About the Public Housing Program

Conventional Public Housing Program

The Public Housing program is a federal program that provides decent and safe rental housing assistance for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Public housing units are owned and managed by Pottsville Housing Authority. All of the units are grouped in a single community (such as the multi-family developments, high-rise apartment buildings, or mid-rise buildings).

Public Housing residents pay no more than 30% of their adjusted gross income for rent and basic utilities. PHA manages approximately 509 rental housing units in Pottsville. PHA selects its residents after they have completed the application process, have come to the top of the waiting list (after preferences, if any are applied), and satisfied various eligibility criteria. These criteria include: income eligibility, housekeeping, rental history, criminal history, and financial responsibility.

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must be a household containing:

  1. (a) head or spouse with a long-term disability; or (b) head or spouse who is at least 62 years of age; or (c) family consisting of one or more related or unrelated adults who have established a stable relationship. (d) any other single adult.
  2. Be receiving a total gross income within the limits established by HUD.

Annual Income is the gross amount of income anticipated to be received by all of the family members during the next twelve months after the date of application.

Preferences

The Pottsville Housing Authority has elected to apply the following local preferences:

  • Involuntarily Displaced by Government Action (24 CFR 5.420)
  • Involuntarily Displaced by Fire or Natural Disaster
  • City Working Family
  • In Job Training or Education Family
  • City Residency
  • Elderly/Disabled
  • Veterans
  • Displacement by Domestic Violence to Avoid Reprisals or by Hate Crimes.