Complete Guide to Section 8 & Public Housing in Illinois
Illinois has 106 housing authorities managing a combined 495 waiting lists across Section 8 (HCV), Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher programs. Currently, 218 of those lists are accepting applications — an open rate of approximately 44%. This data was last verified on Oct 5, 2026.
Those agencies administer roughly 165,774 assisted housing units statewide — 47,095 public housing units and 118,679 Housing Choice Vouchers, across 87 counties. Income limits are set by HUD per county or metro area, so eligibility thresholds differ between agencies within Illinois.
The affordable housing programs tracked in Illinois include Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) (22 open), Public Housing (59 open), Project-Based Vouchers (PBV) (25 open), RAD (3 open), Mainstream (3 open), VASH (1 open). Each program has its own eligibility criteria, application process, and wait times. In most cases, applicants can apply to multiple program types at the same housing authority, and there is no limit to the number of housing authorities you can apply to statewide.
The cities with the most open waitlists in Illinois right now are Rock Island (24), Chicago (14), East Moline (9), Peoria (9), and Rockford (7) . Applicants who are flexible about location will generally receive assistance sooner than those who apply to a single waitlist in a high-demand area.
Latest opening: Housing Authority of the County of Bond — LIHTC (Green Gables Apartments)
Eligibility Requirements for Illinois
To qualify for assistance in Illinois, applicants must meet specific income and household criteria set by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).
- Income: Below HUD local limits
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen or eligible legal status
- Background: Criminal background check required
- Residency: Preferences often given to locals
Real-Time Data Verification
Section 8 Waitlist aggregates data from official Illinois legal notices, government press releases, and PHA portal updates. Every listing is cross-referenced with Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to ensure that families receive accurate information for low-income programs.