Renting With a Section 8 Voucher in South Chicago, Chicago: 2026 Guide
Quick answerIn South Chicago, Chicago, a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) voucher is measured against CHA's citywide payment standard for its bedroom size. As of October 8, 2026, CHA's plan keeps that standard within 90% to 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent: $2,011 for two bedrooms and $2,586 for three in FY2027. No CHA dollar table was found online. Active South Chicago listings on VoucherMatch right now: 2.
Last checked: October 8, 2026, against CHA's Administrative Plan (effective October 1, 2025), CHA's moving, leasing, inspection and Mobility pages and utility allowance schedule, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, the Illinois Department of Human Rights source-of-income page, CMAP's South Chicago Community Data Snapshot (June 2026 release), the City's community area boundary file, the CTA's stop files and route list, and Metra's schedule data.
- 46South Chicago's community area number
- $2,011 and $2,586HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom and three-bedroom Fair Market Rents for the Chicago area
- 56.0%share of occupied homes that are rented, 2020-2024
- 34.3%share of homes with three bedrooms
- 3Metra Electric stations inside the area, ending at South Chicago (93rd)
- 2active South Chicago listings on VoucherMatch right now
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Current South Chicago listings
This table is filled from VoucherMatch's active South Chicago listings at the moment the page loads; it may show no listings at all.
| South Chicago listings on VoucherMatch | Right now |
|---|---|
| Active listings | 2 |
| Bedroom mix | One is a 2-bedroom, One is a 4-bedroom |
| Lowest asking rent | $1,686 |
| Median asking rent | $1,993 |
| Highest asking rent | $2,300 |
What it means: before weighing an asking rent against the budget on your Rent Burden Worksheet, find out which utilities come on top of it.
Source: VoucherMatch listings in South Chicago.
- 4BR listed at $2,300, 1.5 bath
- 2BR listed at $1,686, 1 bath
Each owner's contact route is on the South Chicago apartment page.
The rent figure to use for a South Chicago proposal
The right figure is CHA's payment standard for the bedroom count on your voucher, and CHA's plan makes it the same in South Chicago as anywhere else in the city. The Administrative Plan in effect since October 1, 2025 describes payment standards as "the same across the entire service area" and within 90 to 110 percent of HUD's Fair Market Rent. It also says CHA "has not adopted the use of Small Area Fair Market Rents".
CHA does not appear to post the resulting dollar amounts: none were found on thecha.org on October 8, 2026. HUD's figures, with the plan's range around them, are shown instead.
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 Rent Burden Worksheet in your moving papers is the figure CHA will hold you to.
Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, FY2027, effective October 1, 2026. The 90% and 110% columns are VoucherMatch's calculation from the percentages in section 16-II.B of the plan.
Watch outException payment standards of up to 150 percent of HUD's figure exist for addresses in CHA Mobility Areas, and CHA approves them case by case. VoucherMatch has not classified South Chicago. CHA's Mobility Counseling page has a map that takes a street address, and its Mobility Areas map was drawn from fall 2017 data. The amount is CHA's to state, so ask.
The tenant side is federal. A family pays roughly 30% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.515), plus any amount by which rent and utilities exceed the standard. At first lease-up that total may not pass 40% of adjusted monthly income (24 CFR 982.508), and CHA must find the rent reasonable against comparable units (24 CFR 982.507).
ExampleVoucherMatch's example; income and rents are made up. Use HUD's $2,586 as a three-bedroom standard and an adjusted monthly income of $2,400, so the base share is $720 and the limit is $960. A house at $2,800 with utilities gives a share of $934, within the limit. At $2,850 the share is $984, above it.
The Chicago payment guide walks through CHA's calculation. See also how much Section 8 pays for a 2-bedroom and how the Section 8 utility allowance works. CHA's guidebooks and forms are on its participant resources page.
Compare the actual block and unit
South Chicago is community area 46, and its housing is mostly houses and buildings of two to four units, with three-bedroom homes the most common size. VoucherMatch files it under ZIP code 60617. The rent-data page for ZIP 60617 shows HUD's figures for the ZIP code, which are not CHA's standard.
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- Renters and owners56.0% of occupied homes are renter-occupied and 44.0% owner-occupied; citywide, 54.0% are rented.
- Building type29.6% of homes are detached single-family houses, 23.4% are in two-unit buildings and 20.2% in buildings of three or four units.
- Bedrooms34.3% of homes have three bedrooms, 32.1% have two and 20.8% have one or none.
What it means: in a house the tenant may carry every utility. CHA's utility allowance schedule, effective November 1, 2025, has its own table for single-family detached homes.
Source: CMAP, South Chicago Community Data Snapshot, June 2026 release, based on 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates; the City's community area boundary file gives the number.
Getting around South Chicago: Metra Electric and CTA buses
The Metra Electric South Chicago branch ends here, with three stations inside the area; no CTA 'L' station was matched inside it.
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| Service | Stations or route | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Metra Electric, South Chicago branch | 83rd St., 87th St., South Chicago (93rd) | Trains run to and from Millennium Station |
| Metra Electric, South Chicago branch | Cheltenham (79th St.) | Just outside the northern boundary |
| Bus 26 | South Shore Express | |
| Bus 30 | South Chicago | |
| Bus 71 | 71st/South Shore | |
| Buses 79 and 87 | 79th; 87th | Owl routes |
| Buses 15 and 95 | Jeffery Local; 95th | |
| Bus N5 | South Shore Night Bus | Owl route |
What it means: the list shows which services stop inside the area. Confirm the stop for a specific address with Metra or the CTA.
Source: Metra's schedule data for the Metra Electric line, and the CTA's 'L' stop list, bus stop file and schedules page; stops were matched to the City's boundary file by VoucherMatch.
How to make an offer on a South Chicago home with a CHA voucher
CHA decides in three parts, owner, rent and unit, and the lease comes last.
- 1Time limitsubmit the Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) packet within 120 days of receiving moving papers. Extensions need a written request and come in blocks of up to 60 days.
- 2Budget checkrent plus the utilities you would pay, against your Rent Burden Worksheet.
- 3RTA packetcompleted by you and the owner; the HCV Owner Portal lets the owner upload and track it. The voucher clock stops while CHA works on it.
- 4Owner screeningbackground check for an individual, certificate of good standing for an LLC.
- 5CHA's rent offerbased on the payment standard, comparable unsubsidized rents nearby, utilities and your income. The owner must accept it.
- 6Initial Inspectionthe home must pass.
- 7Lease and Housing Assistance Payment contractsigned last, and move-in follows.
What it means: allow about seven weeks after submission, CHA's own estimate, and do not sign or move first, or the full rent is yours.
Source: CHA's Move to a New Home page, HCV Leasing for Property Owners, the Owner Portal page, the Inspections page and section 5-II.C of the Administrative Plan.
- Your voucher and Rent Burden Worksheet
- The full street address and ZIP code of the unit
- Which utilities the tenant pays, and the heating fuel
- The pre-inspection checklist
Widen the search without copying a budget
South Chicago borders five community areas in the City's boundary file, and South Shore to the north has its own guide.
| Community area | City number | Section 8 listings |
|---|---|---|
| South Shore | 43 | South Shore |
| Calumet Heights | 48 | Calumet Heights |
| Avalon Park | 45 | Avalon Park |
| South Deering | 51 | South Deering |
| East Side | 52 | East Side |
Read Section 8 in South Shore for that area's Metra stations and housing mix. All five fall under the same CHA standard outside a Mobility Area. The Chicago apartment hub covers the rest of the city.
Application and move questions
Does sharing ZIP 60617 mean two units cost my household the same?
No. Two units in one ZIP code can have different rents and different tenant-paid utilities, and CHA calculates each proposal separately. CHA's standard does not vary by ZIP code in any case.
Is South Chicago a CHA Mobility Area?
VoucherMatch did not classify it. CHA decides by address: use the interactive map on its Mobility Counseling page. In a Mobility Area CHA may approve an exception payment standard of up to 150 percent of HUD's figure, case by case; ask CHA for the amount.
How much will CHA pay toward a three-bedroom in South Chicago?
Up to its three-bedroom payment standard minus your share. CHA's plan keeps that standard within 90% to 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent, $2,586 in FY2027, or $2,327 to $2,845 by VoucherMatch's arithmetic.
Does the Housing Authority of Cook County cover South Chicago?
No. South Chicago is a community area of the City of Chicago, which CHA serves. The Housing Authority of Cook County says its jurisdiction leaves out Chicago. For CHA's offices and waitlists see the Chicago agency guide and open waiting lists.
Can a South Chicago landlord say no to Section 8?
Source of income is protected under the Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance and, since January 2023, the Illinois Human Rights Act. That does not oblige an owner to lower a rent. Complaints can be filed with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the Illinois Department of Human Rights within one year, or HUD.
Next step: choose an address from the current South Chicago listings, confirm the utilities, and check the total against your worksheet before you and the owner complete the RTA.
Sources for this article (24)
- 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)
- South Chicago Community Data Snapshot (cmap.illinois.gov)
- community area boundary file (data.cityofchicago.org)
- utility allowance schedule (thecha.org)
- Metra Electric line (ridertools.metrarail.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)
- 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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