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Resources

Filter by Areas Serviced

Greater ColoradoLow-IncomeSenior HousingSection 8 / HUD WaiverProject-BasedAssistance Available

Filter by Services/Populations Served

Greater ColoradoLow-IncomeSenior HousingSection 8 / HUD WaiverProject-BasedAssistance Available

Know the Program

History

Rules & Regulations

Government Agency Oversight

Eligibility Criteria

Program Benefits

Federal law and HUD rules set the basics. Each PHA writes its own plan for waitlists, preferences and screening.

Federal law: U.S. Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. 1437 and following; Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 and following.
Federal regulations: 24 CFR Part 5 (income and general rules), Part 960 (public housing admission), Part 982 (Housing Choice Vouchers), Part 578 (Continuum of Care).
Local PHA plans: the voucher Administrative Plan and public housing ACOP set local waitlist and screening rules.
Colorado law: HB20-1332 bans refusing a renter because they use a voucher or other lawful income.

Primary sources

24 CFR Part 982 (eCFR) — Housing Choice Voucher rules.
24 CFR Part 960 (eCFR) — public housing admission rules.
HB20-1332 (Colorado General Assembly) — Colorado's source-of-income protection.
Fair Housing Act (U.S. Department of Justice) — federal fair housing rights.

Sources last checked October 2, 2026. Rules change. Always confirm with the source before advising a client.

HUD funds and monitors the programs. Local agencies run them.

HUD: funds public housing, vouchers and homeless programs; its Denver Regional Office covers Colorado.
Public housing agencies (PHAs): local housing authorities that run waitlists, vouchers and public housing.
Colorado Division of Housing (DOLA): runs a state voucher program through local partner agencies.
Continuums of Care: regional groups (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Pikes Peak, Balance of State) that run coordinated entry for homeless programs.
Colorado Civil Rights Division and HUD FHEO: take housing discrimination complaints.

Primary sources

Colorado Division of Housing (DOLA) — state housing programs.
Colorado Civil Rights Division — file a housing discrimination complaint.
HUD — federal programs and contacts.

Sources last checked October 2, 2026. Rules change. Always confirm with the source before advising a client.

Eligibility depends on income for the area, household size, immigration status and screening by each PHA.

Income limits by area: low income is up to 80% of area median income (AMI), very low up to 50%, extremely low up to 30%. At least 75% of new vouchers go to households at or below 30% AMI. Look up each county's limits on HUD USER.
Immigration status: at least one household member must be a citizen or have eligible status. Mixed-status families get prorated help.
Screening: federal law denies anyone on a lifetime sex offender registry or convicted of making meth in federally assisted housing. Other criminal and rental history rules are set by each PHA.
Assets (HOTMA): families with net assets over $100,000 (adjusted for inflation), or who own a home they could live in, may not qualify. PHAs apply this rule by January 1, 2027.
Waitlists: apply to each PHA separately. Many lists open only for short periods and use preferences (for example, local residents, veterans or people with disabilities).

Primary sources

HUD income limits (HUD USER) — find the limits for any Colorado county.
24 CFR Part 5 (eCFR) — income, immigration status and screening rules.

Sources last checked October 2, 2026. Rules change. Always confirm with the source before advising a client.

Most HUD programs set the tenant's rent at about 30% of adjusted monthly income.

Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8): helps pay rent to a private landlord. Vouchers can move to another area.
Public housing: units owned and run by the PHA.
Project-based assistance: the help stays with a specific apartment.
Special vouchers: HUD-VASH (veterans), Family Unification Program (families and youth leaving foster care), Mainstream (people with disabilities) and Emergency Housing Vouchers.
Homeless programs: rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing through coordinated entry.
Senior and disability housing: Section 202 and Section 811.
Rights: reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and grievance or informal hearings before losing help.

Primary sources

24 CFR Part 982 (eCFR) — how voucher help is figured.
Colorado Division of Housing (DOLA) — state voucher and homeless programs.

Sources last checked October 2, 2026. Rules change. Always confirm with the source before advising a client.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds rental help for low-income households through local public housing agencies (PHAs) and homeless service programs.

1937: The U.S. Housing Act created public housing.
1965: HUD became a Cabinet department.
1968: The Fair Housing Act banned housing discrimination.
1974: The Housing and Community Development Act created Section 8 rental assistance.
1987: The McKinney Act started federal homeless assistance.
1998–1999: The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act created today's Housing Choice Voucher program.
2009: The HEARTH Act created the Continuum of Care program.
2016: HOTMA changed income and asset rules. PHAs must fully follow them by January 1, 2027.

Primary sources

HUD — the federal agency home page.
Notice PIH 2026-15 (HUD) — the January 1, 2027 HOTMA deadline.

Sources last checked October 2, 2026. Rules change. Always confirm with the source before advising a client.

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