Project-Based Rental Assistance

Project-based rental assistance provides critical affordable housing stock to low-income families across the country. This type of rental assistance allows tenants to live in an affordable unit and pay rent based upon their income. Project-based rental assistance, such as project-based Section 8 rental assistance, can be paired with units in HUD multifamily mortgage programs to provide a deeper level of affordability. With project-based rental assistance, a private for-profit or non-profit owner enters into a contract with HUD to provide affordable units.

Project-based assistance is tied to particular units, and does not travel with individual tenants. This means that project-based rental assistance can be a source of long-term affordability if preserved. Therefore, advocacy to preserve units with project-based rental assistance is crucial. This is particularly true in rapidly gentrifying areas, where the loss of project-based rental assistance would likely result in the displacement of low-income families.