Looking for Housing

The King County Housing Authority provides an array of affordable housing options. Subsidized housing communities are managed and maintained by KCHA, while people who receive Housing Choice vouchers receive subsidies that help them pay rent for apartments and other kinds of homes on the private market. People can also find subsidized units on the private market through the Private Housing program.

If you are already a resident of KCHA housing or a participant in the Housing Choice program, you'll want to go to the Current Residents section. The Housing Authority does not provide emergency shelter, but you can find links to providers of emergency and transitional housing by clicking here.

Ballinger Homes in Shoreline

Subsidized Housing

KCHA-managed subsidized housing is federally assisted rental housing for households who meet certain income, eligibility and suitability criteria. In these programs, residents generally pay an income-based” rent, calculated at 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income. In Public Housing, they also have the option of paying a flat rent based on the market rate. KCHA owns 52 Public Housing/Section 8 communities including family complexes, single-family houses and high-rises for seniors and adults with disabilities totaling approximately 3,500 units.

Information about Subsidized Housing programs

Property Locator Map

List of KCHA Communities

Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)

The Housing Choice Voucher program pays rental housing subsidies –provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and managed by KCHA –to private landlords on behalf of low-income households (earning 80 percent or less of the King County area median income). Generally, HUD pays the difference between the rent charged by a housing owner (called contract rent) and the assisted household's rental contribution (usually about 30 percent of the household's income adjusted for family size).

Information about Housing Choice Vouchers

Links to Other Housing Resources and Services

You can find other useful links on this site with information about additional affordable housing resources, including links to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, nonprofit housing providers and other housing authorities.