price range",
        "provider-set price",
        "income-based sliding scale",
        "coverage or service-dependent cost sharing",
        "partial subsidy",
        "directory of programs with different terms"
      ],
      "does_not_mean": [
        "universally free",
        "cost information was necessarily omitted"
      ]
    },
    "fees": "There is no federal application fee, but housing is subsidized rather than free. Residents typically pay an income-based rent share and may owe deposits, utilities, application costs allowed by law, or other lease charges.",
    "personalized": false,
    "regions": [
      "US",
      "Participating Section 202 properties"
    ],
    "expires": null
  },
  "status": "verified",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-04",
  "claim_url": "https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/mfh/progdesc",
  "source_url": "https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/mfh/progdesc",
  "source": {
    "primary_url": "https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/mfh/progdesc",
    "evidence": [
      {
        "source": "U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development",
        "url": "https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/mfh/progdesc",
        "kind": "provider",
        "checked_at": "2026-08-04"
      }
    ]
  },
  "parent": null,
  "coverage": {
    "level": "national",
    "family": "housing-and-disaster",
    "jurisdiction": "United States",
    "maturity": "direct"
  },
  "web_url": "/benefits/hud-section-202-senior-housing",
  "taxonomy": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "url": "/api/v1/taxonomy"
  }
}

View JSON ↗

HUD Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly

Entitlement facts

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

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