Renting With a Section 8 Voucher in Peterson Park, Chicago: 2026 Guide
Quick answerIn Peterson Park, Chicago, as of October 8, 2026, a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) voucher is measured against one citywide payment standard per voucher size, kept within 90% to 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent ($1,780 for one bedroom, $2,011 for two, FY2027). No CHA dollar schedule was found on thecha.org. The name spans two community areas, North Park and West Ridge. Active listings on VoucherMatch right now: 1.
Last checked: October 8, 2026, against CHA's Administrative Plan (effective October 1, 2025), Participant Guidebook and web pages, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, the Illinois Department of Human Rights source-of-income page, CMAP's North Park and West Ridge Community Data Snapshots (June 2026 release), the City's boundary files, the Chicago Park District's Peterson Park page and the CTA's stop lists.
- $2,011HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for the Chicago area
- 120 daysCHA's search term, from moving papers to a submitted Request for Tenancy Approval
- 1active listings in Peterson Park on VoucherMatch right now
- 13 and 2the City's numbers for North Park and West Ridge, the two community areas the name touches
- 51.9%share of occupied homes in North Park that are rented, 2020-2024
Current Peterson Park listings
This table is live: it reads VoucherMatch's active Peterson Park listings each time the page loads, and it can show none.
| Peterson Park listings on VoucherMatch | Right now |
|---|---|
| Active listings | 1 |
| Bedroom mix | One is a 3-bedroom |
| Lowest asking rent | $1,845 |
| Median asking rent | $1,845 |
| Highest asking rent | $1,845 |
What it means: an asking rent leaves out the utilities you would pay, so add them before you compare it with your CHA Rent Burden Worksheet.
Source: VoucherMatch listings in Peterson Park.
- 3BR listed at $1,845, 1 bath
Contact details are on the Peterson Park apartment page.
The rent figure to use for a Peterson Park proposal
The figure to use is CHA's payment standard for your voucher size, the same on the far North Side as anywhere in the city. CHA's Administrative Plan, effective October 1, 2025, says its standards are "the same across the entire service area" and within 90 to 110 percent of HUD's Fair Market Rent, and that CHA "has not adopted the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents".
No CHA page or file printing the dollar amounts was found, so the table shows HUD's benchmark and the plan's band.
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: the budget that counts is the one on the Rent Burden Worksheet CHA sends with your moving papers.
Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, effective October 1, 2026. The 90% and 110% columns are VoucherMatch's arithmetic from section 16-II.B of CHA's plan.
Watch outCHA's plan also allows exception payment standards of up to 150 percent of HUD's figure, approved case by case for addresses in CHA Mobility Areas. VoucherMatch has not classified North Park or West Ridge. Check the address on the map on CHA's Mobility Counseling page, where Mobility Areas show in green, and ask CHA for the amount.
Your share follows federal rules: about 30% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.515). If rent plus utilities is over the standard you pay the excess, up to 40% of adjusted income at first lease-up (24 CFR 982.508), and CHA must find the rent reasonable against comparable units (24 CFR 982.507).
ExampleVoucherMatch's example, with made-up figures. Suppose CHA's one-bedroom standard equalled HUD's $1,780 and a renter's adjusted monthly income is $1,400. The base share is $420 and the 40% limit is $560. At rent plus utilities of $1,900 the share is $540, which passes; at $1,950 it is $590, which does not.
The Chicago payment guide works through the calculation, how much Section 8 pays for a 2-bedroom compares metros, and how the utility allowance works explains that part.
Compare the actual block and unit
Start with the address, because Peterson Park is not a City-drawn area. The City's neighborhood boundary file has no Peterson Park. The Chicago Park District's Peterson Park, at 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. in ZIP code 60646, falls inside the North Park community area (13). The map point behind VoucherMatch's Peterson Park page, which uses ZIP code 60659, falls inside West Ridge (2).
| Measure, 2020-2024 | North Park (13) | West Ridge (2) | City of Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renter-occupied share of occupied homes | 51.9% | 49.4% | 54.0% |
| Homes in detached single-family houses | 31.0% | 21.4% | 25.6% |
| Homes with two bedrooms | 32.8% | 35.2% | 33.1% |
What it means: about half the occupied homes in both areas are rented.
Source: CMAP Community Data Snapshots for North Park and West Ridge, June 2026 release, from 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates. Each column covers a whole community area, of which Peterson Park is only part. VoucherMatch matched the park's address and its own map point to the City's community area boundary file.
Ask which utilities each rent includes: CHA's utility allowance schedule, effective November 1, 2025, has separate tables by building type. The rent-data page for ZIP 60659 shows HUD's ZIP-level figures, which are not CHA's standard.
Getting around Peterson Park: CTA bus routes
The CTA's 'L' stop list places no station in North Park or West Ridge, so buses do the work: six routes have stops on Peterson, Pulaski, Kimball, California, Lincoln and Devon.
| CTA bus route | Stops named in the CTA's stop list | Note from the CTA |
|---|---|---|
| 84 Peterson | Peterson at Pulaski, Central Park and Kimball | |
| 53 Pulaski | Pulaski at Bryn Mawr and Ardmore; Pulaski & Peterson Terminal | Owl service |
| 82 Kimball-Homan | Kimball at Bryn Mawr and Peterson | Also stops at Kimball & Lawrence (Brown Line) |
| 93 California/Dodge | California & Peterson | |
| 11 Lincoln | Lincoln & Peterson | |
| 155 Devon | Devon & Kedzie |
What it means: check the stop for each address. No Metra page could be opened, so Metra is left out.
Source: the stop lists on the CTA's route pages for 84, 53, 82, 93, 11 and 155, and the CTA's 'L' stop list and bus stop file, matched by VoucherMatch to the City's boundary file.
How to make an offer on a Peterson Park unit with a CHA voucher
Nothing is signed until CHA has screened the owner, set the rent and passed the unit.
- 1Check your clockCHA gives 120 days from moving papers to a submitted Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) packet. Its plan allows extensions of up to 60 days at a time, on a written request.
- 2Read your worksheetCHA's Rent Burden Worksheet states your budget for rent and utilities.
- 3Complete the RTA with the owneran owner already in the program uploads it in CHA's HCV Owner Portal. Your search time freezes once it is in.
- 4Owner screeningCHA runs a background check on the owner.
- 5Rent offerCHA weighs the payment standard, comparable unsubsidized rents, utilities and your income.
- 6Inspectionthe unit must pass CHA's Initial Inspection. After a fail the owner has 14 days to repair; a second fail ends the request.
- 7Lease and contractyou and the owner sign the lease, and the owner signs a Housing Assistance Payment contract with CHA.
What it means: CHA puts processing at about seven weeks, and it does not pay application fees, move-in fees or security deposits.
Source: CHA's Move to a New Home, Owner Portal and Inspections pages, its Participant Guidebook (June 2025) and section 5-II.C of the Administrative Plan.
- Your voucher and RTA packet, showing the bedroom size and expiration date
- Your Rent Burden Worksheet
- A question: which utilities does the rent include?
- The pre-inspection checklist for a first look at the unit
Widen the search without copying a budget
North Park itself and the four community areas that border it in the City's boundary file all have listing pages, and CHA's citywide standard applies in each.
| Community area | City number | Section 8 listings | CTA service in the pages read |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Park | 13 | North Park | Buses 53, 82 and 84 |
| West Ridge | 2 | West Ridge | Buses 11, 84, 93 and 155 |
| Lincoln Square | 4 | Lincoln Square | Four Brown Line stations; buses 11, 84 and 93 |
| Albany Park | 14 | Albany Park | Brown Line Kimball, Kedzie and Francisco; buses 53, 82 and 93 |
| Forest Glen | 12 | Forest Glen | Bus 84 Peterson |
The Chicago apartment hub lists every area by bedroom size.
Application and move questions
What are the Chicago Housing Authority payment standards for 2026?
CHA's plan sets them between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent, citywide: $1,810 to $2,212 for two bedrooms on the FY2027 figure, by VoucherMatch's arithmetic. CHA's adopted amounts were not found online.
Does the Cook County Section 8 voucher amount for 2026 apply in Peterson Park?
No. The Housing Authority of Cook County says it serves Cook County municipalities except Chicago and five others with their own agencies. The Chicago payment guide covers both agencies.
Should I abandon Peterson Park if it shows few listings?
Not on a count alone. The live count on VoucherMatch is 1; it can be zero, and it changes.
Which community area is Peterson Park in?
The City's files do not say. The park of that name is in North Park (13); VoucherMatch's Peterson Park page points to West Ridge (2). Check each address.
Can a landlord in Peterson Park refuse my voucher?
Source of income is protected by the Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance and, since January 2023, the Illinois Human Rights Act. The state's page says an owner is not required to lower a rent. Complaints go to the Chicago Commission on Human Relations within 365 days, or to the state department within one year.
Next step: read the budget on your Rent Burden Worksheet, open the current Peterson Park listings, and note each address's ZIP code. For CHA's offices use the Chicago agency guide; without a voucher, start with open waiting lists.
Sources for this article (26)
- Administrative Plan (thecha.org)
- HUD Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)
- Mobility Counseling page (thecha.org)
- 24 CFR 982.515 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.508 (ecfr.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.507 (ecfr.gov)
- Peterson Park (chicagoparkdistrict.com)
- North Park (cmap.illinois.gov)
- West Ridge (cmap.illinois.gov)
- community area boundary file (data.cityofchicago.org)
- utility allowance schedule (thecha.org)
- 84 (transitchicago.com)
- 53 (transitchicago.com)
- 82 (transitchicago.com)
- 93 (transitchicago.com)
- 11 (transitchicago.com)
- 155 (transitchicago.com)
- 'L' stop list (data.cityofchicago.org)
- bus stop file (data.cityofchicago.org)
- Move to a New Home (thecha.org)
- Owner Portal (thecha.org)
- Inspections (thecha.org)
- Participant Guidebook (thecha.org)
- Housing Authority of Cook County (thehacc.org)
- Illinois Human Rights Act (dhr.illinois.gov)
- Chicago Commission on Human Relations (chicago.gov)
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Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected
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