Section 8 in Massachusetts: how to apply, where to start, and what the waitlists actually look like

Guide to the Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8), public housing, and other HUD rental assistance available in Massachusetts. PHA data sourced from HUD’s public dataset, last refreshed May 2026.

PHAs
130
Section 8 Vouchers
102,391
Public Housing Units
30,101
Total Assisted Units
132,492

What rental assistance looks like in Massachusetts

Across Massachusetts, roughly 130 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) administer the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program on behalf of HUD. Together they manage about 102,391 vouchers and 30,101 public housing units. A voucher pays a portion of your rent directly to a private landlord; you pay roughly 30–40% of your monthly income toward rent and utilities, and the PHA covers the rest up to a payment standard.

Each Massachusetts PHA runs its own waitlist, opens applications on its own schedule, and serves a defined geographic area — usually a single county, city, or housing authority district. There is no statewide application that covers everyone, which is the single most common source of frustration. The directory below shows every active PHA so you can apply to the ones that serve where you live (or where you’re willing to live with a voucher).

Income limits in Massachusetts (illustrative HUD FY estimates): A 1-person household generally qualifies as “very low income” (50% of Area Median Income) at roughly $45,750/year, and as “extremely low income” (30% AMI) at roughly $27,450/year. A 4-person household’s very-low-income line is around $65,350. Section 8 priority generally goes to extremely-low-income applicants. These thresholds vary by county — always confirm with the PHA you’re applying to.

How to apply for Section 8 in Massachusetts

  1. Find your PHA. Use the directory below to identify the agency for your county or city. Many renters apply to several nearby PHAs at once — that is allowed and recommended.
  2. Check waitlist status. Call or visit the PHA’s website. Some waitlists are open year-round, others open for a brief window once every few years.
  3. Prepare your documents. Photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone in the household, birth certificates, proof of income (last 60 days of pay stubs, benefit letters), and current address.
  4. Submit the pre-application. Most PHAs use an online portal; some still accept paper. Lottery-style waitlists may pick applicants randomly — the order you apply does not matter.
  5. Stay reachable. Update your address and phone with the PHA whenever they change. Most denials happen because the PHA can’t reach an applicant when they reach the top of the list.

Public Housing Agencies in Massachusetts

The directory below covers every PHA in Massachusetts we have on file from HUD’s public dataset, sorted alphabetically. Click an agency to see its full contact information, voucher counts, and what programs it administers.

130 agencies in Massachusetts

AgencyCityVouchersPublic HousingPhone
Abington Housing Authority Abington 89 0 (781) 878-3469 Details ›
Acton Housing Authority Acton 159 0 (978) 263-5339 Details ›
Adams Housing Authority Adams 98 0 (413) 743-5924 Details ›
American Training by Chelmsford Housing Chelmsford 50 0 (978) 256-7425 Details ›
Amesbury Housing Authority Amesbury 111 0 (978) 388-2022 Details ›
Amherst Housing Authority Amherst 444 15 (413) 256-0206 Details ›
Andover Housing Authority Andover 131 0 (978) 475-2365 Details ›
Arlington Housing Authority Arlington 427 0 (781) 646-3400 Details ›
Athol Housing Authority Athol 61 0 (978) 249-4848 Details ›
Attleboro Housing Authority Attleboro 200 0 (508) 222-0151 Details ›
Auburn Housing Authority Auburn 0 103 (508) 832-3852 Details ›
Barnstable Housing Authority Hyannis 549 68 (508) 771-7222 Details ›
Belmont Housing Authority Belmont 50 0 (617) 484-2160 Details ›
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority Pittsfield 0 0 (413) 443-7138 Details ›
Beverly Housing Authority Beverly 425 168 (978) 922-3100 Details ›
Billerica Housing Authority Billerica 68 0 (978) 667-1661 Details ›
Boston Housing Authority Boston 17,755 8,406 (617) 988-4000 Details ›
Bourne Housing Authority Pocasset 79 56 (508) 563-7485 Details ›
Braintree Housing Authority Braintree 504 0 (781) 848-1484 Details ›
Bridgewell Peabody 187 0 (781) 593-1088 Details ›
Brockton Housing Authority Brockton 1,946 1,622 (508) 588-6880 Details ›
Brookline Housing Authority Brookline 1,370 139 (617) 921-2810 Details ›
Burlington Housing Authority Burlington 96 0 (781) 272-7786 Details ›
Cambridge Housing Authority Cambridge 7,597 52 (617) 864-3020 Details ›
Chelmsford Housing Authority Chelmsford 891 0 (978) 256-7425 Details ›
Chelsea Housing Authority Chelsea 609 352 (617) 409-5321 Details ›
Chicopee Housing Authority Chicopee 574 383 (413) 592-6132 Details ›
Clinton Housing Authority Clinton 0 100 (978) 365-4150 Details ›
Community TeamWork, Inc. Lowell 82 0 (978) 654-5715 Details ›
Concord Housing Authority Concord 107 0 (978) 369-8435 Details ›
Danvers Housing Authority Danvers 149 76 (978) 777-0909 Details ›
Dartmouth Housing Authority Dartmouth 201 0 (508) 994-1424 Details ›
Dedham Housing Authority Dedham 579 0 (781) 326-3543 Details ›
Dennis Housing Authority South Dennis 101 0 (508) 394-3120 Details ›
Dracut Housing Authority Dracut 71 44 (978) 957-3515 Details ›
Easton Housing Authority North Easton 104 0 (508) 238-4747 Details ›
Everett Housing Authority Everett 370 0 (617) 387-6389 Details ›
Exec. Office Housing & Livable Communities Boston 23,073 0 (617) 573-1250 Details ›
Fall River Housing Authority Fall River 2,477 2,023 (508) 675-3500 Details ›
Falmouth Housing Authority Falmouth 505 222 (508) 548-1977 Details ›
Fitchburg Housing Authority Fitchburg 227 53 (978) 342-5222 Details ›
Framingham Housing Authority Framingham 1,065 167 (508) 879-7562 Details ›
Franklin County Regional Housing Authority Turners Falls 597 0 (413) 863-9781 Details ›
Gardner Housing Authority Gardner 108 0 (978) 632-6634 Details ›
Gloucester Housing Authority Gloucester 660 89 (978) 281-4770 Details ›
Greenfield Housing Authority Greenfield 530 0 (413) 774-2932 Details ›
Groveland Housing Authority Groveland 0 58 (978) 374-0370 Details ›
Halifax Housing Authority Halifax 17 0 (781) 294-4520 Details ›
Hanson Housing Authority Hanson 28 6 (781) 293-7474 Details ›
Hanssen Ware 103 0 (413) 967-4477 Details ›
Haverhill Housing Authority Haverhill 467 0 (978) 372-6761 Details ›
Hingham Housing Authority Hingham 28 0 (781) 741-1417 Details ›
Holbrook Housing Authority Holbrook 85 0 (781) 767-0024 Details ›
Holden Housing Authority Holden 62 0 (978) 728-6970 Details ›
Holliston Housing Authority Holliston 52 0 (508) 429-6266 Details ›
Holyoke Housing Authority Holyoke 1,938 754 (413) 539-2220 Details ›
Hudson Housing Authority Hudson 72 92 (978) 562-9268 Details ›
Ipswich Housing Authority Ipswich 58 0 (978) 356-2860 Details ›
Lawrence Housing Authority Lawrence 1,031 1,050 (978) 685-3811 Details ›
Leominster Housing Authority Leominster 404 0 (978) 537-5300 Details ›
Lexington Housing Authority Lexington 88 60 (781) 861-0900 Details ›
Lowell Housing Authority Lowell 1,405 1,621 (978) 937-3500 Details ›
Lynn Housing Authority Lynn 1,566 455 (781) 581-8600 Details ›
Malden Housing Authority Malden 983 1,185 (781) 322-3150 Details ›
Mansfield Housing Authority Mansfield 137 0 (508) 339-6890 Details ›
Marlborough C.D.A. - Housing Division Marlborough 138 0 (508) 624-6908 Details ›
Maynard Housing Authority Maynard 0 32 (978) 897-8738 Details ›
Medford Housing Authority Medford 1,194 497 (781) 396-7200 Details ›
Medway Housing Authority Medway 0 100 (508) 533-2434 Details ›
Melrose Housing Authority Melrose 301 0 (781) 665-1622 Details ›
Methuen Housing Authority Methuen 569 42 (978) 682-8607 Details ›
Middleborough Housing Authority Middleborough 157 0 (508) 947-3824 Details ›
Middlesex North Resources Center, Inc. Peabody 85 0 (781) 599-4220 Details ›
Milford Housing Authority Milford 567 65 (508) 473-9521 Details ›
Millis Housing Authority Millis 24 0 (508) 376-8181 Details ›
Milton Housing Authority Milton 218 0 (617) 698-2169 Details ›
Natick Housing Authority Natick 105 0 (508) 653-2971 Details ›
Needham Housing Authority Needham 123 136 (781) 444-3011 Details ›
New Bedford Housing Authority New Bedford 1,932 1,744 (508) 997-4800 Details ›
Newburyport Housing Authority Newburyport 156 0 (978) 465-7216 Details ›
Newton Housing Authority Newton Highlands 446 298 (617) 552-5501 Details ›
North Adams Housing Authority North Adams 389 304 (413) 663-5379 Details ›
North Andover Housing Authority North Andover 137 105 (978) 682-3932 Details ›
North Attleborough Housing Authority North Attleboro 108 0 (508) 695-5142 Details ›
North Reading Housing Authority North Reading 25 0 (978) 664-2982 Details ›
Northampton Housing Authority Northampton 862 109 (413) 584-4030 Details ›
Norwood Housing Authority Norwood 345 96 (781) 762-8115 Details ›
Oxford Housing Authority Oxford 153 0 (508) 987-5055 Details ›
Peabody Housing Authority Peabody 341 0 (978) 531-1938 Details ›
Pembroke Housing Authority Pembroke 86 49 (781) 293-3088 Details ›
Pittsfield Housing Authority Pittsfield 585 163 (413) 443-5936 Details ›
Plymouth Housing Authority Plymouth 640 112 (508) 746-2105 Details ›
Quincy Housing Authority Quincy 2,356 40 (617) 847-4350 Details ›
Reading Housing Authority Reading 128 0 (781) 944-6755 Details ›
Revere Housing Authority Revere 480 194 (781) 284-4394 Details ›
Rockland Housing Authority Rockland 157 40 (781) 878-4156 Details ›
Rockport Housing Authority Rockport 157 0 (978) 546-3181 Details ›
Salem Housing Authority Salem 1,383 39 (978) 744-4432 Details ›
Salisbury Housing Authority Salisbury 61 0 (978) 462-8600 Details ›
Sandwich Housing Authority Sandwich 193 0 (508) 833-4979 Details ›
Saugus Housing Authority Saugus 154 100 (781) 233-2116 Details ›
Scituate Housing Authority Scituate 0 51 (781) 545-3375 Details ›
Shrewsbury Housing Authority Shrewsbury 177 99 (508) 757-0323 Details ›
Somerville Housing Authority Somerville 1,355 583 (617) 996-0922 Details ›
Southbridge Housing Authority Southbridge 128 0 (508) 765-5858 Details ›
Springfield Housing Authority Springfield 3,463 1,753 (413) 785-4500 Details ›
Stockbridge Housing Authority Stockbridge 62 0 (413) 298-3222 Details ›
Stoughton Housing Authority Stoughton 51 40 (781) 344-6599 Details ›
Swansea Housing Authority Swansea 0 6 (508) 679-5828 Details ›
Taunton Housing Authority Taunton 1,165 564 (508) 823-6308 Details ›
Tewksbury Housing Authority Tewksbury 113 50 (978) 851-7392 Details ›
The Bridge of Central Massachusetts Worcester 133 0 (508) 755-0333 Details ›
Wakefield Housing Authority Wakefield 378 40 (781) 245-7328 Details ›
Walpole Housing Authority Walpole 98 0 (508) 668-7878 Details ›
Waltham Housing Authority Waltham 455 265 (781) 894-3357 Details ›
Warren Housing Authority Warren 69 0 (413) 436-7184 Details ›
Watertown Housing Authority Watertown 220 0 (617) 923-3950 Details ›
Wayland Housing Authority Wayland 81 136 (508) 655-6310 Details ›
Webster Housing Authority Webster 47 61 (508) 943-1634 Details ›
Wellesley Housing Authority Wellesley 14 0 (781) 235-0223 Details ›
West Springfield Housing Authority West Springfield 255 0 (413) 788-0988 Details ›
Westfield Housing Authority Westfield 517 0 (413) 568-9283 Details ›
Weymouth Housing Authority Weymouth 229 70 (781) 331-2323 Details ›
Williamstown Housing Authority Williamstown 100 0 (413) 458-8282 Details ›
Wilmington Housing Authority Wilmington 11 0 (978) 658-8531 Details ›
Winchendon Housing Authority Winchendon 44 131 (978) 297-2280 Details ›
Winchester Housing Authority Winchester 147 0 (781) 721-5718 Details ›
Woburn Housing Authority Woburn 292 100 (781) 935-0818 Details ›
Worcester Housing Authority Worcester 3,700 2,468 (508) 635-3000 Details ›
Yarmouth Housing Authority South Yarmouth 332 0 (508) 398-2920 Details ›