; Low Income Apartments For Rent in Reading, MA

Reading Comm Residence

40 Sanborn St
Reading, Massachusetts
Subsidized
Supportive
S. 811 Supportive

Cedar Glen

2 Elderberry Ln
Reading, Massachusetts
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Emarc Reading

6 Pitman Dr
Reading, Massachusetts
Subsidized
Supportive
S. 811 Supportive

Longwood Place at Reading

75 Pearl St
Reading, Massachusetts
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
BMIR

Peter Sanborn Place

50 Bay State Rd
Reading, Massachusetts
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202
BMIR

Hopkins Street Residence

159 Hopkins St
Reading, Massachusetts
Subsidized
Supportive
S. 811 Supportive
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There are 86 low-income apartments in Reading that offer reduced rents to eligible households.

Rental assistance programs support 208 low-income homes in Reading where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $439 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 7th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Reading, Massachusetts

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Housing Authority Programs
Reading Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Moving to Work
Massachusetts Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Centralized Waiting List Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
Go to the Massachusetts Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Reading.

Reading, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Reading, Massachusetts

Reading features 208 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Reading, Massachusetts

There are 86 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Reading.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Reading, Massachusetts

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Reading landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Reading.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Reading, Massachusetts for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,544 and $3,110.

2024 Reading, Massachusetts Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Reading, Massachusetts Fair Market Rent $2,212 $2,377 $2,827 $3,418 $3,765
Reading, Massachusetts Payment Standard Range $1,991 to $2,433 $2,139 to $2,615 $2,544 to $3,110 $3,076 to $3,760 $3,389 to $4,142

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Reading, MA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 6
Total Low Income Apartments 294
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 208
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 21.84%
Average Renter Household Size 2.00
Average Household Size 2.74
Median Household Income $107,654 ±$5,213
Median Rent $1,282 ±$98
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 40.36% ± 10.25pp
Total Population 25,357

Population and Household Demographics

Reading is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts with a population of 25,357. There are 9,168 households in the city with an average household size of 2.74 persons. 21.84% of households in Reading are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Reading

The median gross income for households in Reading is $107,654 a year, or $8,971 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,282 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Reading, a household making less than $4,273 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 40.36% of households who rent are overburdened in Reading.

Area Median Income In Reading

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Reading, the AMI is calculated from all households within Middlesex County.

In Reading, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $149,300

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Reading

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Reading

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Reading AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$31,150 $35,600 $40,050 $44,500 $48,100 $51,650 $55,200 $58,750
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Reading AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$51,950 $59,400 $66,800 $74,200 $80,150 $86,100 $92,050 $97,950
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Reading AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$82,950 $94,800 $106,650 $118,450 $127,950 $137,450 $146,900 $156,400