Section 8 vs. Public Housing vs. Project-Based: What Each One Is, How Rent Works, and Which You Can Take With You

People say "Section 8" and "public housing" and "HUD housing" as if they were one program. They are three, run under different parts of the federal rules, with separate applications and separate waiting lists. Applying for the wrong one, or assuming a spot on one list counts toward another, costs people years.

The short version: a Housing Choice Voucher (what most people mean by Section 8) is a subsidy you carry to a private landlord's apartment. Public housing is an apartment in a building the local housing authority owns and runs. Project-based assistance, in two forms, is a subsidy tied to a particular building; you get it by moving into that building and lose it if you leave, with one important exception. This guide explains each, how rent is calculated in each, who gets priority, and which one fits your situation.

Last checked: September 25, 2026. Federal rules are quoted from 24 CFR parts 5, 960, 982 and 983 as published on eCFR, and program figures from HUD's public housing and Housing Choice Voucher pages. Local housing authorities set many details in their own plans. This is general information, not legal advice.

The three programs at a glance

Housing Choice Voucher: the subsidy that moves with you

HUD calls the voucher program "the federal government's primary program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market," serving "over 2.3 million American families." You apply to a housing authority's voucher waiting list, wait, and when your name comes up you receive a voucher and go find an apartment from any landlord willing to accept it. The housing authority inspects the unit, checks that the rent is reasonable, and then pays its share directly to the landlord every month.

Eligibility and priority. Admission is limited to very low-income families, generally 50% of the area median income, and 24 CFR 982.201 requires that at least 75% of the families admitted each year be extremely low income, at or below 30% of area median.

Rent. Your share is the total tenant payment under 24 CFR 5.628: "the highest of the following amounts, rounded to the nearest dollar: (1) 30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted income; (2) 10 percent of the family's monthly income;" the housing portion of any welfare grant; or the minimum rent, which a housing authority may set at "up to $50." The voucher covers the rest, up to the authority's payment standard; if the apartment costs more than the standard, you pay the difference too. Our guide to NYCHA's payment standards shows the math with real numbers.

The defining feature is portability. Under 24 CFR 982.353, a voucher holder "has the right to receive tenant-based voucher assistance ... to lease a unit outside the initial PHA jurisdiction, anywhere in the United States, in the jurisdiction of a PHA with a tenant-based program." No other program on this page offers that. Our guide to how portability works covers the process and its limits.

The catch is the search. You have to find a landlord, the unit has to pass inspection, and in most of the country there is no law requiring landlords to take the voucher. Waiting lists for vouchers are also the longest and most often closed; see how Section 8 lotteries work.

Public housing: an apartment the housing authority owns

Public housing "was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities," per HUD, in buildings owned and managed by local housing agencies. You do not search for a landlord; you are offered a unit in a development when one becomes available. The housing authority is your landlord.

Eligibility and priority. The income ceiling is higher than for vouchers. 24 CFR 960.201 says "no family other than a low income family is eligible," which HUD defines as 80% of area median income, and it adds that "eligible applicants include single persons." Targeting is lighter than the voucher program's: under 24 CFR 960.202, "not less than 40 percent of the families admitted ... shall be extremely low income families." Authorities also must adopt policies for "deconcentration of poverty and income-mixing," which is why some developments deliberately admit higher-income working families.

Rent, with a choice vouchers do not have. Public housing tenants pay the same income-based total tenant payment described above, but 24 CFR 960.253 requires that "once a year, the PHA must give each family the opportunity to choose between" income-based rent and a flat rent, which is set from the unit's market value and "no less than 80 percent of the applicable Fair Market Rent." A family whose income has risen can choose the flat rent and stop reporting income changes; the choice is offered "once a year," with a switch back allowed for financial hardship. Whichever you choose, you pay at least the minimum rent, and 24 CFR 5.630 requires the authority to grant a hardship exemption from minimum rent if paying it would get you evicted, if you have lost income or benefits, or after a death in the family.

The catch is that the assistance belongs to the apartment, not to you. Leave, and it ends. Transfers between developments follow the authority's own policy. There is no portability.

Project-based: the subsidy stays with the building

Two programs put the subsidy on a unit instead of a family, and they are easy to confuse.

Project-based vouchers (PBV). A housing authority takes some of its voucher funding and attaches it to specific units under a contract with the building's owner. To live there you apply through the authority: 24 CFR 983.251 says the authority "may select families who are participants in the PHA's tenant-based voucher program and families who have applied for admission to the voucher program." Many authorities keep a separate, site-based list for each PBV building, which is why a PBV list can be "open" while the main voucher list is closed. Rent follows the voucher rules.

PBV has the one exception to "you cannot take it with you." Under 24 CFR 983.261, "the family may terminate the assisted lease at any time after one year of PBV assistance," and when it does, "the PHA must offer the family the opportunity for continued tenant-based rental assistance." If no voucher is available at that moment, "the PHA must give the family priority to receive the next available" one. Leave before the year is up, and you "relinquish the opportunity." Survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking are exempt from the notice requirements and keep the right to a voucher if they had a year in the unit. For many families, a PBV unit is the practical route to a portable voucher when the main list is closed.

Project-based Section 8 (project-based rental assistance). This is older and separate: a contract between HUD itself and a private owner, administered by HUD's multifamily office rather than the housing authority. The subsidy is paid to the owner for the building's assisted units. You apply directly to the property, not to a housing authority, and each property keeps its own list. Rent is about 30% of adjusted income. When you move out, the assistance stays with the unit for the next tenant; there is no right to a voucher. HUD publishes a searchable database of these properties, and many senior and disabled housing developments run this way.

Which one should you apply for?

All of them, if you qualify. The lists are separate, and being on one does not count toward another. In practical terms:

• Apply to the voucher list whenever it opens, and to lists in nearby jurisdictions too, because the voucher is the only assistance you can carry to a different city or state.
• Apply to public housing at the same time. Its income ceiling is higher, its lists move on a different schedule, and the flat-rent option makes it workable for households whose income grows.
• Watch PBV openings. They are often short and building-specific, but a year in a PBV unit converts to voucher priority.
• Look at project-based Section 8 properties directly, especially if you are elderly or disabled. Their lists are held by the property manager, not the housing authority, so they are easy to miss.

If you are in New York City, note that NYCHA runs both a public housing program and the largest Section 8 program, with separate applications, and that HPD and HCR run further Section 8 programs; see HPD vs. NYCHA Section 8. NYCHA's Section 8 waiting list is closed, but the public housing application is separate; our guide to getting a housing voucher in NYC explains the current doors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Section 8 and public housing? Section 8 (the Housing Choice Voucher) is a subsidy you use with a private landlord; the housing authority pays part of the rent and you can move with it. Public housing is an apartment in a building the housing authority owns; the assistance stays with the unit.

What is HUD housing? "HUD housing" is not one program. It usually means one of three: public housing owned by a local housing authority, apartments rented with a Housing Choice Voucher, or privately owned buildings with a project-based HUD contract. Each has its own application.

Is public housing rent 30% of income? It is the total tenant payment, the highest of 30% of adjusted income, 10% of gross income, the housing portion of a welfare grant, or the minimum rent. Public housing also lets you choose a flat rent instead once a year.

Can I move with public housing? No. Public housing assistance is attached to the apartment. Transfers to another development go through the housing authority's own policy, and there is no portability to another city.

Can I turn a project-based voucher into a regular voucher? Yes. After one year in a PBV unit, you may end the lease and the housing authority must offer continued tenant-based assistance, or priority for the next available voucher if none is available immediately.

Do I apply for project-based Section 8 through the housing authority? No. Project-based Section 8 properties under a HUD contract take applications directly, through the property manager. Project-based vouchers, by contrast, are run by the housing authority.

Which has the shorter waiting list? It varies by place, but voucher lists are usually the longest and most often closed. Public housing lists move on a different cycle, and PBV or project-based Section 8 lists open when a specific building has vacancies. Apply to every list you qualify for.

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Holding a voucher and searching? Browse Section 8 apartments from landlords who already accept vouchers.

Landlord with a vacancy? List your property free and reach voucher holders whose rent is paid directly by the housing authority.