Renting With a Section 8 Voucher in Grand Boulevard, Chicago: 2026 Guide
Quick answerGrand Boulevard, Chicago, is in the Chicago Housing Authority's (CHA) service area. As of October 8, 2026, CHA's plan sets one payment standard per voucher size for the whole city, within 90% to 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent: $1,780 for one bedroom and $2,011 for two in FY2027. CHA's own dollar schedule was not found on thecha.org. Active Grand Boulevard listings on VoucherMatch right now: 2.
Last checked: October 8, 2026, against CHA's Administrative Plan (effective October 1, 2025), CHA's Help Center and its moving, leasing, inspection and Mobility pages, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, the Illinois Department of Human Rights source-of-income page, CMAP's Grand Boulevard Community Data Snapshot (June 2026 release), the City's community area boundary file and the CTA's Green Line page, stop files and route list.
- 38Grand Boulevard's number among Chicago's 77 community areas
- $1,780 and $2,011HUD's FY2027 one-bedroom and two-bedroom Fair Market Rents for the Chicago area
- 4Green Line stations in the community area
- 68.9%share of occupied homes that are rented, 2020-2024
- 120 daystime CHA gives to find a unit and submit the approval packet
- 2active Grand Boulevard listings on VoucherMatch right now
Current Grand Boulevard listings
These figures refresh each time the page loads and describe only what is listed on VoucherMatch; the count can be zero.
| Grand Boulevard listings on VoucherMatch | Right now |
|---|---|
| Active listings | 2 |
| Bedroom mix | One is a 3-bedroom, One is a 4-bedroom |
| Lowest asking rent | $2,000 |
| Median asking rent | $2,125 |
| Highest asking rent | $2,249 |
What it means: CHA judges rent plus tenant-paid utilities, so ask about utilities before comparing an asking rent with your budget.
Source: VoucherMatch listings in Grand Boulevard.
- 4BR listed at $2,000, 2 bath
- 3BR listed at $2,249, 1 bath
Owner contacts are on the Grand Boulevard apartment page. Some of the same buildings are advertised as Bronzeville, so VoucherMatch's Bronzeville page can repeat an address; match listings by street address.
The rent figure to use for a Grand Boulevard proposal
The figure that matters is CHA's payment standard for the bedroom size on your voucher, and it does not change by ZIP code. Section 16-II.B of CHA's Administrative Plan states that payment standards are "the same across the entire service area", fall between 90 and 110 percent of HUD's published Fair Market Rent, and that CHA "has not adopted the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents".
No dollar schedule was found on CHA's website on October 8, 2026. What follows is HUD's FY2027 benchmark with the plan's band worked out. It is not CHA's payment standard.
View the data table
| Unit size | 90% of HUD's figure | HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent | 110% of HUD's figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,510 | $1,678 | $1,846 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,602 | $1,780 | $1,958 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,810 | $2,011 | $2,212 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,327 | $2,586 | $2,845 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,659 | $2,954 | $3,249 |
What it means: shop with the budget on the Rent Burden Worksheet CHA gives you.
Source: HUD Fair Market Rents for the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, FY2027, in effect from October 1, 2026. VoucherMatch calculated the 90% and 110% columns from the percentages in CHA's plan.
Watch outIn CHA Mobility Areas, exception payment standards of up to 150 percent of HUD's figure can be approved, case by case and address by address. VoucherMatch has not classified Grand Boulevard. Search the address in the interactive map on CHA's Mobility Counseling page and ask CHA what amount would apply. CHA's printed Mobility Areas map uses fall 2017 data.
Federal rules set your part. The family share starts at roughly 30% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.515). When rent plus utilities is higher than the standard, the family covers the gap, and at first lease-up the share may not exceed 40% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.508). CHA also compares the rent with similar unassisted units (24 CFR 982.507).
ExampleA VoucherMatch illustration with invented numbers. Take HUD's $1,780 as a stand-in one-bedroom standard and an adjusted monthly income of $1,200. Thirty percent is $360 and forty percent is $480. A unit at $1,880 with utilities puts the share at $460, inside the limit. At $1,920 the share is $500, over it.
The household calculation is set out in the Chicago payment guide. For the utility side see how the Section 8 utility allowance works, and for other metros see how much Section 8 pays for a 2-bedroom. CHA posts its guidebooks on its participant resources page.
Compare the actual block and unit
Grand Boulevard is community area 38, and more than half of its homes are in buildings of five or more units. VoucherMatch files the area under ZIP code 60653; the rent-data page for ZIP 60653 carries HUD's ZIP-level benchmarks, which CHA's plan does not use.
- Tenure68.9% of occupied homes are renter-occupied; the citywide share is 54.0%.
- Buildings28.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 to 9 units, 24.5% in buildings of 20 or more, and 21.2% in three-flats and four-flats.
- Bedrooms29.6% of homes have one bedroom or none, 27.0% have two and 29.3% have three.
What it means: in a larger building, heat is sometimes in the rent and sometimes not. CHA's utility allowance schedule, effective November 1, 2025, has a separate table for each building type.
Source: CMAP, Grand Boulevard Community Data Snapshot, June 2026 release, using 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates; area number from the City's community area boundary file.
Getting around Grand Boulevard: the Green Line and CTA buses
The CTA's Green Line has four stations in Grand Boulevard, and seven bus routes have stops there.
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| Service | Stations or route | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Green Line | Indiana, 43rd, 47th, 51st | 51st is on the area's southern boundary |
| Bus 3 | King Drive | |
| Bus 4 | Cottage Grove | Owl route |
| Bus 29 | State | |
| Buses 43 and 47 | 43rd; 47th | |
| Bus 39 | Pershing | |
| Bus 15 | Jeffery Local | |
| Metra | No station matched inside Grand Boulevard |
What it means: look up the stop closest to a given building before counting on a route.
Source: the CTA's Green Line page, 'L' stop list, bus stop file and schedules page for route names; stops were matched to the City's boundary file by VoucherMatch.
How to make an offer with a CHA voucher in Grand Boulevard
An offer becomes a lease only after CHA has screened the owner, set the rent and passed the unit.
- 1Moving papersCHA issues a voucher and a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) packet. The 120-day search term starts here.
- 2Budgetyour Rent Burden Worksheet states what you can spend on rent and utilities.
- 3RTA packetyou and the owner fill it in, and the owner can upload it through the HCV Owner Portal. The search clock stops while CHA processes it.
- 4Owner checkCHA screens the owner, including a background check or, for an LLC, a certificate of good standing.
- 5Rent offerCHA makes an offer based on the payment standard, comparable unsubsidized units, utilities and family income. The owner accepts or declines.
- 6Initial Inspectionthe unit has to pass before move-in.
- 7Signinglease and Housing Assistance Payment contract are signed after the offer is accepted and the inspection is passed.
What it means: CHA estimates about seven weeks from packet to approval, and warns that signing or moving in early leaves the tenant owing the full rent.
Source: CHA's Move to a New Home, HCV Leasing for Property Owners, Owner Portal and Inspections pages; the 120-day term and written extensions of up to 60 days at a time are in section 5-II.C of the plan.
- Is heat included, and which other utilities does the tenant pay?
- What is the exact address and unit number, for the RTA?
- Does the owner already use CHA's Owner Portal?
- When could the unit be ready for an inspection? The pre-inspection checklist helps here.
Widen the search without copying a budget
Five community areas border Grand Boulevard in the City's boundary file; CHA's citywide standard applies in all of them outside a Mobility Area.
| Community area | City number | Section 8 listings |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 35 | Douglas |
| Oakland | 36 | Oakland |
| Kenwood | 39 | Kenwood |
| Washington Park | 40 | Washington Park |
| Fuller Park | 37 | Fuller Park |
Farther south, and not adjacent, VoucherMatch has guides to Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing and South Shore. The Chicago apartment hub sorts every area by bedroom size.
Application and move questions
Does a listing below Grand Boulevard's median rent mean I can lease it?
No. A median describes the listings on the page, and CHA still has to approve the specific rent, utilities and unit. Check the rent plus utilities against your Rent Burden Worksheet.
What are the Chicago Section 8 payment standards for 2026?
CHA's plan says they are one citywide set, between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent. For FY2027 that rent is $1,780 for one bedroom and $2,011 for two. CHA's adopted dollar amounts were not found on its website.
What is the Cook County Section 8 voucher amount for 2026?
That is a different agency. The Housing Authority of Cook County serves suburban Cook County; Chicago is outside its jurisdiction, so its figures do not govern a CHA voucher. The Chicago payment guide explains both.
How do I apply for Section 8 in Chicago?
Through CHA's waitlist. CHA's Help Center said on October 8, 2026 that the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist is not open, while public housing and project-based waitlists are open at applyonline.thecha.org. See the Chicago agency guide and open waiting lists.
Can a Grand Boulevard landlord turn down a voucher?
The Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance lists source of income as a protected class, and the Illinois Human Rights Act has covered it since January 2023. Neither makes an owner lower a rent. You can file with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the Illinois Department of Human Rights within one year, or HUD.
Next step: take the budget from your Rent Burden Worksheet to the current Grand Boulevard listings and ask each owner what the rent includes before you fill in an RTA.
Sources for this article (26)
- Administrative Plan (thecha.org)
- HUD Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)
- Mobility Counseling page (thecha.org)
- Mobility Areas map (thecha.org)
- 24 CFR 982.515 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.508 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.507 (ecfr.gov)
- participant resources page (thecha.org)
- Grand Boulevard Community Data Snapshot (cmap.illinois.gov)
- community area boundary file (data.cityofchicago.org)
- utility allowance schedule (thecha.org)
- Green Line page (transitchicago.com)
- 'L' stop list (data.cityofchicago.org)
- bus stop file (data.cityofchicago.org)
- schedules page (transitchicago.com)
- Move to a New Home (thecha.org)
- HCV Leasing for Property Owners (thecha.org)
- Owner Portal (thecha.org)
- Inspections (thecha.org)
- Housing Authority of Cook County (thehacc.org)
- Help Center (thecha.org)
- applyonline.thecha.org (applyonline.thecha.org)
- Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance (chicago.gov)
- Illinois Human Rights Act (dhr.illinois.gov)
- Chicago Commission on Human Relations (chicago.gov)
- HUD (hud.gov)
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